The 88 named constellations are constantly moving across the sky, and each is visible at different times of the year and places around the globe.
This change in scenery is related to the Earth's course in its orbit, a revolution it completes in 365 1⁄4 days, a movement of 1 degree per day.
Imperceptibly, the visible portions of the sky change until it is very different, from one solstice to another, for example.
Called the Big Dipper or the Plough is the most easily recognised group of stars in the northern sky. It is always above the horizon, it looks a bit like a saucepan, and the two stars furthest from the 'handle' end point towards the North Star (Polaris), so you can always find north.
On the other side of Polaris is the W-shape of Cassiopeia. The stars in the northern sky are the same all year round, so you will always be able to find them on a clear night.
These stars change throughout the year, but you should see variously, Orion the hunter, Gemini (two stick-figures), Sirius, the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, the Summer Triangle, Cygnus the swan (and if you're very lucky, our galaxy, the Milky Way down which it flies), the square of Pegasus, and if you follow the curve of the handle of the Plough, Arcturus.
