The patterns of the stars (constellations) always stay the same, but during the course of the night they move across the sky from East to West. This is because the earth is rotating.
From season to season you will see different constellations in the sky. This is because the earth is moving round the sun so at different times of the year we are looking in different directions at the surrounding stars.
Sorting out your Pleiades from your Plough (Not as painful as it sounds)
The best way of finding your way around the heavens is by using a star chart. At first these charts can seem a bit confusing but by picking out one or two of the more familiar constellations you can use these as pointers to other constellations.
If you are viewing from the northern hemisphere one of the best places to start is with the Plough. The Plough is visible all year round from the northern hemisphere and is one of the easiest constellations to find.
As can be seen in the tutorial, the Plough can point you in the direction of other constellations. By using these signposts in the sky you can soon start star hopping around the constellations.
A useful signpost in the Winter is the constellation of Orion that appears as you look to the south.
Once you've started, it doesn't take long to piece together the astronomical jigsaw.
