Benjamin Franklin once said 'Beware the hobby that eats." but often hobbies develop with just that bit of curiosity, and fortunately, many are such that it needs precious little to get started. Almost all of us watch the moon and stars in the sky, but perhaps too cursorily.
The night sky is just so many twinkling stars and little else to many of us. But with a little persistence and a guide book, star gazing can become a fulfilling pastime.
Summer is considered as the best time for star gazing because of the clear skies and favourable climatic conditions at night time. Of course for the city-dwellers, the opulently-lit night offers few possibilities, but when you go a little outside the city, to the countryside away from throbbing lights, the night sky puts up a star-studded show which has to be seen. It is full of interesting things to see, such as planets, moons and constellations. Though star gazing is usually done with the help of a telescope, it can also be done with the naked eye. Knowing how to observe the night sky with the naked eye will help you locate them.
Locating constellations
Just like locating a street adress from a map, you just need a landmark to begin star gazing. Therefore, look for the brightest and the biggest stars, figure out which constellation they belong to and soon you'll find patterns emerging in the night sky.
In star gazing, initially you should learn to identify constellations and planets, and over a period of time, you'll find how stars change their positions with seasons, and much more. The most common and well known constellation visible to the naked eyes is the 'Orion -the Hunter' constellation.The 'Orion' constellation with the characteristic belt can be taken as a guide point for locating other constellations.
Taking 'Orion' Constellation as a guide point, we can locate other constellations and once we are familier with constellations near to Orion we can go ahead and try to spot other constelations as well. Here is a list of Constellations visible over Nagpur's sky in the months of March-June.
The Orian Constellation
Orion, often referred to as 'The Hunter', is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky. Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.
If you look straight up in the sky then you can easily spot the orion slightly offcentre towards the west direction.
The Taurus Constellation
Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head. Taurus is a large and prominent constellation in the northern hemisphere. With respect to Orion, Tourus is located in the North Eastern direction.
The Gemini Constellation
Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology. It lies between Taurus and Cancer constellations. With respect to Orion, it is located in the North Western Direction.
The Aries Constellation
If you look directly over head, chances are that you are directly looking at Aries Constellation.Aries (meaning: "ram") is one of the constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces and Taurus Constellations. Its name is Latin for ram. Aries was one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations today.
The Pisces Constellation
Pisces is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is the Latin plural for fish. It lies between Aquarius and Aries Constellations. According to one Greek myth, Pisces represents the fish into which Aphrodite and her son Eros transformed in order to escape the fire god Typhon: they are tied together with a cord on their tails, to make sure they do not lose one another. Alternatively, the twin fishes were placed in the heavens in honor of their heroic deed of saving Aphrodite and Eros from Typhon on the river Euphrates.
The Lepus Constellation
Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator, immediately south of Orion. Its name is Latin for hare. Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located below the constellation Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or, alternatively, by Orion's hunting dogs.
Canis Major
Towards the south western Horizon you can spot the Canis Major Constellation. Canis Major is one of the 88 modern constellations, and is yet another one from Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations. Its name is Latin for 'greater dog', and is commonly represented as one of the dogs following Orion the hunter. Canis Major contains Sirius - the brightest star in the night sky.
Ursa Minor
Towards the Northern Horizon you can spot Ursa Minor Constellation.Ursa Minor (Latin: "Smaller Bear", contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, whence the name Little Dipper. It is also one of the constellations from astronomer Ptolemy's list, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Ursa Minor is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the precession of the equinoxes.
Cassiopeia Constellation
This constellation, also spotted bt Ptolemy, is visible in the Northern sky near the horizon. Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky. It remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. Cassiopeia is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'W' shape formed by five bright stars.
These are some well known Constellations that are visible to the naked eye.There are many more that we have not mentioned in this article.If you find some new constellations that we have not mentioned do let us know. Initially, the sky seems like a crowded canvas of dots, too closely clustered for comfort and you may actually wonder what star gazing is all about, after all. It's more than lying down on the grass and looking at them, but then again, it is that too!
Image courtesy - Google Earth
