Easy constellations
Three patterns that are easy to find from the Northern Hemisphere, even in a city. The maps are simplified sketches, not to exact scale.
The Big Dipper
Seven bright stars forming a ladle, part of the larger constellation Ursa Major. Follow the two stars at the end of the bowl upward and you will reach Polaris, the North Star.
Orion
The hunter dominates winter evenings. Look for the three stars of his belt in a short straight line, with reddish Betelgeuse above and blue-white Rigel below.
Cassiopeia
A bright "W" (or "M", depending on the time of night) on the opposite side of Polaris from the Big Dipper. It never sets for most of Europe, so you can find it any night of the year.