star gazing

Star GazingMarch 2012

History

For all agricultural people from the past, the knowledge of heaven was fundamental. Its observation allowed them to calculate the precise timing for planting and harvesting, to prepare for winter or the rigors of summer.The sky was to them a mystery and soon they began to see the elements of supernatural beings, feared or loved characters.

ConstellationsA constellation is a group of stars whose position in the night sky is apparently so close that ancient civilizations drew lines connecting them . Forming shapes of beloved characters or feared beasts.The name comes from the Latin constellatio meaning set with stars.

Classifying ConstellationsAccording to their position in the sky are divided in the following groups:

• Northern Circumpolar Constellations.• Northern Hemisphere Constellations.• Equatorial Constellations.• Zodiacal Constellations.• Southern Hemisphere Constellations.• Southern Circumpolar Constellations.

There are 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

OrionOrion was a huntsman in Greek Mythology. It is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky.Orion is very useful for finding other stars. By extending the belt southeastward you may find Sirius from the constellation Canis Major. Northwest you may find Aldebaran from Taurus. A line from Rigel through Betelgeuse points to Castor and Pollux from Gemini.

Orion Continued.Betelgeuse, is a massive M-type red supergiant star nearing the end of its life. When it explodes it will even be visible during the day. It is the second brightest star in Orion.

Rigel, is a B-type blue supergiant that is the sixth brightest star in the night sky.

Bellatrix. It is the twenty-second brightest star in the night sky. Bellatrix is considered a B-type blue giant.

The Giza-Orion CorrelationThe Giza-Orion correlation theory, is a hypothesis that claims a correlation between the location of the three largest pyramids in Giza, Egypt and the stars that form Orion’s Belt.

The stars of Orion were associated with Osiris, the sun-god of rebirth.

Polaris

Also known as the North Star, Pole Star

or Lodestar.

It is the brightest star in the Ursa Minor

(Little Bear) constellation.

It is very close to the north celestial pole.

True NorthIn the northern hemisphere we can use Polaris to find the north without using a compass.The beauty of using the north star for navigation is that unlike a magnetic compass the north star is closer to geographical north. There is no magnetic declination (that is the difference between the geographical and magnetic poles) to deal with.Simply by finding the North Star travelers are able to determine all the points of the compass: westward would be on your left, eastward to the right, and southward behind you.

Ursa Major (The Big Bear)

Cassiopea

Finding constellations on the northern night sky

Tonight (March Mexico City).

OrionTaurus

Gemini

Lepus (Hare)

Cassiopea

Ursa Major

Ursa Minor

Cancer

Leo

CepheusDraco

Canis Major

Hydra

Lynx

Auriga

PerseusAndromeda

Monoceros (unicorn)

Eridanus

Bootes

Hercules

Referenceswww.universetoday.com/93906/night-sky-guide-march-2012/