Where did the constellation names come from?

When you look at a star chart with an overlay showing the outlines of, say orion, big dipper, etc., in very few cases does the star pattern even remotely resemble what it was named.

I guess the ancient Arabs and Greeks observed the skies on a regular basis and with a lot of imagination told stories associated with the shapes they imagined they saw. Here's a site with a complete listing of all the recognized constellations.CLICK HERE

I know the greeks and other ancients named many of the constellations, and I think the primary reason, way back when, was to help sailors navigate the seas & have points of reference

Thanks for the link! I'm fascinated by the stars, and where I live I can always see many at night! I'll be fun finding those I'm not familiar with!

Giz,
here's another constellation site, hope it helps,Constellations.

By the way, I'm also interested in Astronomy, one day I hope to go to Oxford in England and get a degree that will enable me to work for NASA, (one of my goals).