1. Constellation a card set of the stars, by Vinson Brown, is a fascinating new way to track down the stars in the sky. All you need is this card set and a good flashlight. Each star in the card set is marked with a white star. If the star is very brilliant, it is marked with a large star. If it is dim, it is marked with a small star. The sizes of the stars indicate their magnitude (brilliance).
Each card face in this set is numbered from 1 to 36. Cards 1 to 6 are the instructions. Cards 7 to 9 show the constellations found around the North Pole Star, which are visible in the United States and southern Canada most nights in the year. Cards 10 to 36 show the other constellations arranged in order as they begin to appear in the early evening throughout the year, rising first in the east. Orion, the most brilliant and easily found constellation in the sky, is taken first as it appears in the late fall. Cards are marked with times of year when the constellations are visible and the parts of the sky where they can be found. As the weeks pass each constellation is found farther west in the sky.
The arrows on the cards always point to Polaris, the North Pole Star. The two end stars on the Big Dipper are called The Pointers because they point to the Pole Star. When you hold a constellation card over your head and shine a flashlight on it, arrange the card so the arrow on it points toward the Pole Star. Then your constellation on the card will be arranged in the same position as is the constellation in the sky.
Constellation cards can be used for games or personal study throughout the seasons, outdoors, at night, or in the home.