Star Deck Uses
1. As an educational tool. The cards can be used to learn the constellation shapes, the mythology behind them, the names of their major stars, and objects of naked eye visibility within each. I've included only stars to ~4th magnitude so that suburban users can see all of the stars shown. In a few cases (for example, Lynx), I've had to include fainter stars to show anything.
A separate guide has been written to accompany the cards. It contains a brief introduction to the layout of the cards, and a description of each constellation. The latter consists of brief sections on the mythology or history of each constellation, astronomically interesting facts (brighter objects located within, location of solstice or equinox, etc.), and a brief mnemonic to aide in its recognition. Two examples are below.
Orion was said to have been the son of Jupiter and a nymph. A huge and powerful hunter, he once boasted that he would kill every beast on the Earth. Gaia, the Earth goddess, overheard the boast and sent Scorpius, the Scorpion, to sting and kill Orion. Later, Aesculapius (see Ophiuchus) resurrected him.
Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations and dominates the winter evening sky. Two of its stars are especially bright. Betelgeuse is in the top left corner, or shoulder, and is a deep orange supergiant star. (Betelgeuse is pronounced a myriad of ways, none of which sound particularly appealing - my favorite is "beetle-juice". This is fitting, since the name literally means “armpit of the giant”). Rigel is in the lower right corner and is a hot, blue giant. Below the belt of Orion is a grouping of stars known as the Sword of Orion. The central star has a fuzzy appearance to the naked-eye, but is resolved to be a spectacular nebula in small telescopes and is referred to as M42.
How to remember Orion: If you recognize no other constellation in the winter, you will recognize Orion. It dominates the sky. In keeping with the hunting theme, Orion is surrounded by two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Minor, a unicorn, Monoceros, and a hare, Lepus. He is also on the edge of, or just in, the river Eridanus.
This constellation represents a frightening episode in the history of the Olympian gods. The Titans were the predecessors of the Olympians, but were put down in a fierce battle by Jupiter (Zeus) and company. In one of several attempts at revolt, a powerful and demonic monster, Typhon, was created by Earth and sent against the gods. It came upon them swiftly and without warning. In their fear, they changed into animal shapes to escape. Jupiter took the form of a Ram (another story for Aries). The satyr (goat-man) Pan was drinking at the shore when Typhon appeared. He literally “pan-icked” and tried to escape using the form of a fish. In his rush though, he only got it half-right and ended up with the upper body of a goat and lower body of a fish.
In ancient times, the sun was in the constellation Capricornus on the Winter Solstice (first day of winter, around Dec 21st.). This coincides with the sun being at its lowest point in the sky all year (for the northern hemisphere, highest point for those in the southern hemisphere). Festivals commemorating the event were common in all cultures since from this point on, the sun would rise a little higher in the sky every day. If you look on a globe, you find the Tropic of Capricorn to be a circle below the equator at a latitude of 23.5° South. Everywhere on this line, the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Winter Solstice. Because of the procession of the Equinoxes, the sun is now in the constellation Sagittarius on the Winter Solstice.
How to remember Capricornus: It looks like a toy boat, but it’s really a sea goat.
2. As an educational game. Coincidentally, there are 52 constellations within view for observers in most of the U.S. and other mid-latitude northern countries. I've color-coded these according to the season they are visible - 13 per season. There are 3 zodiac signs per season, so the Star Deck can be used much like a regular deck of playing cards for a variety of games, like Rummy and Poker.
Instead of collecting three “8’s” or four “Jacks”, one would accumulate groups of Zodiac or Milky Way cards. Because the constellations are connected to others, groups of adjacent cards would mimic “straights”. Cards of the same Season become “flushes.”
Other groupings are possible based on the constellation mythology. For example, all the constellations related to the myth of Andromeda (Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Cetus, Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus) would constitute a group, as would those associated with the Labors of Hercules, and the Argonauts Quest for the Golden Fleece. Other groupings could include similar themes like Cats and Dogs (Leo, Leo Minor, Lynx, Canes Venatici, Canis Major, Lupus etc.), Birds (Apus, Cygnus, Aquila, Columba, Toucana, etc.), Fish and Water creatures (Cetus, Pisces, Hydra, Delphinus, etc.), Instruments (Telescopium, Sextans, Antlia, Libra, etc.), or Twin Pairs (Delphinus-Dorado, Lacerta-Chameleon, Corona Borealis-Australis, etc. also note that Gemini could be a “trump” card here). (Note: some of these pairs require the full 88-card deck which includes the southern constellations - this is not available yet).
Copyright 2002 by Michael K. Shepard. The cards and Guide to the Constellation are protected by copyright. However, teachers, students, educators, and the general public are free to download the cards and the Guide to use in the classroom/educational setting or for other personal purposes. All other rights are reserved. Reproduction and resale are prohibited without written consent. I'd be happy to discuss options for commercially printing these on high quality card stock and marketing to planetariums and other museums with interested companies.
Download all cards in ZIP file Download all cards in a TAR file
I've formatted the cards to fit nicely on 4x6 index card stock. I print them out individually with my inkjet printer.
Here's a free program to zip/unzip or tar/untar files: 7zip
Download Guide to the Constellations (pdf)
I'd appreciate any comments from users and suggestions for improvement or games. Email me.