<blockquote>
<p>Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There are many software and internet-based solutions that you can use a computer or even a smartphone to solve this.</p>
<p>I like <a href="https://in-the-sky.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">in-the-sky.org</a> in planetarium mode (shown below). I chose Nagpur near the geographical center of India and 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019, which is not a perfect match to the horizon but it's close enough to start identifying constellations.</p>
<p>For <em>many</em> more options like that see <a href="https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/13488/7982">Where can I find the positions of the planets, stars, moons, artificial satellites, etc. and visualize them?</a></p>
<p>You can also look in book stores, novelty stores or toy stores for a map or globe of the celestial sphere or a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphere" rel="nofollow noreferrer">planisphere</a>. Those are nice because you can set the time of year and time of night (to some extent) and see where the horizon will be.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ZjMTE.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ZjMTEm.jpg" alt="planisphere cropped from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Planisphere.jpg" /></a> click image for full size display (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Planisphere.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)</p>
<p>in-the-sky.org (and many other sites) also provide ways to print your own planisphere!  <a href="https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/index.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/index.php</a></p>
<hr />
<p>Example from in-the-sky.org for Nagpur (geographical center of India) at 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019 showing the Moon and constellations nearby:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3djCh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3djCh.jpg" alt="Screenshot from in-the-sky.org for Nagpur (geographical center of India) at 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019 showing the Moon and constellations nearby" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-01T22:14:59.203Z
2022-01-01T22:14:59.203Z
uhoh
<p>This is a pure knowledge question.  Suppose you were shown a map of Asia.  Could you identify India, China, Burma, etc.  Yes, if you had learnt the countries, although they are basically random patterns.</p>
<p>You recognise patterns.  The bright star Vega, and the parallelogram of the lyre are very distinctive.  What is next to Vega?  That would be Hercules.  Below Hercules? Ophiuchus, and the snake handler has Serpens around him.</p>
<p>Below Ophiuchus is Scorpio and following from the head of the scorpion are the &quot;claws of the scorpion&quot;, now the constellation of Libra. And so on... There are stories in the sky, that can help you to make the connections in your brain.</p>
<p>The best resource for this is <strong>the night sky</strong>!  Go out each night and learn the patterns that the stars make - Astronomy is not <em>all</em> about sitting at desk and doing trigonometry. A (printed) star map or planisphere is useful to get your bearings. The internet has lots of these.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-01-01T15:53:40.070Z
2022-01-02T00:11:15.630Z
2022-01-02T00:11:15.630Z
James K
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EAkuS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EAkuS.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>In Such sky maps How to identify constellation in those blocks?The just seems to me like Random figures.</p>
<p>Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?</p>

<observational-astronomy><amateur-observing><constellations>
Identifying Constellations from Sky Maps
Particle king
# Identifying Constellations from Sky Maps

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-01-01)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/EAkuS.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/EAkuS.jpg)

In Such sky maps How to identify constellation in those blocks?The just seems to me like Random figures.

Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, amateur-observing, constellations

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-01-01. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

> Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?

There are many software and internet-based solutions that you can use a computer or even a smartphone to solve this.

I like [in-the-sky.org](https://in-the-sky.org/) in planetarium mode (shown below). I chose Nagpur near the geographical center of India and 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019, which is not a perfect match to the horizon but it's close enough to start identifying constellations.

For *many* more options like that see [Where can I find the positions of the planets, stars, moons, artificial satellites, etc. and visualize them?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/13488/7982)

You can also look in book stores, novelty stores or toy stores for a map or globe of the celestial sphere or a [planisphere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planisphere). Those are nice because you can set the time of year and time of night (to some extent) and see where the horizon will be.

[![planisphere cropped from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Planisphere.jpg](https://i.sstatic.net/ZjMTEm.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ZjMTE.jpg) click image for full size display ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Planisphere.jpg))

in-the-sky.org (and many other sites) also provide ways to print your own planisphere! <https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/index.php>

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Example from in-the-sky.org for Nagpur (geographical center of India) at 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019 showing the Moon and constellations nearby:

[![Screenshot from in-the-sky.org for Nagpur (geographical center of India) at 5:30 AM 24-Dec-2019 showing the Moon and constellations nearby](https://i.sstatic.net/3djCh.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/3djCh.jpg)


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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-01-01. Score: 9

This is a pure knowledge question. Suppose you were shown a map of Asia. Could you identify India, China, Burma, etc. Yes, if you had learnt the countries, although they are basically random patterns.

You recognise patterns. The bright star Vega, and the parallelogram of the lyre are very distinctive. What is next to Vega? That would be Hercules. Below Hercules? Ophiuchus, and the snake handler has Serpens around him.

Below Ophiuchus is Scorpio and following from the head of the scorpion are the "claws of the scorpion", now the constellation of Libra. And so on... There are stories in the sky, that can help you to make the connections in your brain.

The best resource for this is **the night sky**! Go out each night and learn the patterns that the stars make - Astronomy is not *all* about sitting at desk and doing trigonometry. A (printed) star map or planisphere is useful to get your bearings. The internet has lots of these.


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