Part 2 - A walk through the heavens
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2015
Summary
Let us start our walk by locating the Big Dipper, which is part of the larger constellation Ursa Major. The Big Dipper is best seen between January and October, when it is not too close to the horizon. It is also known as the Plough and as the Cooking Pot.
Look toward the north and look for seven bright stars shaped like a large ladle or saucepan as in Fig. 1. It may be on its side or upside down, depending on the season. There is one star whose name you should remember, Star 2 is Mizar. Stars 6 and 7 are called the pointers since they point to Polaris, the North Star. Once you have found the Big Dipper look at it very closely. Ignore the other stars. Measure its size with your hand.
How close do you come to the measurements in Fig. 2?
For convenience, each star in each constellation will be numbered so that we can more easily identify specific stars to help us walk around the sky. We will follow several paths to a constellation. By doing this you will have a better sense of star positions and relationships.
Let us begin our walk with the Big Dipper. By using only the Big Dipper, depending upon the season, we will be able to locate many different constellations or specific stars within those constellations.
Starting from the Big Dipper
To locate Polaris in the Little Dipper (Fig. 3)
Follow Stars 6 and 7 of the Big Dipper to Polaris, the North Star. It is five times the distance between 6 and 7.
The Little Dipper has only two bright stars, Polaris (Star 1), and Kochab (Star 7). Polaris is about 0.8 degrees away from the celestial north pole, which is the point in the sky to which the north–south axis of the Earth is pointing. The Norse people believed that there was a huge spike through Polaris around which the universe revolves.
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- Information
- A Walk through the HeavensA Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends, pp. 15 - 50Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004