dabbler stargazing
TRANSCRIPT
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STARGAZINGFROM YOUR BUDS AT DABBLER
july 2013
SOLD TO THE FINE
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LETS TALK ABOUT STARSWhen I was a kid I had a book allabout the stars. Im not sure where it
came rom or when I got it, but it was
definitely a grown-up book. Alphas
and betas, ascensions and declinations,
complicated star charts - nothing
ten-year-old me had a chance o
understanding.
What it did have, though, were
myths.Big, ornate drawings o Hercules
strangling monsters, ancient kings,
ravenous beasts, and plenty more topique my ten-year-old imagination.
Tose mythic constellations never
met up with the stars themselves until
a ew years into college. I signed up or
an astronomy class with an identiy
the stars segment, which everyone
(naturally) put off until the very last
week o the all semester. Huddled in
a reezing parking lot waiting hours to
be tested, we all ormed a Stockholm
Syndrome-y admiration or theconstellations.
Looking back, I didnt know how good
I had it. I live in Brooklyn now, a magic
land o tall buildings, light pollution
and ubiquitous streetlights that limit my
oand stargazing to a dozen or so stars.
Despite those challenges, the ones we do
see are the storied ones.
A given night will show me the Big
Dipper, Polaris, Castor and Pollux, the
Summer riangle and more - easily-identifiable stars and patterns with
names and stories, stars that add so
much to the night and yet are so ofen
overlooked.
I hope this months Dabbler will
get you to look up next time youre
stumbling home afer dark. Whether
youre in it or the science, the stories, or
just want to know a little bit more about
the world around you, hop to it!
HOW TO STARGAZE(A CHEAT SHEET) Find the Big Dipper
Find the constellations the Big Dip-
per points toward Download a sky chartor themonth and learn to use it
Download Pocket Universeandcheat your way around the stars
Learn the myths
Buy a pair o 7x35binoculars Lookat the moon
Find Messier objects
Make some riends!
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.htmlhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-virtual-sky/id306916838%3Fmt%3D8https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-virtual-sky/id306916838%3Fmt%3D8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_marehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_marehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/?tag=dabblermag-20http://mysite.verizon.net/vze55p46/id10.htmlhttp://mysite.verizon.net/vze55p46/id10.htmlhttp://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/5-great-stargazing-experiences-in-nyc/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/5-great-stargazing-experiences-in-nyc/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/5-great-stargazing-experiences-in-nyc/http://mysite.verizon.net/vze55p46/id10.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_marehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/?tag=dabblermag-20https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-virtual-sky/id306916838%3Fmt%3D8http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dipper -
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CONSTELLATIONSIn the 2nd century AD, the Roman
scholar Ptolemy published a work
called the Almagest, a treatise on all
things mathematical and astronomical.
In the seventh and eighth books
Ptolemy outlined 1022 stars, outlining
their locations in 48 constellations. Itsthese 48 constellations that orm the
core o the 88 we have today.
Hercules, Perseus, Oedipuss lyre -
Ptolemys constellations were rie with
Greek and Roman mythology. While
piecing together stories or the heavens
had been a practice or the layman
or thousands o years, the Almagests
careul cataloging solidified it and
brought it into the realm o science.
Ptolemys 48 constellations didntcover the entire sky, though. Spaces
between constellations were lef empty
and unnamed, leaving later generations
o astronomers plenty o space to stake
their claims.
In the 16th and 17th centuries,
astronomy was all the rage. Advances
in technology and celestial navigation
made the heavens more important
than ever, and astronomers rushed to
include their own additions to the night
sky in their published charts.
Exploration o the Southern
Hemisphere revealed stars the
Western World had never seen. Dutch
astronomer Petrus Plancius jumped
on the chance to claim a ew o hisown and established more than a
dozen new constellations, o which
only a ew are still recognized today
(including Monoceros the unicorn, and
Camelopardis the giraffe).
Johannes Hevelius was a Polish
astronomer who published ten new,
mostly aint constellations, seven o
which still grace the sky. He did most
o his stargazing with the naked eye,
boasting o his ability to see aint starswithout a telescope.
Te Wild West couldnt last orever,
though. In 1928 the newly-ormed
International Astronomical Union
codified the sky into the 88 distinct
constellations that we know today.
Not enough or you? You might
want to take a look at the Chinese
constellation system, which boasts over
two hundred tiny constellations!
Sky charts andall the rest
Once youve graduated rom being
able to spot the Big Dipper and riends
youll want to snag a sky chart to track
down the rest o the celestial crowd.
Skymaps.com provides the most
amazing, 100% incredible, andperectly antastic sky charts. All or
ree! Uncluttered and easy to read, I
cant recommend them highly enough.
Folks with smartphones might want
to check out Pocket Universe(iOS) or
Google Sky Map(Android).
While apps are un, I recommend
starting with paper. Tat little extra
work goes a long way toward helping
you remember!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Constellations_listed_by_Ptolemyhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1c.htmhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1d.htmhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1d.htmhttp://www.modernconstellations.com/constellationhistory.htmlhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/chinese.htmhttp://www.skymaps.com/https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-virtual-sky/id306916838%3Fmt%3D8https://play.google.com/store/apps/details%3Fid%3Dcom.google.android.stardroid%26hl%3Denhttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details%3Fid%3Dcom.google.android.stardroid%26hl%3Denhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-universe-virtual-sky/id306916838%3Fmt%3D8http://www.skymaps.com/http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/chinese.htmhttp://www.modernconstellations.com/constellationhistory.htmlhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1d.htmhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1d.htmhttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/startales1c.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Constellations_listed_by_Ptolemy -
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FOUR-EYED
MONSTERS
Bushnell 10x50 Wide Angle
As powerul as Galileos first telescope! Iown... too many pairs o these.
$31.99 on Amazon.com
Bushnell Falcon 7x35
Not the highest magnification, but theywont require such a steady hand.
$28.80 on Amazon.com
Even the absolute worst pair o binoculars can take youto galaxies ar ar away (or at least the moon)
Te best piece o equipment or thebeginning stargazer isnt a telescope,but a pair o binoculars. Portable,easily adjustable and not nearly as pricy,binoculars do a great job o getting youacquainted with the night sky.
Why binoculars?In late 1609 Galileo pointed his
newly-minted telescope at the moon andbegan to tear down thousands o years oknowledge on the celestial sphere. Hisweapon o choice was about as powerulas the worst pair o binoculars you can buytoday, so Im expecting big things out oyou!
Te biggest advantage o binocularsover a telescope is their field o view, orthe amount you can see at one time. Eventhough you dont get as much magnification
as you would with a telescope, binocularsallow you to see a larger area at a singletime. Tis makes it much easier to dartrom object to object in the sky, instead ospending time fiddling and arranging andmaking sure youre pointing at juuuuuustthe right spot.
Beore Galileo, common thought andscientific act held that the Moon andall o the planets were perect spheres,orbiting the Earth in perectly circularorbits. Te moons light and dark spotswere supposedly caused by differences
in how light was reflected or absorbedrom this perectly flat surace. With alittle magnification, though, its easy to seethat the moon is riddled with ridges andcraters, interspersed with large flat tracts.Old time astronomys loss is your gain,though, so train those binos on our #1satellite and ollow the chart on the nextpage!
(Yes, you can call binoculars binos.Te world will also accept nocs. Ularsor ullies probably wont fly, but I wontblame you i you give them a shot.)
One can even spot Jupiters our largestmoons with patience and a steady hand(or a tripod). Ganymede, Callisto, Europaand Io, revealed by nothing more than apair o $30 hand-held binoculars!
Binoculars are even better i you liveoutside o a city. Previously blank spaces
yield dozens more stars, and the aintglow o star clusters and other deepsky objects can become part o yournighttime expeditions. Hundreds o theseobjects are cataloged as Messier objects,and you can see them noted on star chartswith an M and a number. With a list o thebrightestand achart o the night skyyoullbe tracking down shiny blobs in no time.
(But really, check out the Moon! Youvebasically got a handheld spaceship.)
Binocular sizing
Binoculars are sized according to twonumbers, or example 7x35 or 10x50.
Te first number is the magnification,or how much larger an object will appearwhen viewed through the binoculars.While youd think a larger magnification isalways better, theres a trick to it! Once youget to 10x or above, its tough to hold yourbinoculars steady enough to get a good,easy-to-view image. Since a big sellingpoint o binos is portability and ease ouse, stick to 7-10x.
Te second number is aperture, or how
large the lens on the ront o the binocularsare. A larger aperture means more lightand a brighter image. Since youre onthe prowl or tiny galaxies ar ar away, alarger aperture and more light-gatheringability is always better or astronomy. Tedownside is size - as the aperture goes up,so does the weight o the bionculars. Youllwant to make sure your first pair is easyenough to tote around and hold steady.
So what numbers should you be aimingor? Its all personal preerence, but Id
Canon 10x30 IS Ultra-Compact
Image stabilization technology + light-weight + large field o view = perect!
$399.99 on Amazon.com
recommend a pair o 7x35 binoculars
Teyre cheap, theyre light, and a greatcompromise between magnification andstability.
I have a ew pairs o 10x50s, and Imalways a little irritated at how the imagewobbles. I just cant keep my hands steadyenough, and there isnt always a surace toset them on!
Dont sweat the details, though: nomatter what pair you go with, youll beseeing over 30 times more starsas with theunaided eye. Not bad or a $30 investment
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_objecthttp://www.handsonuniverse.org/for_teachers/course/teacher_course/skymaps/support/MessierBrightest.htmlhttp://www.handsonuniverse.org/for_teachers/course/teacher_course/skymaps/support/MessierBrightest.htmlhttp://www.skymaps.com/http://www.skymaps.com/http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004THDC/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.skymaps.com/http://www.handsonuniverse.org/for_teachers/course/teacher_course/skymaps/support/MessierBrightest.htmlhttp://www.handsonuniverse.org/for_teachers/course/teacher_course/skymaps/support/MessierBrightest.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_objecthttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TBLW/tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000051ZOA/?tag=dabblermag-20 -
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Polaris
fall
winter
summer
spring
ChangingseasonsTe Big Dipper travels, butnot too ar rom home.
a bearby any other nameFun act: Te Big Dipper ainta constellation.
Id bet good money that i you canonly recognize one constellation in thenight sky, its probably the Big Dipper.Teres one pretty big problem, though:the Big Dipper isnt a constellation!
Te Big Dipper is what we callan asterism, a pattern o stars thatisnt quite elevated to the level o aconstellation. Te seven stars in theBig Dipper are actually part o a largerconstellation o 20 stars called UrsaMajor, the Great Bear.
Te blame or the Big Dipper beinga bears butt can be placed squarely onthe Romans.
Around 150 AD, a Roman scholarnamed Ptolemy published a bookthat outlined the then-48 majorconstellations in the sky. Among those
In the Northern Hemisphere
everything in the sky revolves around
Polaris, the North Star. Due to the
Earths orbit around the sun, our
nighttime constellations will be indifferent places (or even disappear!)
depending on what time o the year it
is.
Tis chart shows you the norma
positions or the Big Dipper in mid-
evening or the given months. Even i
its on its side or upside down, the Big
Dipper is always a perect guide guide
to the night sky!
was Ursa Major, swallowing up ourdear riend the Big Dipper.
Te Almagest - Ptolemys book - isone o the most amous and influentialscientific works o all time, so it isntmuch use arguing now.
Whether a constellation or not,the Big Dipper has been recognized
by civilizations across the world. Itsthe Seven Sages in India, a saucepanin Finland, the Northern Dipper inChina, a cart in Hungary and a uneralprocession in Arabia.
Te Big Dippers smaller sibling theLittle Dipper is in a unique spot - the
stars o the asterism match up exactlywith the major stars o the constellationUrsa Minor, the Little Bear.
Orions belt is another well-knownasterism. Oddly, the three stars thatmake it up arent even the brightestin the entirity o Orion - the brightestin the asterism is actually the ourthbrightest in the entire constellation.
Other, simpler asterisms also dot thesky. Teres the Summer riangle, theNorthern Cross, the Spring riangleand the Winter Hexagon. (Whoevernamed those needs a serious trip to theImagination Factory.)
Ten, o course, theres the Ice CreamCone. Hiding in the torso o Botesthe of-mispronounced herdsman, theIce Cream Cone is six stars punctuatedwith easily-findable Arcturus, one o
the brightest stars in the night sky. Nosense o humor? You can stick withcalling it the Kite.
So next time your riends are oohingand aahing over the Big Dipper, letthem in on the bitter truth: its just thebig bears butt in the sky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Majorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagesthttp://www.space.com/21864-summer-triangle-weekend-night-sky.htmlhttp://astrobob.areavoices.com/2011/05/22/bootes-the-constellation-nobody-can-say-right/http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2011/05/22/bootes-the-constellation-nobody-can-say-right/http://www.space.com/21864-summer-triangle-weekend-night-sky.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almagesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Major -
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star lightstar bright
When the Greek astronomer
Hipparchus was cataloging stars, he
needed a system or keeping track o how
bright they were.
He decided the brightest were first
magnitude, the aintest were sixth, and
distributed the rest in between.
Weve kept the same system up since
then, refining it with intricacies like
negative numbers, decimal points and
logarithmic math. Te bright star Siriu
has a magnitude o -1.46, while the
ainter Caph in Cassiopeia is 2.27.
Remember, smaller numbers are
brighter! Once you get to a magnitude
o 2 or 3 stars are tough to see in cities
without binoculars or well-adjusted eyes
In rural areas you should be all set up to
around 6.
Tese measurements are also known
as apparent magnitude, since its the
brightness as it appears on Earth.
extinctconstellations
It began with a bee.
Finding an unnamed set o stars
hiding between Aries and Perseus,
Petrus Plancius popped it on a map in
1612 and labeled it Apes - the Bee. A
dozen years later, though, Jakob Bartsch
swooped in and relabeled it Vespa -
the Wasp.
Ostensibly Apes was a little
too similar to Apus, the Southern
Hemisphere constellation or the Bird
o Paradise. Bartsch couldnt rest or
long, though, because in 1687, Johannes
Hevelius christened it Musca, the Fly.
At issue, though, was the act that
there was already a Fly in the southern
hemisphere. Musca Borealis, then! Te
Northern Fly.
Why each hemisphere needs its own
fly is lost on me. Astronomy at large
agreed, and beore long both Musca
constellations disappeared.
Another extinct constellation is
Argo Narvis, the only one o Ptolemys
original 48 to not make the cut.
Argo represented the 50-oared boat
Jason and the Argonauts sailed in
during their hunt or the golden fleece.
A huge constellation, it took up around
5% o the night sky.
In the late 18th century Nicolas
Louis de Lacaille split it into 3 pieces- the keel, the stern and the sails - and
the change stuck. A ew years later part
o the Argos mast was repurposed into
Pyxis, the mariners compass.
Dozens o others got the axe as well,
rom Cerberus to the lowly Earthworm,
along with a number o constellations
dedicated to the astronomers patron
king, such as Georges Harp and the
Glory o Frederick.
STARS MISTAKEN FOR
PLANETSTe Greek wordplanetes, wandering
stars, was coined to describe some
particularly strange stars that seemed to
move independently o the constellationsWhile the stars are ar enough away
or their motions to go unnoticed, the
movement o our Solar System neighbors
causes them to stumble nonsensically
across the sky.
While spotting planets can take
work, Venus is an easy one. Depending
on where it is in its orbit, Venus will
appear either just beore sunrise or just
afer sunset, always close to the sun. Its
brighter than any star in the sky (exceptthe sun) so its a tough one to miss!
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/Stellar_Magnitude_System.htmlhttp://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/Stellar_Magnitude_System.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brightest_starshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brightest_starshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28constellation%29%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28constellation%29%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musca_Borealishttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/argo.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_constellationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalterium_Georgiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederici_Honoreshttp://www.universetoday.com/22570/venus-the-morning-star/http://www.universetoday.com/22570/venus-the-morning-star/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederici_Honoreshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalterium_Georgiihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_constellationshttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/argo.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musca_Borealishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28constellation%29%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28constellation%29%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brightest_starshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_brightest_starshttp://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/Stellar_Magnitude_System.htmlhttp://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/Stellar_Magnitude_System.html -
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let there be LIGHT
Whether youre an amateur in
a backyard or an astronomer in an
observatory, light pollution is the
worst.
Tere are two ways light pollution
hurts our ability to stargaze, one
personal and one environmental.
Te first deals with our eyes. Te
back o your eyeball is coated with two
kinds o cells that help you see - conesand rods.
Cones do the heavy lifing during
the day, sorting out colors, helping us
ocus on detail, and being able to work
through bright light. While theyre great
i youre doing your laundry or painting
a masterpiece, they arent going to help
much once the sun sets.
When the light dims, rods start to
take over. Teyre about 100 times more
sensitive than cones to light, and willeven respond to a single photon. As
you might expect, rods are responsible
or about 99% o nighttime vision.
Te only problem is that rods take
a while to warm up.When you leave a
bright room or the nighttime outdoors,
it will take up to twenty or thirty
minutes to get into prime stargazing
mode. You might eel adjusted afer a
ew minutes, but remember that a little
more patience yields many more stars.
Lights positioned around your
stargazing area will keep your eyes rom
ully adjusting to the darkness. Some
enterprizing astronomers construct
shields to hold around their heads
that block nearby light sources, giving
their rods a better chance to spring into
action.
Te second way light pollution getsin the way isjust plain making the sky
bright. You cant stargaze when the sun
is out, and i we light up the sky at night
it works exactly the same way!
Tis second one is a big problem or
observatories.Observatories that were
originally located in rural areas are
being overrun with urbanization and
all the light that comes with it.
Palomar Observatory in southern
Caliornia is a great example. Teobservatory worked hard to pass laws
limiting light pollution, but they could
only do so much. Within the next ten
years the Palomar will be useless or
deep-sky astronomy!
So next time youre griping about
city lights blocking your view o Orion,
shed a tear or the multi-million dollar
telescopes that cant hop a train to the
countryside.
S&W Galaxy 6 LED Flashlight
Help keep your eyes adjusted to the nightwhile checking out your sky charts!
$23.00 on Amazon.com
SEEING REDWhen youre out at night checking
out the stars, its always best to stick to
red light.
It takes twenty to thirty minutesor
your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and
once youre there itd be a pity to shockthem back into indoor mode. Te
cells in our eye that let you see in the
dark (the rods) cant detect red light, so
a red flashlight doesnt disturb them.
A secret amongst thrify astronomers
is to wrap the ront o a flashlight with
red cling wrap. You can also get tail light
tape rom a local auto-parts store and
tape right over the top. I youre eeling
ancy you can also order a flashligh
that comes with a red bulb.I youre relying on your phone to do
the guiding, most stargazing apps have
a night mode, where they replace
anything white - text, lines, star marks
- with red instead. Youll probably want
to turn down the brightness, too, just to
be sae.
A little caution goes a long way in
keeping your eyes adjusted and the
stars bright!
Believe it or not, this doesnt haveanything to do with the red lights in
darkrooms! Paper used or making
photographic prints just happens to be
less sensitive to red light, so photographer
and astronomers accidentally ended up
having something in common.
When you go out to stargaze, waiting hal an hour can make allthe difference in the world.
http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/astro-course-day-5/http://www.youtube.com/playlist%3Ffeature%3Dc4-feed-a%26list%3DPLDD79FC8870945AA5http://www.youtube.com/playlist%3Ffeature%3Dc4-feed-a%26list%3DPLDD79FC8870945AA5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomar_Observatoryhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I4O8BK/?tag=dabblermag-20https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomar_Observatoryhttp://www.youtube.com/playlist%3Ffeature%3Dc4-feed-a%26list%3DPLDD79FC8870945AA5http://www.youtube.com/playlist%3Ffeature%3Dc4-feed-a%26list%3DPLDD79FC8870945AA5http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/astro-course-day-5/ -
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Polaris
LEO
LYRA
Deneb
Vega CYGNUS
Altair
SUMMER TRIANGLE
CASSIOPEIA
LITTLE DIPPER
BIG DIPPER
BOTES
VIRGO
Spica
Regulus
Arcturus
a 10-second
guide to theSUMMER SKY
Made o seven stars that plenty o
ten-year-olds can pick out o the night
sky, the Big Dipper is the perect
starting point or a guided tour o the
night sky.
Because o the tilt o the Earths orbit,
some constellations come and go with
the seasons. For most o the Northern
Hemisphere, though, the Big Dipper
is circumpolar (it never sets). Given a
dark enough night and the ability to
draw lines in the sky, youre halway to
finding plenty o constellations.
Next time youre out, use the charts
on the ollowing ew pages to track
your way between the constellations.
Note: Leo isnt out until the all, but
we went ahead and lef it in!
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Merak
the Pointers
Polaris
LITTLE DIPPER
BIG DIPPER
finding the
Little
Dipper
Caph
Polaris
the Pointers CASSIOPEIA
LITTLE DIPPER
BIG DIPPER
findingCASSIOPEIA
Dubhe and Merak are the stars at the
ront o the Big Dippers bowl. Known
as the Pointers, they help draw a line to
Polaris, the North Star.
Polaris is also the tail o Ursa Minor
and the handle o the Little Dipper, so
its two or one!
Once youve ound Polaris, you can
use it to track down Cassiopeia. Polaris
should be right about in the middle
o the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, and
Cassiopeia will look like a big, bright
W sitting on its side.
Deneb
Vega
LYRA
CYGNUS
LITTLE DIPPERBIG DIPPER
TRACKING DOWNVEGA & DENEB
You can find Deneb by drawing a line
between the base o the Big Dippershandle, curving the line a bit to find
Vega.
While Denebs distance makes it
seem much dimmer than Vega, its
actually 4,000 times brighter!
Along with a third stair, Altair, Deneb
and Vega orm an asterism called the
Summer riangle, which usually sits
high in the sky late on summer nights.
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BOTES
BIG DIPPER
VIRGO
Spica
Arcturus
Arc toarcturus,speed to
spiCaTis ones easy!
ake the handle o the Big Dipper
and continue the curve. Te first bright
star you see will be Arcturus, part o
the constellation o the hersman Botes
(boo-OH-tees). While Botes has been
around or thousands o years, noones sure exactly which mythologica
herdsman it reers to.
Arcturus also has the pleasure o
being the base o the most un asterism
in the sky, the Ice Cream Cone(Botes
minus the two spurs off o Arcturus)
Follow that curve a little urther
youll run right into Spica. Spica isn
the brightest star around (it ranks 15th
in the night sky), but it does mark the
constellation Virgo.
LEO
BIG DIPPERRegulus
finding
LEOI the Big Dipper sprung a leak, Leod
get all wet.
Drawing a line in the opposite
direction rom Deneb we come across
Regulus, one o the brightest stars in
the sky. Its so bright because instead o
being just one star, its our! wo pairs
o two orbiting each other about 77
light years away
http://kvmagruder.net/bcp/aster/constellations/Boo.htmhttp://kvmagruder.net/bcp/aster/constellations/Boo.htm -
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WHOs who(AND WHATS WHAT) IN THE
celestial sphereTe heroes, villians, flora, auna, and householdobjects and scientific implements o the NorthernHemisphere
ORIONMurdered by a scorpion aferthreatening to kill every animal, thegreat hunter is never in the sky atthe same time as Scorpio.
LYRAAfer the death o the musicianOrpheus, Zeus ordered an eagle tocarry his lyre into the heavens.
AURIGATe charioteer! Auriga, son oHephaestus, invented the our-horse chariot that drove anAthenian usurper rom the throne.
CANIS MAJORContains Sirius, the Dog Star andbrightest star in the night sky. Latinor Greater Dog, Canis Major isone o Orions hunting dogs.
TRIANGULUMYes, theres a constellation thatsnothing but a triangle. SouthernHemisphere, dont eel lef out: youhave riangulum Australe.
CASSIOPEIAA noticeable W shape in the nightsky, Cassiopeia was a vain queenplaced in the sky as a punishment.
While using an app or star chart to
figure out where the constellations are
is pretty un, I think the real magic lies
in the myths.
Hunting dogs or Orion, two bright
stars intertwined as Gemini, a fierce
dragon curled around the North Pole
- almost every constellation has a story
behind it.Te ones that dont are ortunately
absurd in their own right. Microscopes
sextants, and other scientific
implements honored by astronomers in
the 16th-18th centuries.
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AriesTe ram who bore the GoldenFleece. In China it represents twingovernment inspectors.
MicroscopiumConstellations invented in the18th century have seriously boringnames. Microscope? ry harder.
GEMINIIts two brightest stars, Castor andPollux, were twins birthed by Ledao Leda and the Swaname.
HERCULESDespite being awesome and strong,Hercules doesnt really have anybright stars.
BoTESA mysterious herdsman. Containsan asterism called the Ice CreamCone. Pronounced boo-OH-tees.
CEPHEUSHusband o Cassiopeia and ather oAndromeda, Cepheus didnt do muchbut chain his daughter to a rock.
CamelopardisTats what they called giraffes in1613. It means (unsurprisingly)camel leopard.
CYGNUSFeaturing the asterism the North-ern Cross, Cygnus is one o a mil-lion swans rom Greek mythology.
DRACOKnown mostly or surroundingUrsa Minor (the Little Bear), Dracois looooooooooong. 14 main stars!
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Te Backyard Astronomers Guide
I you arent living in an observatory, youneed this book. erence Dickinson walksyou through the night sky in every waypossible, reviewing charts, maps, science,binoculars, and all the telescope goodiesyou could ever ask Santa or.
$34.95 on Amazon.com
TAKE ITFURTHER
on the web
OUTINGS
NightWatch: A Practical Guide toViewing the Universe
erence Dickinson is the undisputedkingpin o introductory astronomy books.I cant even explain how amazing they allare.
$24.16 on Amazon.com
Pocket Guide to Constellations othe Northern SkiesMore useul than a pocket guide has anyright to be! Once you can identiy theconstellations reliably, the Pocket Guideto Constellations can lead you on a touro each constellations stars and deep skyobjects, along with brie introductions tothe myths.
$8.78 on Amazon.com
urn Lef at OrionSporting the hefy subtitle Hundreds oNight Sky Objects to See in a Home ele-scope - and How to Find Tem, its basi-cally mandatory i you have a telescope.
$31.99 on Amazon.com
Skymaps.comMy avorite place or sky charts, also hasa great store with plenty o products,books, and more
Earthsky.com
Not specifically set up or astronomy, buthas great explanations on many stargaz-ing phenomena
NASAs Astronomy Picture o the DayI you didnt know about this beore,your lie just got a whole lot better
CloudyNights.comAmateur astronomy orums
Bad AstronomyA great blog by Phil Plait, a lover o starsand debunker o myths
Get thee to a dark place! Battlefields
were a great location when I was a
kid, as were ill-lit dangerous-seeming
parking lots.
I youre looking to be more sociable
most every astronomical organizationhosts outings and events that welcome
the public into their hobby.
Not only will they know what to look
or and where its at, but theyll also have
equipment and the know-how to use it
Worldwide
Sky & elescopes Organization Finder
Country-specific
Astronomical Club Directory(USA)Te Guardians suggestions(Britain)
NYC
Amateur Astronomers Assoc. o NY
AAANY meetings at Floyd Bennett
Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach
Stargazing on the High Line
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