Free printable · Trailstead Guide

Northern Hemisphere Constellation Wheel

trailsteadguide.com
NESWBig DipperCassiopeiaPolarisRegulusDenebolaLeoArcturusBoötesSpringMarch – May, 9pm

Big Dipper overhead. Leo riding the meridian. Cassiopeia low north.

NESWVegaDenebAltairSummer TriangleCygnusBig DipperPolarisAntaresScorpiusSummerJune – August, 9pm

Summer Triangle overhead. Big Dipper sliding west. Scorpius low south.

NESWPegasus (Great Square)AndromedaCassiopeiaPolarisBig DipperFallSeptember – November, 9pm

The Great Square overhead. Cassiopeia high. Big Dipper low north.

NESWBetelgeuseRigelOrionAldebaranPleiadesTaurusSiriusCanis MajorPolarisCassiopeiaWinterDecember – February, 9pm

Orion in the south. Taurus and the Pleiades west. Sirius blazing low.

How to use this

Stand outside after full dark, facing north. Hold the page up overhead with the “N” edge of each disc pointing toward Polaris. Use the disc that matches the current season — the constellations roughly match what's overhead at 9pm. The sky rotates ~15° per hour, so reorient as the night goes.

Reading the dots

Brighter stars are bigger dots. Lines connect the most-recognizable shape of each constellation — they aren't in the actual sky. Polaris is the same point in every disc: the sky pivots around it through the night and across the seasons.