A naked-eye object from a dark site, it looks spectacular when viewed through a telescope. It's here we can find the northern sky's brightest globular star cluster, M13. A semicircle of stars represents Corona Borealis the Northern Crown, and adjacent to it is a large region that houses Hercules the Strongman, the fifth-biggest constellation in the sky. Midway between Arcturus and Vega, the bright "summer" star rising in the northeast, is a region where no star shines brighter than 2nd magnitude. However, all these galaxies are elusive to the untrained eye and require binoculars or a telescope to be seen.īoötes lies on the eastern border of this galaxy haven. In the direction of Virgo, Leo, Coma Berenices, and Ursa Major lie thousands of galaxies whose light is unhindered by intervening dust in our own galaxy. Virgo's brightest star, Spica, shines at magnitude 1.0.ĭuring springtime, the Milky Way lies level with the horizon, and it's easy to see that we are looking out of the plane of our galaxy. To the southeast of Leo lies the realm of the galaxies and the constellation Virgo the Maiden. Centered in this group is a hazy patch of light that binoculars reveal as the Beehive star cluster (M44). Midway between Regulus and Pollux in Gemini, which is now sinking in the west, is the diminutive group Cancer the Crab. Regulus lies at the base of a group of stars shaped like a sickle or backward question mark, which represents the head of the lion. You can find its brightest star, Regulus, by using the pointers of the Dipper in reverse. Well to the west of Boötes lies Leo the Lion. This orangish star dominates the spring sky in the kite-shaped constellation Boötes the Herdsman. This season of rejuvenation encourages us to move outdoors with the milder temperatures, and with the new season a new set of stars beckons us.įollow the arc of stars outlining the handle of the Dipper away from the bowl and you will land on brilliant Arcturus. The Big Dipper, our signpost in the sky, swings high overhead during the spring and lies near the center of the chart. The fuzzy "star" in the middle is actually the glorious Orion Nebula (M42), a stellar nursery illuminated by bright, newly formed stars. Before leaving Orion, however, aim your binoculars at the line of stars below the belt. Once you have these principal stars mastered, using the chart to discover the fainter constellations will be a lot easier. Extending a line through the shoulders of Orion to the east leads you to Procyon in Canis Minor the Little Dog. Head south of the belt instead and your gaze will fall on the blue supergiant star Rigel, Orion's other luminary.Ībove Orion, and nearly overhead on winter evenings, is brilliant Capella in Auriga the Charioteer. At the northeastern corner of this constellation lies the beautiful open star cluster M35. Two lines of fainter stars extend from this pair back toward Orion - these represent Gemini the Twins. Continuing this line brings you to a pair of bright stars, Castor and Pollux. Nearly a thousand times the Sun's diameter, Betelgeuse marks one shoulder of Orion. Now move perpendicular to the belt from its westernmost star, Mintaka, and find the red supergiant star Betelgeuse at the upper left of Orion. Reverse the direction of your gaze to the belt's lower left and you cannot miss Sirius the Dog Star - brightest in all the heavens at magnitude -1.5. Extending the imaginary line joining these stars to the upper right leads to Taurus the Bull and its orangish 1st-magnitude star, Aldebaran. Three closely spaced, 2nd-magnitude stars form a straight line that represents the unmistakable belt of Orion. The second great signpost in the sky, Orion the Hunter, is central to the brilliant scene. Turn around with your back to the Dipper and you'll be facing the diamond-studded winter sky. Polaris also performs two other valuable functions: The altitude of the star above the horizon equals your latitude north of the equator, and dropping a straight line from the star to the horizon points due north. The entire sky rotates around a point near Polaris, a 2nd-magnitude star found by extending a line from the uppermost pair of stars in the bowl across the sky to the left of the Dipper. Winter finds the Big Dipper climbing the northeastern sky, with the three stars of its handle pointing toward the horizon and the four stars of its bowl standing highest.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |