MH-31 Nagpur Unlimited

 

With the onset of winter the travelling season also begins.It is time for school trips to nearby places for the young ones and short weekend trips for elders.Its that time  of the year when the climate is perfect for outdoor sojourns.Long nights accompanied by clear skies and favourable climate, winter season also provides a perfect time to undertake a different kind of journey all along;Star Gazing:the journey to the realm of stars.

So get hold of your vehicles and travel just a few kilometers away from the harsh citylights and you will be greeted by the masters of the starstudded night sky.

The stars and constellations provide a mesimerizing view of the everpresent and everlasting night sky.You might already be aware of some constalations visible but the real problem comes in locating their exact position in the night sky.So here are few guidelines to gaze the night sky and observe few known and other unknown constallations.These constalations move from east to the westward directions with the progression of months.

 

 

 

Orion, often referred to as 'The Hunter', is the most prominent recognizable constellation in the night sky. Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.

Position :If you look straight up in the sky then you can easily spot the orion slightly offcentre towards the west direction.

Astronomical Information : Betelgeuse, known alternatively as Alpha Orionis, 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 serves as the "right shoulder" of the hunter it represents (assuming that he is facing the observer), and is the eighth brightest star in the night sky.

Mythology : The Orion Correlation Theory is a hypothesis in pyramidology. Its central claim is that there is a correlation between the location of the 3 largest pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex and the three middle stars of the constellation Orion, and that this correlation was intended as such by the builders of the pyramids.In this ancient Hindu tradition, the constellation, Orion, is the god Prajapati, one of the creator gods. In an interesting parallel with one of the Greek myths about Orion, Prajapati has a relationship with the dawn or in some versions the sky.

 

 

If you look directly over head, chances are that you are directly looking at Gemini Constellation.Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac.It lies between Taurus  and Cancer constellations.

Position : During the months of November and december this constallation can be observed directly overhead with respct to the observer.

Astronomical information : The brightest stars in Gemini are Castor and Pollux. Castor is the second brightest in the constellation after Pollux. Castor is a sextuple star system; Pollux has an extrasolar planet revolving around it, as do two other stars, HD 50554, and HD 59686. Another noteworthy star is Mekbuda  a super giant with a radius that is 60 times solar, making it approximately is 220,000 times the size of the Sun.

Mythology : Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology.Punarvasu ,a Nakshatra in Hindu astrology refers to the two brightest stars in the constellation of Gemini: Castor and Pollux.This is the birth nakshatra of Lord Rama.

 

 

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.

Position : With Respect to Gemini, Taurus is located an Westward Direction.

Astronomical Information : In the northeastern quadrant of the Taurus constellation lie the Pleiades, one of the best known open clusters, easily visible to the naked eye. The seven most prominent stars in this cluster are at least visual magnitude six, and so the cluster is also named the "Seven Sisters"

Mythology : In Greek mythology, Taurus was identified with Zeus, who assumed the form of a magnificent white bull to abduct Europa, a legendary Phoenician princess.In ancient Hindu mythology ,the star cluster "Krittika", corresponds to the open star cluster Pleiades.In Hindu mythology, the god Murugan was raised by the six sisters known as the Krittika and thus came to be known as Kartikeya.

 

 

Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as such.Cancer is small and its stars are faint.

Position : With Respect to Gemini, Cancer is located an Eastward Direction.

Astronomical Information : 55 Cancri is a binary star approximately 41 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cancer.As of 2011, five extrasolar planets have been confirmed to be orbiting the primary, 55 Cancri A (the yellow dwarf). The 55 Cancri system is one of only six planetary systems (the others being our own Solar System, Gliese 581, HD 10180, Kepler-11 and KOI-500) known to have at least five planets and may possibly have more.

Mythology : Early Egyptians saw CANCER, The Crab, as a lowly scarab or dung beetle, representing the dawn Sun-god Khephri, a symbol of fertility. The Greeks, however, believed this constellation represented the giant crab which continually nipped at Hercules' feet, hampering him as he battled with the poisonous, nine-headed monstrous Hydra.

 

 

Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion.

Position : With Respect to Cancer, Leo is located an Eastward Direction.

Astronomical Information : Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 77.5 light years from Earth. Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four stars which are organized into two pairs. The red dwarf star Wolf 359, one of the nearest stars to Earth (7.78 light-years), is in the Leo Constellation. 

Mythology : Many civilizations over thousands of years have portrayed the constellation of Leo as a lion.In Greek mythology, it was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Hercules during one of his twelve labours, and subsequently put into the sky.

 

 

Canis Major is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was included in the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy's 48 constellations. Its name is Latin for 'greater dog', and is commonly represented as one of the dogs following Orion the hunter.

Position : With Respect to Gemini which is located directly overhead in the months of November and December, Canis Major constellation is located in the Southern Direction.

Astronomical Information : Canis Major contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky also known as the 'dog star'.The band of the Milky Way goes through Canis Major and therefore background galaxies are hidden behind interstellar dust clouds. However, in 2003, Canis Major Dwarf, the closest satellite galaxy to Earth, was found within the constellation.

Mythology : It was considered to represent Orion's hunting dog, pursuing Lepus the Hare or helping Orion fight Taurus the Bull; and is referred to in this way by Aratos, Homer and Hesiod. The ancient Greeks refer only to one dog, but by Roman times, Canis Minor appears as Orion's second dog.

 

 

Ursa Minor,also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky.It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.

Position : Ursa Minor COnstellation can be observed near the Northern Horizons.

Astronomical Information : Ursa Minor is colloquially known as the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars seem to form the shape of a dipper (ladle or scoop). The star at the end of the dipper handle is Polaris, the North Star. 

Mythology : Ursa Minor and Ursa Major were related by the Greeks to the myth of Callisto and Arcas. However, in a variant of the story, in which it is Boötes that represents Arcas, Ursa Minor was considered to represent a dog. This is the older tradition which sensibly explains both the length of the tail and the obsolete alternate name of Cynosura (the dog's tail) for Polaris, the North Star. 

 

Resources :  Wikipedia, Google Earth, http://www.fourmilab.ch/

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