Dabbler Stargazing

8/12/2019 Dabbler Stargazing

1/13

STARGAZINGFROM YOUR BUDS AT DABBLER

july 2013

SOLD TO THE FINE

[email protected]


2/13

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


3/13

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


4/13

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.


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!


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


5/13

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


6/13

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


7/13

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!


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/


8/13

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!


9/13

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.


10/13

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


11/13

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.


12/13

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!


13/13

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.


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.


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.


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
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/r?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.skymaps.com/http://earthsky.org/http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.htmlhttp://www.cloudynights.com/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizationshttp://www.go-astronomy.com/astro-club-search.htmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/31/best-stargazing-britainhttp://www.aaa.org/http://www.aaa.org/floydbennetthttp://outreach.astro.columbia.edu/http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highline/events/2013/07/23/every-tuesday-stargazing-on-the-high-linehttp://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highline/events/2013/07/23/every-tuesday-stargazing-on-the-high-linehttp://outreach.astro.columbia.edu/http://www.aaa.org/floydbennetthttp://www.aaa.org/http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/31/best-stargazing-britainhttp://www.go-astronomy.com/astro-club-search.htmhttp://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/organizationshttp://www.cloudynights.com/http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.htmlhttp://earthsky.org/http://www.skymaps.com/http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521153972/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/r?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679779981/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155407147X/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554073448/?tag=dabblermag-20

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