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Constellations and Stars
Constellations and Stars
Probably the most famous group of stars is the Big Dipper. It is a part of the constellation called Ursa Major. It
resembles a bear in many civilizations. The handle of the Dipper is the tail of the bear curving away from the
bowl. It has the seven bright stars in it namely, Alkaid, Alcor & Mizar (appear as one), Alioth, Megrez, Phecda,
Merak and Dhube. Two of these that form outer wall of the bowl are called the Pointers, directed towards the
Polaris when joined in a line from bottom upward.
CASSIOPEIA
Cassiopeia lies on the other side of the pole from Ursa Major, almost directly opposite the Big Dipper. One can
sees the seven stars with naked eyes. Sometimes people visualize it as part of a Crown of the Egyptian queen
Cassiopeia, other people see it as an inclined chair or throne.
CEPHEUS
NEXT TO CASSIOPEIA is her husband the king Cepheus, known for some of the well-studied variable stars.
Cepheus forms a shape resembling the cap of a clown. Its wedge corner is very close to Polaris and is one of the
circumpolar stars. The brightest star in this constellation is called Aldemarin, meaning the arm. It stays close to
his queen.
ARCTURUS
A bright star in the extended arc of the handle of the Big Dipper that no one will miss. Following the curve of
the handle about 30 degrees, or until you see the first brilliantly bright star. Its bright beam flowed down more
than 2600 years ago upon the patient Prophet Job (Ayub in Arabic, peace be upon him) and is named by him.
About 10 O'clock in the evening of February (spring) it first appears (rises). On the 1st of March it appears 8
O'clock in the evening. Arcturus is almost overhead in early evening of July. Arcturus and Capella are almost
equally bright. Arcturus is tinged with a bit of red, hinting its surface temperature colder than the sun and
Capella. Arcturus is a red giant star. It has exhausted hydrogen as its primary fuel and now relying on secondary
sources to escape extinction. Its center is much hotter than the sun, the extra heat resulted in its expansion of the
size. After a few thousand years, it may explode, forming a white dwarf. It is 37 ly away. It is approaching earth
at the rate of 2(1/2) miles per second, makes it appear ever bright or same bright and it lies in Constellation
Bootes and its brightest star. Bootes means "watcher of the bear", a title derived from its proximity to Ursa
Major.
CAPELLA
It is the nearest to the north star among the 21 brightest. Draw a line through the Polaris at right angle to the
pointers, you should find Capella at 45 degrees from the polaris on the opposite side of the Big Dipper's handle.
It can also be found by a line drawn from bottom corner of the Big Dipper's Bowl on the handle side, and
passing the line through the mid point of the pointers to a distance of 50 degrees or to the first bright star.
Capella, Vega and Arcturus are brightest stars in the northern hemisphere of the sky. Capella is up above the
horizon 21 hours. This makes it possible to observe it sometime every night. Capella first appears in the evening
in August at about 10 O'clock during first part of the month and stays in the sky until June, always appearing
before midnight. In October, it rises almost exactly in the northeast just as the sun is setting.Capella is a giant
star yellow in color and 100 times brighter than the sun. Yet, it has the same surface temperature as the sun. It is
46 ly away from us. Never seen separately, it is a binary star, revolving around its companion in 100 days.
Wizard spectroscope has made its family secret out. One of 21 bright stars, Capella is in Auriga constellation.
CORONA BOREALIS
Also called Northern Crown, Corona Borealis is a semicircle of stars. Its chief star is called Alphecca, comes
into view one and a quarter hours after Arcturus. The group of seven twinkling bright stars is a beautiful sight
for observation and enjoyment in the night sky. The entire constellation is only 15 degrees wide.
SAGITTARIUS
The shape of a tea pot, this is a remarkable shape that appears in the night sky close to Milky way.Constellation
Sagittarius, also called The Milk Dipper (lies in the Milky way)
HERCULES CONSTELLATION
Hercules holds a bow in his outstretched arm. Just shot an arrow to the Dragon or possibly to the bird nearby.
Hercules is located directly north of Scorpius.
SPICA
The 15th brightest star is Spica that rises not so long after Arcturus. It rises a bit south of exact eastern point in
the sky. We can find Spica by extending the arc of the Dipper's handle through Arcturus and about 30 degrees
beyond the Arcturus. It can be located by a straight line starting at the pointer nearest Polaris passing diagonally
through the bowl of the Dipper about 65 degrees beyond the bottom of the Dipper. It is visible to the naked eye
in the middle of March at 8 O'clock in the evening.Spica does not make a long arc like Arcturus or Capella. It
stays south of the celestial equator. It takes 11 hours for Spica to complete its journey setting in the south
western horizon. It takes five and a half hours to reach the highest point in the sky about 45 degrees from the
zenith in the southern sky in May. It stays in night sky between sunset and midnight during February through
early October. In November, December and January, it shows up in the night sky during the time between
midnight and dawn. Spica lies in Virgo constellation, close to the ecliptic, which is the apparent annual path of
the sun through the heavens.Its color is bluish white, meaning its surface temperature is greater than sun,
Capella and Arcturus. It is 600 times brighter than our sun and 260 ly away from us. Spica is receding from the
earth at 1 mile per second. Spica means an ear of wheat. It is seen in the Virgo constellation where a virgin holds
a spear of wheat in her hand.
SUMMER TRIANGLE
Altair is in Aquila or the eagle constellation. Altair means the flying eagle.A brilliantly white (yellowish white)
star located by moving down the Cross from Deneb to its tail to Albireo and about 20 degrees more to the first
bright star is ALTAIR. About 10 degrees northeast from Altair is the well known Constellation "Dolphinus," also
called Job's coffin.Altair rises about 8 degrees north of the exact eastern point on the horizon. An interesting
figure near Altair is in the shape of a diamond with a short tail, lying about 10 degrees northeast of Altair. This
group is called Dolphinus. It has a popular name called "Job's coffin."
DELPHINUS
In the shape of a Dolphin, this constellation also called Job's Coffin consists of 5 stars. It contains a variable star,
a double star and a spectroscopic binary star.One seldom sees Altair during the first four months of the year. It
takes about 13 hours for Altair to make its journey across the sky. Its color is white or yellowish white. Its
surface temperature is less than Vega but greater than Capella. Altair is actually 11 times more luminous than
sun and 17 ly away from us. Altair is approaching the earth at a speed of 16 miles per second.
SCORPIUS CONSTELLATION
Constellation Scorpius meaning scorpion that stung the Orion is where Antares can be found. It is considered the
hissing snake from which Spenser represents Orion as "flying fast." The mighty hunter Orion does not return to
the sky until scorpion is gone. The two Orion and Scorpion never appear together in the sky. The name Antares
signifies "Rival of Mars." When the Mars appears in the constellation Scorpius, the two red colored objects are
splendid rivals. Antares is a red giant. It is 400 ly away. It is an old star cooler than sun as the red color suggests.
Most stars get their energy from fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium. After spending all its hydrogen fuel, the
internal core tends to contract, star becomes hotter, for a brief period of its life it lives on secondary sources of
energy. The outer layers then swell up and become very luminous. After thousands of years of this spendthrift
activity, the secondary sources are exhausted. The star collapses on the inside and explode on the outside,
becoming a Nova or a new star. Gravitational forces then attract the fragments back into smaller size feebly
shining star of the type known as White Dwarfs, e.g., companion of Sirius.
ANTARES
Antares is at its highest point (meridian) in June 22nd at 10 O'clock in the evening. At its highest point, it is only
one quarter way due south from the horizon to the zenith. It is one of the south stars which always lies south of
the celestial equator. It appears farther south from Altair.Antares is one of a binary system. Its companion has a
greenish color, not easily seen by small telescopes.
ALDEBARAN
The stars described in Chapter 1 through Chapter 10 earlier, have a particular connection with the spring,
summer and autumn months. Capella shines throughout the winter, and in spring and fall as well.There are
however 6 bright stars that are distinctly of the winter. These 6 stars are Aldebaran, Betelgeuse, Regel, Pollux,
Procyon and Sirius. Of these 6 stars, Aldebaran is the first to appear in September a bit north of the east point in
the horizon. It glows with rosy light, demanding attention proclaiming as one of the most importantly heavenly
bodies.It lies in the open end of a bright V-shaped cluster of stars known as Hyades. The cluster is the head of
the well known constellation "Taurus" the bull, named by the Greeks. It is the fiery eye of the enraged bull as he
lowers his head charging Orion. The shimmering light of Pleiades can also be shown in the same constellation
Taurus.The meaning of the Arabic word Aldebaran is the "hindmost" or the "follower" of Pleiades, as it appears
directly below Pleiades. Aldebaran shines for about 8 months in the sky every year. One hour after the deep ruby
red Antares vanishes below the western horizon, another red star Aldebaran rises in eastern horizon. The two
never can be seen in the night sky together. The two are named Royal stars in Astrology, a suggestion for
royalty.t is known as a standard 1st magnitude star. It is 70 ly away. At the distance of the sun, it would send 100
times more light than sun. It is receding from us at 30 miles per second from us. It lies in the path of the moon
and frequently obscured from our view by moon. Such an intrusion of the moon is called "Occultation," when
the subject occulted is a planet or a star. A star disappearing behind the moon shows no sensible disk. A planet
gradually disappears. Aldebaran has a faint companion star and belongs to the group of stars called Red Giants.
It is a dying star like Antares.
THE TWO DOG STARS: SIRIUS AND PROCYON (IN CANIS MAJOR AND CANIS MINOR)
Moving down the belt of Orion, about 20 degrees south, you meet the brightest star called Sirius, also called the
Great Dog Star. It is the chief star of the constellation Canis Major and hence the name. It follows the heels of
Orion in its journey in the sky. The constellation names the season dog-days, for the sizzling hot summer days
(July and August) in which its presence is made known. During this time, Sirius rises just after the sun in the
southern sky. The name Sirius comes from the Greek word scorching (hot summer) or sparkling (excessively &
brilliantly bright). Sometimes also called Orion's Dog, Sirius is referred to as brining miseries to men.Sirius
appears in middle of November at 10 O'clock. I March and April it shines in the southwest. It sinks with sun
about the end of May.Sirius is nearer than most bright stars, only 8 and a half ly away. It has a companion star
revolving in period of 50 years.The other Dog star Procyon lies in the constellation Canis Minor. Betelgeuse,
Sirius and Procyon form an equilateral triangle, called winter triangle. These three stars together with Rigel
form almost square. Procyon is at 11 ly away. It announces the arrival of Sirius the chief. Procyon has
companion star revolving at a period of 40 years.
The Pleiades
The cluster of stars is in the interstellar dust cloud formed about 60 million years ago and is situated about 410
light years away in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull. The best time to view the Pleiades is from
late October to early March.