This book is written for those who look at the stars with wonderment and would like to feel more at home with them, to go for a friendly walk with them.

In order to walk through the heavens and to know where you are, you must recognize what your eye sees. To know the names of stars and constellations is to form a friendship with our heavenly neighbors.

As we walk among the constellations, you will feel the immensity and quiet peace of the night sky. Do not ignore the legends about the constellations in Part 3 of the book. These legends will lend greater feeling to your vision of the world above. Friendship with the stars will deepen as we sense the thoughts and dreams of people who imagined people and animals living among the constellations.

Our walk will take us to the brightest stars in the sky. When we become familiar with them they will lead us to the dim stars.

It is not enough simply to find a constellation.

Try to see relationships between constellations. This is best done if you know different pathways to the constellations.

From the time of early humans, people have looked at the stars to help them navigate across seas and deserts, know when to plant and to harvest, establish their legends, mark the change of seasons and even align their temples of worship. To aid in recognizing specific stars they placed the brighter ones into star group patterns we now call constellations.