WEBSITES THAT FEATURE ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION

The Constellations

This website has a lot of information about constellations, binary stars,
the mythology behind constellation names, lists of constellations and
various astronomical objects, and more.

Fourmilab Switzerland

Fourmilab has orrery programs and more information on astronomy and
space.  There are a lot of other scientific subjects, as well as a spam
blocker program for e-mail.

Stardate Online

This site has news and features about the latest in astronomical developments and sky watching.  There is   also a subscription for for the 24-page magazine issued six times per year.  There is a PDF viewable sample issue to browse, as well on site. 

Greek Mythology and Constellations

This site has references to Greco-Roman mythology surrounding their regions local constellations, and the stories behind the names that were given to perceived star patterns.  This is the list of constellations that we are most familiar with, because the Greco-Roman world was fortunate to have Homer, whose works were published, translated into many languages, and distributed all over the world, and they are still available today.  Ancient astronomical works from China, India, and Egypt are lesser known, and have not been implemented as the "standard" constellations we are familiar with today.

Keep in mind that any culture can have its own constellations based on items or figures in their real world or mythology.  The primary benefit of constellations to the ancient world were as identifiable landmarks for navigation on land, and especially at sea.  The brightest stars and the learned shapes of animals, objects, gods, and heroes helped with migrations and sea travel as a night time compass when the sun was no longer visible.