One of the tests a Boy Scout must pass in order to obtain his badge of merit for starcraft is to be able to name and point out twelve principal constellations, and every boy, whether he is a scout or not, should be able to do the same thing for his own good.
The word constellation is formed from two Latin words, the first being con which means together, and the last being stella which means star, or in plain English, constellation means stars together.
In your efforts to find the North Star you have already learned one of the principal constellations—that of the Big Dipper—and to learn more of them will be even easier and much more fun, for now you have learned the game.
The Constellation of Cassiopeia.—To find the constellation of Cassiopeia (pronounced Cas´-i-o-pe´-ah) again make use of your star finder. Remove all the stars from the blackened cardboard and rearrange them so that the North Star is in the center of the board and the Big Dipper is on the left hand side with the two pointer stars in a line with the North Star. On this chart the Big Dipper must be made much smaller than the one described in the first chapter.
Cut out five more stars from white cardboard and place them on the opposite side of the board from the Big Dipper in such a manner that they will form the letter W being careful to fasten the stars to the cardboard so that the letter W stands in the exact position shown in [Fig. 13].
A line drawn through the pointers of the Big Dipper and produced will, as before, pass through the North Star, and if it is extended an equal distance beyond it, will pass very closely to the constellation of Cassiopeia; this line will aid you in placing the stars on your chart in the right positions.
Having thus prepared the star finder, take it out into the open when night comes on and begin by locating the North Star and the Big Dipper. Now set the Big Dipper and the North Star of your star chart in a position which to your eye corresponds to the Big Dipper and the North Star in the sky. Follow the line from the pointer stars to the North Star and beyond when the great letter W which is the constellation of Cassiopeia, will stand out so clear and bright that you will wonder why you have never seen it before.
Fig. 13.—Constellation of Cassiopeia.
[Fig. 14] shows this group of stars and the outline of the unhappy Cassiopeia who is as often standing on her head as on her feet, but it requires the imagination of an Arabian star-gazer to see the likeness.