Since the dawn of man and probably even eons before, our oldest ancestors were fascinated by the stars in the sky. After a day spent taking down a Woolly Mammoth or defending their valley or water source, a group of early men entertained each other around the cook fires with stories about the stars. Much like we can see shapes and patterns in the clouds today, they connected together the stars to form patterns that looked like animals, gods, goddesses, and heroes from their cultures. Some of these stories survived the millennia, and we remember them today as the origins of the constellations. These stories have become the foundation on which many of the myths are based; these have been passed down through the centuries by the Greeks, Romans, Polynesians, Native Americans, and members of many African tribes and Asian societies.
To remove yourself from the glow of the metropolitan light pollution you have to trek pretty far out of the suburbs to really appreciate the night sky. But when you do, the visible universe is splashed across the blacked dome above you, just as it has been for thousands of years.
Constellations Visible to You