No matter how long I study the sky, there will always be star groupings I just can't “see.” Certainly the ancients didn't make it easy for us; the constellations they devised don't actually look like animals, objects and people, but rather merely represent them in the sky.

That's why I'm indebted to H.A. Rey who, in 1952, created an entirely new set of constellation figures for those of us who are otherwise pattern-challenged. (Working with his wife, Rey also wrote and illustrated the “Curious George” books.)

Somehow – and I have no idea how he did it – Rey was able to find stars within each constellation that were bright enough to see in urban and suburban areas, and connected them to form figures that actually resembled their constellations' namesakes.

For the past 5½ decades, sky watchers have learned the constellations in this way, and today – whether they know it or not – most amateur astronomers see the heavens through the eye of this creative genius. His classic book “The Stars: A New Way to See Them” should be required reading for every stargazer.

While Rey's figures are easy to recognize in the book, that doesn't mean they're just as easy to find in the sky. It still requires patience and practice to see them, and sometimes there still are constellations that don't click with us.

One of the star groupings I have always had trouble with is Hercules. Hercules is the fifth-largest constellation in the heavens, but since it doesn't contain any brilliant stars, it's not particularly prominent.

Thankfully, it does have four stars that trace a distorted square, or “keystone,” and this is what I use to find Hercules. On May evenings, look for the keystone above the eastern horizon – just to the upper right of the bright star Vega.

Hercules – or Heracles, as the ancient Greeks knew him – represents the immortal strongman who performed the Twelve Labors of ancient mythology.

In Rey's depiction, the keystone of stars forms the head of the strongman. The remaining stars in the constellation trace his body, but finding his appendages can be challenging for even the most imaginative of stargazers.

If you have never been able to see the constellations, maybe now's the time to pick up a copy of Rey's wonderful book and view them in a whole new way.

© Copley News Service