One version of the Greek legend goes that Callisto, a nymph devoted to the goddess Artemis, caught the eye of Zeus, king of the gods, who subsequently deceived and impregnated her. After later giving birth to a son called Arcas, the queen of the gods, Hera was so infuriated that she turned Callisto into a bear.

Years later, Arcas was out hunting and was about to kill the bear unwittingly when Zeus intervened and swung both Callisto and Arcas, now transformed into a bear, up into the sky as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor respectively. Hera was annoyed the pair were given so much honor and so convinced Poseidon to forbid them from bathing. It is for this reason that these constellations are circumpolar and never dip below the horizon when viewed from Northern latitudes.

Pegasus was mentioned by the Ptolemy in the second century, and is one of the original 48 constellations that he wrote down in his astronomical treatise called Almagest. Of course it got its name from the famed winged-horse from Greek mythology, who was born after Perseus beheaded the gorgon Medusa and her blood mixed with seawater to create the fabulous creature. Pegasus was mortal, though, but because of its lifelong service to Perseus and Andromeda, on the last day of its life he was made into a constellation.

In Greek mythology the Pleiades were the 7 daughters of the giant Atlas, who were chased over the face of the earth by Orion after becoming the object of his affections. They then begged Zeus to save them from Orion’s pursuit, and so he placed them in the night sky with the giant hunter chasing them from east to west, without ever being able to catch them.