Global Star Party

28 April 2012

Be sure to reserve Saturday, April 28th, for GAM’s ultimate observing event: the Global Star Party.  Of course, it’s B.Y.O.T. – Bring Your Own Telescope – but encourage even those who don’t have one to come anyway. All are invited, all will be excited.  It is amazing that when we turn our gaze upward all religious, national, cultural and political barriers fade into the darkness.  April 28th is the time to come out under the stars, bridge gaps across the seas, and join your brother and sister skywatchers in proving that the world is, in fact, “One People, One Sky.”

 

Start Early and Follow Up
Not just the 28th, of course, but the whole month of April is dedicated to the science, art, and culture of astronomy, so plan to take your hobby to the streets as often as you can.  Club members need to “divide and conquer” their community on every corner. Get events scheduled and supported by your community’s science centers, planetariums, and science museums.  Spearhead new ways of outreach to convalescent hospitals, rest homes, military bases, busy sections of town, and libraries.  Be ready to accommodate handicapped visitors to your scopes, including those in wheel chairs.  Be on top of your game with lectures, presentations, exhibits, telescope demonstrations, handouts, and star charts—and be ready to dazzle them with fun facts (not boring ones) about the objects you have captured in your eyepiece.

Begin with the Sun
You can build momentum by scheduling events not just in the evening but during the day as well.  Spark interest in our number one star, the Sun, by planning an Astronomy Day at the park with picnic.  And, of course, invite all your daytime guests to your Global Star Party in the evening.  Contact your local observatory—they may be happy to work with you to have a big, all-day astronomy event on their grounds.

Publicize Your Events
But the public won’t know about your Global Star Party unless you get the word out.  Local weekly newspapers are very receptive to running news items about events like this, and if you can give them a well-written story that has a catchy news angle in it, you may get not just a small announcement but a feature article.  Also, if your city or town has a public radio station, they will likely be happy to announce your event—perhaps including an interview with you.

Use Your Creativity
Other than the set date—Saturday, April 28th local time—there is no formal agenda.  Amateur astronomers have proven to be incredibly creative when organizing events, so we encourage you to show us what you can do!  We do, however, encourage everyone to expand the time beyond the regular evening events—starting early with solar activities and continuing until late evening.
Everyone should choose the activities that fit their community and personal preference.  We are encouraging everyone to think in new directions and try new methods of outreach, but want everyone to be comfortable in their choice of events.
Be sure to register you event with AWB online and to come back afterwards and fill out your event reports and post your photos.  We all want to see what our friends around the world are doing!

Some Program Idea

• Visit a military base, retirement hotel, or children’s hospital and give those able a chance to see the Universe up close.
• Have a club member dress up as a famous astronomer from history.
• Find ways to attract attention – your own version of 100HA’s Camel Cart!
• Use our resources page to get the materials to accommodate the seeing impaired.
• Host “How Telescopes Work” demonstrations and put your ATM guys to work with mirror grinding demos and use some of that extra glass to let the public try.
• Hold events outside of art galleries or musical events.
• Surround a shopping mall or city park with telescopes at every corner or entrance.
• Hold astropoetry events, such as a public poetry reading at a library.
• Get a local scout or school group to assist at your star party—have the youngsters ask questions, provide information, and even help run the scope.
• Have an “artists table” set up so that younger observers can make and take their own souvenirs of the event.
• Work with a local library to have book displays set up near the telescope so that people can learn more.
• Work with another club in a different country and set up an internet connection so that those attending your event can connect with others doing the same thing at the same time in a different part of the world.
• Live-stream your event on Ustream.

 

Share your Star Party experience with us:

Share your Global Star Party images with us via GAM2012 Facebook or Flickr group or Tweet using #GAM2012 hashtag (@gam_awb). Don’t forget to register your events here.

 

Related articles

• Global Astronomy Month 2012 : Programme Schedule (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• International Astronomy Day 2012 (siderealmuse.wordpress.com)
• Sky Gazers : A Timelapse Tribute (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

• SkySafari App Promotion (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

• Global Astronomy Month 2012 : Programme Schedule (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• The 2012 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest on Dark Skies Importance (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

The winter hexagon v/s the summer hexagon?

Credits : Winter hexagon - Felgari

The winter hexagon is not a constellation but simply an asterism. But when there’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, its summer in the Southern Hemisphere. I find it really unfair for the world to call this set of stars as the winter hexagon. Why don’t call it the summer hexagon? Frankly speaking I feel like being discriminated on belonging from the Southern Hemisphere.

Winter Hexagon from the Tropics

I understand that development in the astronomy field knew its leap in the Northern Hemisphere, but still I am hereby campaigning for a change in the name of this asterism ( I know Asterisms are not even officially recognized names). But the “winter hexagon” It is a complete misnomer. When I first got to see this beautiful set of constellations in its entirety by the seaside, I was feeling hot. One as it was a breezeless night, hot and damp. Secondly for the utter pleasure of being able to identify the hexagon which covered almost ¼ the portion of the sky and being able to identify six constellations in one go.  It was awesome.

But Do you Know How to find the winter hexagon?

One could ask it’s already April and the spring is already here, so why talk about the winter hexagon? It’s just because the winter hexagon in a few months would not remain in our skies. During January at dusk I would have to raise up my head towards the zenith to see the Orion as it would highlight our north western skies, but now in April it’s already halfway between the horizon and the zenith towards the west at dusk. And to tell you Scorpion is already on its way. (Hope you know about the Scorpion – Orion saga) So to say in a few months Orion would be no more on the skies. (I would miss Orion a lot)

And as April is here, it would be a lovely time to appreciate the nature in its bloom and a have good time to observe the night sky. No more shivering and complaining about the chilly weather to have a look at the sky (for my friends of the Northern Hemisphere). As for us Mauritians, we have only two seasons per se. Our hot humid summer is already gone and we are slowly entering the winter phase.

So, if you feel being discriminated by pronouncing the Winter Hexagon, (or any other misnamed constellation or asterism) then campaign with me for this misnomer. Together, united we can change the name of this marvelous hexagon to a common name. Because as the saying goes “the sky has no borders, it is for everyone”. (Is it really a saying or I just made it up?). I suppose I got it from The Astronomers without borders. They have their motto as One people, One Sky.

Related Articles:

How to find the winter hexagon

Related articles

• Constellations: Origins and Now (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• Constellations: Official List (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• Asterisms : What? and List 
• The Big Dipper is Not a Constellation (todayifoundout.com)
• 3) What causes the Seasons? (curiousmg.wordpress.com)
• What is Starhopping? (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

My Top 20 Guideposts in the Sky

Number	Common Name	Constellation	Apparent Magnitude	Spectral Type	Luminosity (Sun = 1)	Distance (Light Years)	Radial Velocity (km / sec)
1	Sirius	Canis Major	-1.46	A1	26	8.7	-8
2	Canopus	Carina	-0.72	F0	15,000	310	+21
3	Alpha Centauri	Centaurus	-0.04	G2	1.7	4.3	-22
4	Arcturus	Boötis	0.00	K2	115	36	-5
5	Vega	Lyra	0.03	A0	52	25	-14
6	Capella	Auriga	0.08	G8 F0	90 70	43	+30
7	Rigel	Orion	0.12	B8	60,000	910	+21
8	Procyon	Canis Minor	0.38	F5	7	11.4	-3
9	Achernar	Eridanus	0.46	B5	400	85	+19
10	Betelgeux	Orion	0.0 – 0.9	M2	105,000 v	640	+21
11	Agena	Centaurus	0.61	B1	10,000	460	-11
12	Altair	Aquila	0.77	A7	10	16.6	-26
13	Acrux	Crux Australis	0.83	B1	3,200	360	-11
14	Aldebaran	Taurus	0.85	K5	120	68	+54
15	Antares	Scorpius	0.96	M1	7,500	330	-3
16	Spica	Virgo	0.98	B1	2,100	260	+1
17	Pollux	Gemini	1.14	K0	60	36	+3
18	Fomalhaut	Piscis Australis	1.16	A3	13	22	+7
19	Deneb	Cygnus	1.25	A2	70,000	1,800	-5
20	Becrux	Crux Australis	1.25	B0	8,200	425	+20

---

Explanation

Number

This is a list of the 20 brightest stars as seen from the Earth (not including the Sun). The stars are numbered from 1 to 20 in sequence.

Common Name

This is the name by which the star is commonly known. The names are Greek, Latin or Arabic. This web site is based in London: stars not visible from London are in red.

Some examples of the names: Deneb is Latin for tail (because it marks the tail of The Swan – Cygnus); Antares is Greek for rival of Mars (because of its red colour); Aldebaran is Arabic for eye of the bull (because it marks the eye of The Bull – Taurus).

Constellation

A constellation is a star group (as seen from Earth) that the star is a part of. Constellations are human inventions. The stars in them appear in the same part of the sky but are, in fact, at different distances from us and not related to each other. Different cultures use different constellations. For more, read Astronomy and Astrology.

In the West, there are 88 recognised constellations; 48 of these date from Roman times and are known as the Classical Constellations. These include the 12 Zodiac constellations through which the Sun, Moon and planets always pass through. Constellations are always known by their Latin names.

Some examples: Canis Major means The Great Dog; Orion is The Hunter; Crux Australis means The Southern Cross.

Constellations are used by astronomers for convenience. We say that Sirius is in Canis Major rather than give its celestial coordinates.

Apparent Magnitude

Apparent Magnitude tells how bright the star is as seen from the Earth. The magnitude scale was devised by the Ancient Greeks. The brightest stars were called First Magnitude, the next brightest were called Second Magnitude, etc.

In modern times, the scale has been defined mathematically. A star of magnitude 1 is about 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 2 which in turn is 2.5 times brighter than a star of magnitude 3. The brighter a star, the smaller its magnitude. Many stars are brighter than first magnitude. Some stars are so bright they have negative magnitudes. On this scale, Jupiter has a magnitude (at its brightest) of -2.6, Venus is at -4.4 and the Sun -27. The faintest stars visible to the naked eye are sixth magnitude. Pluto has a magnitude of +14, far too faint to be visible without a powerful telescope.

In the table it can be seen that Betelgeux varies its magnitude – some stars are variable in brightness.

The brightness of a star as seen from Earth depends on its intrinsic luminosity and its distance from Earth. A dim star may appear bright because it is close while a luminous star may appear faint because it is far away. This is why we say Apparent Magnitude.

Spectral Type

When starlight is passed through a prism, it splits into its constituent colours, like a rainbow. This is called the star’s Spectrum. Stellar spectra are crossed by dark lines. These lines give astronomers a lot of information about the star: temperature, luminosity, radius, magnetic properties, movement. Read The Electromagnetic Spectrum for more on spectra.

The Morgan-Keenan spectral classification (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Stellar spectra are classified into types. These types are given letters. The spectral type series is a temperature series. Moving from the hottest stars to the coolest, the series of letters runs O, B, A, F, G, K, M.

Each spectral type is subdivided into ten numbers. For example, A0, A1, A2, up to A9. A0 is hotter than A1. The table below gives more information.

Spectral Type	Colour	Surface Temperature (°C)
O	Blue	>30,000
B	Blue-White	20,000
A	White	10,000
F	Yellow-White	7,000
G	Yellow	6,000
K	Orange	4,500
M	Red	3,000

Our Sun is a star of Spectral Type G2 with a surface temperature of around 6,000°C.

Luminosity

This tells us how much more energy and light the star gives off compared with the Sun. This is how bright the star really is once distance has been taken into account. There is a huge variety in the luminosity of the stars. At one extreme, the star Alpha Centauri is 1.7 times more luminous than the Sun. At the other extreme, Canopus is 15,000 times more luminous than our Sun.

Luminosity can be measured indirectly by combining the apparent brightness of a star with its distance. It can also sometimes be measured directly from the spectrum.

Distance

The distance of a star is given in Light Years. This is the distance covered by a light beam in one year. Light travels at 300,000 km per second (186,000 miles per second). In one year a beam of light will travel 9.4 million million km (5.9 million million miles). This enormous distance is a Light Year.

Many stellar distances can be measured directly by trigonometry. As the Earth moves around the Sun, the star appears to shift its position against more distant stars. This effect is called parallax. It is a tiny effect but can be measured. The amount of the parallax depends on the diameter of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun (just under 300 million km or 186 million miles) and the distance to the star. A star with a paralax of 1 second of arc (written 1″) is said to be at a distace of 1 Parsec. 1 Parsec is equal to 3.26 Light Years.

Other stars can have their luminosity measured by their spectra or by other properties. When this is compared to their apparent brightness, a distance can be calculated.

For more on astronomical distances look at The Scale Of The Universe.

Radial Velocity

This the velocity of the star relative to the Sun. Negative velocities denote a star moving towards the Solar System. Positive velocities are for stars moving away from us.

Radial velocity is easily measured by looking at the star’s spectrum. The lines on the spectrum are shifted to the blue end if the star is moving towards us (the so-called blue shift) and to the red end if the star is moving away from us (red shift). The amount of this shift depends on the relative velocity between us and the star.

Credits: http://www.krysstal.com/brightest.html

Related articles

• Constellations: Origins and Now (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• Asterisms : What? and List.    (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)
• Constellations: Official List (heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

(heavenswithlamps.wordpress.com)

What is Starhopping?

The night sky is replete with so many wonders. These wonders need just our eyes to be seen. One way to become familiar with the beautiful night sky is by Star-hopping.

In this digital age we are so engrossed with our daily lives that we don’t get to feed our souls. The best way to find a perspective in our meaningless lives is to have a look at the great wonders of the night sky.

But…..if you are not familiar with the sky, your first experience would be just like gazing to a thousands of dots on a big, very big black roof. So to solve this we are going to learn star-hopping.

Star-hopping is a great technique to identify where stars are.

First of all you have to identify your guideposts, (stars which are bright enough to indicate where less brighter stars are)and then once you have found them, you start star hopping.

It’s the same as you jump, jump and jump.

Yeah, you jump with your feet but here you do it with your eyes. That’s why I call it “eye jump”

Benefits of Star hopping

Star-hopping really is awesome. Believe me finding even one constellation out of the 88 constellations or an asterism is purely fascinating. This allows you not only to recognize the patterns of constellations, but in the process….let it be even a life-time…..you’re also learning about star distances, star colours, ages and names.

“You’ll find that the whole of the night sky is an amazing mixture of space, time, history, science and world cultures. It’ll lead you off on all sorts of paths and you’ll learn things that will amaze others. Not to mention the basic reason – you’ll know what you’re looking at.”

 Credits: September 2008 issue of Sky at Night Magazine

Orion the hunter

(credit: NASA).

Orion, the Hunter

In our summer skies (Southern Hemisphere –Mauritius, in the Northern Hemiphere it is Winter), just have a look towards the west, you would find the three stars aligned – these three are the Orion’s belt. This is the easiest to find.

The two stars north of this are Orion’s shoulders. One of these is Betelgeuse (“BEETLE-juice”), which is a giant red star. The two brighter stars to the south are Orion, the hunter’s legs. The bright blue star is Rigel.

Ancient people used Orion to predict the seasons: If it appeared at midnight, the grapes were ready to harvest. If it appeared in the morning, summer was beginning. If it appeared in the evening, winter had arrived.
In the photo below, as we can see, we have already identified seven bright stars. Now taking them as guide-posts, we can find your way to other stars and constellations too. You just have to find your way to them by imagining your straight lines and gradually hopping from one star to another. Quite easy, you see.

seven bright stars in orion

Is it necessary to star hop to understand the sky?

We are living in the digital age of electronic star charts, easy planetarium softwares on our laptops, star apps on Ipads and stars in our palms or GO TO telescopes where with only a push of a button one can travel from the Lunar neighborhood to the far reaches of deep space in just a few seconds.

Orion-SkyQuest-Computerized-Dobsonian-Telescope

Despite all of this easily available technology, many star gazers and amateur astronomers prefer doing their night observing without the use of GO TO telescopes, and truely speaking star hopping is the best way to have a complete grip on the night sky.

So  go star-hopping, the night sky is waiting to be seen.

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Global Astronomy Month 2012 : Programme Schedule

AWB is planning a rich schedule of programs and events for Global Astronomy Month 2012 (GAM2012), all designed to inform and inspire the public throughout the world. Below is a sampling of some major events listed by date but there is much more to come soon. For more information on each program, click on the highlighted links.

Date / Time	Program
23 March to 27 April	IASC Asteroid Search Campaign
1 April	SunDay
1 April	Online Messier Marathon (remote observing event)
1 to 7 April	Lunar Week
1 to 22 April	International Earth and Sky Photo Contest
7 to 8 April	In the Interstices of Life (astroart video presentation)
8 April	Bats & Radio Astronomy (live presentation)
11 to 20 April	Globe at Night
12 April	Yuri’s Night
14 to 15 April	Spiral Galaxy (video presentation)
14 to 20 April	International Dark Skies Week
15 April	Saturn Watch (Beauty without Borders)
15 April	Around the Ringed Planet (remote observing event)
19 April	Cosmic Depths (remote observing event)
20 April	World Night in Defence of the Starlight
21 April (deadline)	Celebrate Starlight
21 to 22 April	Lyrids Watch (Meteors without Borders)
21 to 22 April	Neurostar (astroart video presentation)
27 April	Walking on the Moon (remote observing event)
28 April	Global Star Party
28 April	Stars for All (remote observing event)
28 April	Opticks (live moonbounce event)
29 April	Cosmic Concert (live musical concert)
30 April	Write Your Name in The Sky (remote observing event)
Throughout April	One Star at a Time – Fight Light Pollution
Throughout April	Astropoetry Contest for GAM2012
Throughout April	Programs for Planetariums
Throughout April	Programs for People with Disabilities
Throughout April	30 Nights of Star Peace
Throughout April	MicroObservatory Astrophotography Contest
Throughout April	Olympicosmopoetriada for GAM2012
Throughout April	The Sky in Your Hands

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Constellations: Official List

The Constellations Table :A complete table with information about all the 88 Constellations as defined by the I.A.U. ( International Astronomical Union ). Abbreviations, Genitive and Latin Names, English Names and more.FIELD LIST ABBREV : IAU abbreviation CONSTELLATION : latin name GENITIVE : latin genitive ( possessive ) ENGLISH NAME : english translation AREA : constellation size or area, in square degrees HEM : position in the celestial sphere : NH – northern celestial hemisphere – declination between 0° and +90° SH – southern celestial hemisphere – declination between 0° and – 90° ALPHA STAR : proper name of the alpha star.

ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Cosmobrain’s Constellation Table
No.	Abbrev.	Constellation	Genitive	English Name	Area	Hem.	Alpha Star
1	And	Andromeda	Andromedae	Andromeda	722	NH	Alpheratz
2	Ant	Antlia	Antliae	Air Pump	239	SH
3	Aps	Apus	Apodis	Bird of Paradise	206	SH
4	Aqr	Aquarius	Aquarii	Water Carrier	980	SH	Sadalmelik
5	Aql	Aquila	Aquilae	Eagle	652	NH-SH	Altair
6	Ara	Ara	Arae	Altar	237	SH
7	Ari	Aries	Arietis	Ram	441	NH	Hamal
8	Aur	Auriga	Aurigae	Charioteer	657	NH	Capella
9	Boo	Bootes	Bootis	Herdsman	907	NH	Arcturus
10	Cae	Caelum	Caeli	Chisel	125	SH
11	Cam	Camelopardalis	Camelopardalis	Giraffe	757	NH
12	Cnc	Cancer	Cancri	Crab	506	NH	Acubens
13	CVn	Canes Venatici	Canun Venaticorum	Hunting Dogs	465	NH	Cor Caroli
14	CMa	Canis Major	Canis Majoris	Big Dog	380	SH	Sirius
15	CMi	Canis Minor	Canis Minoris	Little Dog	183	NH	Procyon
16	Cap	Capricornus	Capricorni	Goat ( Capricorn )	414	SH	Algedi
17	Car	Carina	Carinae	Keel	494	SH	Canopus
18	Cas	Cassiopeia	Cassiopeiae	Cassiopeia	598	NH	Schedar
19	Cen	Centaurus	Centauri	Centaur	1060	SH	Rigil Kentaurus
20	Cep	Cepheus	Cephei	Cepheus	588	SH	Alderamin
21	Cet	Cetus	Ceti	Whale	1231	SH	Menkar
22	Cha	Chamaleon	Chamaleontis	Chameleon	132	SH
23	Cir	Circinus	Circini	Compasses	93	SH
24	Col	Columba	Columbae	Dove	270	SH	Phact
25	Com	Coma Berenices	Comae Berenices	Berenice’s Hair	386	NH	Diadem
26	CrA	Corona Australis	Coronae Australis	Southern Crown	128	SH
27	CrB	Corona Borealis	Coronae Borealis	Northern Crown	179	NH	Alphecca
28	Crv	Corvus	Corvi	Crow	184	SH	Alchiba
29	Crt	Crater	Crateris	Cup	282	SH	Alkes
30	Cru	Crux	Crucis	Southern Cross	68	SH	Acrux
31	Cyg	Cygnus	Cygni	Swan	804	NH	Deneb
32	Del	Delphinus	Delphini	Dolphin	189	NH	Sualocin
33	Dor	Dorado	Doradus	Goldfish	179	SH
34	Dra	Draco	Draconis	Dragon	1083	NH	Thuban
35	Equ	Equuleus	Equulei	Little Horse	72	NH	Kitalpha
36	Eri	Eridanus	Eridani	River	1138	SH	Achernar
37	For	Fornax	Fornacis	Furnace	398	SH
38	Gem	Gemini	Geminorum	Twins	514	NH	Castor
39	Gru	Grus	Gruis	Crane	366	SH	Al Na’ir
40	Her	Hercules	Herculis	Hercules	1225	NH	Rasalgethi
41	Hor	Horologium	Horologii	Clock	249	SH
42	Hya	Hydra	Hydrae	Hydra ( Sea Serpent )	1303	SH	Alphard
43	Hyi	Hydrus	Hydri	Water Serpen ( male )	243	SH
44	Ind	Indus	Indi	Indian	294	SH
45	Lac	Lacerta	Lacertae	Lizard	201	NH
46	Leo	Leo	Leonis	Lion	947	NH	Regulus
47	LMi	Leo Minor	Leonis Minoris	Smaller Lion	232	NH
48	Lep	Lepus	Leporis	Hare	290	SH	Arneb
49	Lib	Libra	Librae	Balance	538	SH	Zubenelgenubi
50	Lup	Lupus	Lupi	Wolf	334	SH	Men
51	Lyn	Lynx	Lyncis	Lynx	545	NH
52	Lyr	Lyra	Lyrae	Lyre	286	NH	Vega
53	Men	Mensa	Mensae	Table	153	SH
54	Mic	Microscopium	Microscopii	Microscope	210	SH
55	Mon	Monoceros	Monocerotis	Unicorn	482	SH
56	Mus	Musca	Muscae	Fly	138	SH
57	Nor	Norma	Normae	Square	165	SH
58	Oct	Octans	Octantis	Octant	291	SH
59	Oph	Ophiucus	Ophiuchi	Serpent Holder	948	NH-SH	Rasalhague
60	Ori	Orion	Orionis	Orion	594	NH-SH	Betelgeuse
61	Pav	Pavo	Pavonis	Peacock	378	SH	Peacock
62	Peg	Pegasus	Pegasi	Winged Horse	1121	NH	Markab
63	Per	Perseus	Persei	Perseus	615	NH	Mirfak
64	Phe	Phoenix	Phoenicis	Phoenix	469	SH	Ankaa
65	Pic	Pictor	Pictoris	Easel	247	SH
66	Psc	Pisces	Piscium	Fishes	889	NH	Alrischa
67	PsA	Pisces Austrinus	Pisces Austrini	Southern Fish	245	SH	Fomalhaut
68	Pup	Puppis	Puppis	Stern	673	SH
69	Pyx	Pyxis	Pyxidis	Compass	221	SH
70	Ret	Reticulum	Reticuli	Reticle	114	SH
71	Sge	Sagitta	Sagittae	Arrow	80	NH
72	Sgr	Sagittarius	Sagittarii	Archer	867	SH	Rukbat
73	Sco	Scorpius	Scorpii	Scorpion	497	SH	Antares
74	Scl	Sculptor	Sculptoris	Sculptor	475	SH
75	Sct	Scutum	Scuti	Shield	109	SH
76	Ser	Serpens	Serpentis	Serpent	637	NH-SH	Unuck al Hai
77	Sex	Sextans	Sextantis	Sextant	314	SH
78	Tau	Taurus	Tauri	Bull	797	NH	Aldebaran
79	Tel	Telescopium	Telescopii	Telescope	252	SH
80	Tri	Triangulum	Trianguli	Triangle	132	NH	Ras al Mothallah
81	TrA	Triangulum Australe	Trianguli Australis	Southern Triangle	110	SH	Atria
82	Tuc	Tucana	Tucanae	Toucan	295	SH
83	UMa	Ursa Major	Ursae Majoris	Great Bear	1280	NH	Dubhe
84	UMi	Ursa Minor	Ursae Minoris	Little Bear	256	NH	Polaris
85	Vel	Vela	Velorum	Sails	500	SH
86	Vir	Virgo	Virginis	Virgin	1294	NH-SH	Spica
87	Vol	Volans	Volantis	Flying Fish	141	SH
88	Vul	Vulpecula	Vulpeculae	Fox	268	NH

BY EDUARDO SOARES

©Cosmobrain.com 2001 – All Rights Reserved.

Credits : http://www.cosmobrain.com/cosmobrain/res/constellations.html

Constellations: Origins and Now

The sky is like a grid with lots of scattered dots.  Joined together they may take many a lot of forms, depending on the whims of the sky gazer. But with these groupings known as Constellations they have helped us a lot to discover the sky.

Before the advent of the T.V, internet or the recent social medias there was a time where people used to distract themselves by observing the sky.

The sky used to marvel their souls as it was a not a stagnant beauty but the moving of the stars on the celestial plane would be their night show. After having gone through a day of accomplishment like “yeah, I conquered Rome to-day”, looking to the sky, with all its wonders would humble their beings.

We should be full of chagrin that today we are not able to appreciate and contemplate on the night sky in our urban settings. Artificial lights, though beautifying our space have barred our view of the beautiful night sky. Urbanization has given us a great wonder of man-made lighting everywhere, making our nights to become days where never ending work (24/7) has become our norm.

But……there was a time, when people had “time” to look and observe the sky. So, they grouped the stars into constellations.

Where did these constellations originate?

“Constellations are groupings of stars that, to ancient peoples, were heavenly manifestations of known or imagined objects, creatures and beings. Constellations appeared at certain times of the year, returning to those same positions annually. The ancient stargazers ascribed significance to these observations. Though identifying constellations predates the Greeks and Romans, the 48 “classical” constellation names familiar to us come from those societies.” Courtesy http://www.ehow.com/

The Greeks were creative. In fact, the constellations even today are named after the mythical beings, shapes or creatures they honored or resembled in their minds. For example, the Orion constellation takes the form of a man wielding a club and wearing a belt and a sheath.  Taurus resembles a bull’s head. And Scorpio is the Scorpion which is going to harm the man in the Orion’s constellation.  We will back  with the creative stories of the Greeks in the constellations category.

The constellations were helpful for remembering the stars, but at that time where people having loads of time in their hands would attribute the sky to several other purposes. It is common story in astronomy that farmers of the past would know about the movement of the stars and constellations in order when to sow their crops and when to harvest.  Story tellers among the Greeks would use these constellations to relate about the exploits of their Gods. And strange enough, the Egyptians had aligned their pyramids in Giza to the Orion’s belt.  The three stars in the belt as Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

The Arabs were the ones who preserved the astronomical science and augmented in the science so that the generations to come may take benefit from this extraordinary science. It is so interesting to know that the constellations were given Arabic names and even loads of stars got their names too. For example, In the Orion’s constellation Betelgeuse was previously yad-al-jawzaa, which later in my opinion became bad-al-jawzaa to Betelgeuse. Whereas Saiph the star, the bright star adjacent to Rigel, means The Sword. And Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka are Arabic too which are still called the same. Alnitak means ‘the girdle’ Alnilam, means ‘the string of pearls and Mintaka means ‘the belt’.

Then In the early twentienth century the constellations were put to an order and to the previously classical constellations other constellations were added up by  the International astronomical Union up to 88 constellations which is still in use to date. Thus the sky is now divided in these constellations, to help humanity in observing them.

“Originally the constellations were defined informally by the shapes made by their star patterns, but, as the pace of celestial discoveries quickened in the early 20th century, astronomers decided it would be helpful to have an official set of constellation boundaries. One reason was to aid in the naming of new variable stars, which brighten and fade rather than shine steadily. Such stars are named for the constellation in which they reside, so it is important to agree where one constellation ends and the next begins.”  Courtesy http://www.iau.org/public/constellations/

Obviously, these stars do not have boundaries or lines to join them when we look at them in the sky, but with the game of joining the dots, we are able to make up the lines and identify the constellations.

Further division was given to the constellations by forming patterns known as Asterisms. Well-known “constellations” such as the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, the Teapot, the Northern Cross, and the Summer Triangle are not among the official list. Some, like the Dippers and the Teapot, are actually parts of other constellations (the Big Dipper, or the great bear is part of Ursa Major, the Little Dipper is part of Ursa Minor, and the Teapot is part of Sagittarius). Others, like the Summer Triangle and Winter Hexagon, include stars from several neighboring constellations. These asterisms help us to identify the brighter stars in the constellations. If you enjoy stargazing, you may even have a few of your own personal asterisms, like I did on my entry to stargazing.

So now I have to learn 88 constellations to understand this Astronomy?

Ahhh…..Kinda yes. If you want to be familiar with the sky then you have to know the stars and the constellations. But it is a marvelous, jaw- dropping adventure which you will never regret. And learning along is the great thing.

Yeah, but still I have to learn 88 constellations?

Rome was not conquered in one day. Learning the sky can be done step by step. You learn it by loving it. No rush for a certificate, no rush for schooling, just you and the stars. Finding Betelgeuse in Orion would be pretty easy. But also knowing that it is classified as a red supergiant, Betelgeuse is one of the largest and most luminous stars known. In terms of mass, Betelgeuse is thought to be about 15 times the mass of the sun, but 600 times wider and more than 200 million times its volume! Though it looks tiny but it is not what you are thinking……. Isn’t the study of stars cool?

Found our star, the sun?

Stay tuned, there is more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Download Stellarium free

What is Stellarium?

Stellarium is a Planetarium on your desktop . That is what it is.

You see the sky ?

Have your laptop with you?

Stellarium is installed?

If you said yes to the above ?

Start Stellarium

And Behold!! The sky wherever you are is on your screen.

Now just look up and down, up and down, up and down.

You will be able to surf around the sky in a few minutes.

Short but sweet

Stellarium, it helps you to learn the sky a lot.

1. Learning the constellations: Names of the 88 constellations.
2. Know about the boundaries of the constellations: Constellation Lines
3. Astro Art of the constellations.
4. Know about the major and minor stars in the constellations: You know their minutest details, like how far is the star, e.g:  Rigel: 772.88 years light years, the RA/DE, the parallax, the star magnitude and a lot of other details.
5. Knowing about the planets
6. Knowing about the asteroids
7. Individual Stars
8. Binary Stars
9. Nebulae
10. Deep sky Objects
11. Zooming facility
12. Indication of the Cardinal Points
13. One great feature is Rewind, Fast-forward, Pause and Play……. Time. You can obviously predict which star will be where and when. Or just see how the moon orbits around the earth.
14. Wherever you are in the world you can observe the sky with Stellarium. You can obviously observe How constellations form in Paris, Germany, or even in Australia or Mauritius. Have fun while learning at the same time.

Actually it is a fun way to learn the Universe in a more visual way. I recommend it to every newbie interested in knowing about our amazing universe.

One more thing, if you just want the universe for yourselves than so be it, but if you want to share, than it is good to know that Stellarium is good for presentations too. If you want the professional touch then you have Stellarium Console. Or, you can even have Stellarium on your Mobiles. The universe on your palms.

You can have a rough introductory guide here and more about functionalities here.

For more informational and detailed features on Stellarium I would  rather recommend the reviews here and here.

There are many other cool features, you just have to try it. And if you’re kind enough, then let me know too…… through your comments below.

So what are you waiting for? Download Stellarium free now.