Part II - Origin of the Dot to Dot in the Sky Series

My wonder with the night sky stayed with me and as I grew up, I learned a few constellations along the way. First Orion, the Hunter, then Cassiopeia, the Queen, and Cepheus, the King.

A visit to the Edmonton Space and Science Centre (later called the Odyssium and today known as the Telus World of Science) gave me the opportunity to look through quality telescopes and ask volunteers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada all kinds of questions. On various visits over the years I had spectacular views of Venus, Mars, and Saturn, as well as Jupiter and its moons. I saw Comet Hale-Bopp, craters on our Moon, and even an asteroid!

Still fascinated by the constellations, I discovered their patterns are easier to find if you start with a star group you already know then jump dot-to-dot in the sky to the nearest constellation. My new method worked! Now I began to spot constellations more easily and frequently. What had been an erratic scattering of twinkling lights was now a black canvas filled with monsters, heroes, royalty, and creatures.

I began to wonder about the ancients cultures who had named the constellations. Why was there a dragon in the sky? Was there a reason so many cultures saw Ursa Major as a big bear? What possessed someone to name a constellation Furnace? I returned to the library looking for books that would explain the myths and legends associated with the night sky, starting with the Greeks and Romans.

You can see the experiences that led to writing the Dot to Dot in the Sky series evolved over many years.