Most of us probably think of the Big Dipper as one of the constellations, but that’s only part of the story. The seven stars that form the pattern of the Big Dipper are actually part of a larger group in the constellation Ursa major, Latin for “Great Bear.”
We can use the Big Dipper to find other stars in a different part of the sky. The attached drawing may help make this a little clearer.
Some people think it’s because the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is elliptical, and that when we’re closer to the Sun (perihelion) it’s warmer, and when we’re farther away (aphelion) it’s colder.
A successful night of star-gazing may depend on you laying some “groundwork” in advance. Here are a few things to consider.
Astronomers tell us that our night sky includes 88 constellations and about 8,000 stars that we can see via the naked eye.
A lot is happening in the sky and on Earth during mid-March. There are stars, nebula, galaxies, comets and meteors, but the planets are my favorites.
Finding your way around the night sky is easy with help from a few key guideposts, like Orion the Hunter, which we discussed last time. Orion will be high in the southern sky for most of the winter, and we can use him to find nearby stars and constellations in our Milky Way galaxy.
For most of February 2023, one of the best-known of the constellations will be high in the southern sky and easily observable on clear nights. Named after a hunter in Greek mythology, Orion includes two of our brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel.
A full Moon always rises in the east at sunset, opposite the setting Sun. Seeing details of the Moon’s surface is usually a challenge when it’s full because so much light from the Sun is being reflected back into our eyes.
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