While the predictions of astrology may be dubious, star patterns can still be our guides. These figures help us navigate our way across the night sky and locate celestial objects. Pegasus are commonly called constellations. But the term constellation in modern astronomy actually refers to a particular region of the sky, like a country on a map. The star figures first noticed in antiquity lie within these regions.
Some constellations hold other identifiable shapes formed by stars, called asterisms.
Ursa Major form what may be the most renowned asterism through the ages. This shape has been noted by poets from Homer to Tennyson, and known variously as the Plough, the Wain, and the Wagon. Today, we call it the Big Dipper. By connecting stars in the constellation Ursa Major in a different way, you can see the rough shape of a bear. And some Native American tribes saw three hunters in nearby stars chasing the bear around the northern sky.