Who here has ever checked their horoscope or even knows which constellation is theirs in

the zodiac? (pause/ make eye contact.) A lot of you, like me, have probably looked up into
the sky at night to point out constellations and identify the famous stars within them. Today
I will give you some knowledge about the constellations including some great tips on how to
see them. (short pause.)
Constellations are groups of stars. They often look like a particular shape, so if you were to
draw lines in the sky between the stars, like a dot-to-dot puzzle, they would draw the
outline of an animal, object or person.
The constellations you can see at night depend on the time of year. Earth orbits around the
Sun once each year and our view into space through the night sky changes as we orbit. So,
the night sky looks slightly different each night because Earth is in a different spot in its
orbit.
Stars and constellations stay in approximately the same spot for many, many years.
Constellation stars are typically 100 light years away, so it takes us about 10,000 years
before we start to notice a star’s changing position. They only appear to move in the sky
during the year because we are on a moving planet. Because the constellations are in a fixed
location, they are often used as landmarks in the sky. Many stars, nebulas, and other objects
are named after the constellations they are found in.
Well known stars and constellations, were used for hundreds of years to navigate. For
centuries, sailors used stars to determine their location when out at sea. The most well
known star for navigation which you may have heard of is the North Star. This is called
celestial navigation. NASA astronauts are also trained to use celestial navigation as a backup
in case their modern navigation systems fail.
Different cultures around the world have different names for the constellations depending
on what people thought they saw. Today, there are 88 officially recognised constellations. In
addition to the constellations for our star signs, like virgo, leo and cancer, some of the most
well known constellations are The Plough, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Orion.

Cassiopeia is also a great constellation to spot as its always visible from England when the
sky is dark and clear. It’s easily recognisable because of its distinctive W shape, formed by
five bright stars.
The constellation is named after Cassiopeia, the vain and boastful queen in Greek
mythology. Cassiopeia was the mother of Princess Andromeda. Cassiopeia is the 25th
largest constellation in the night sky. As well as the 5 stars which make up the constellation
there are also nebulas and star clusters within Cassiopeia. Messier 52 is a cluster of stars
which – even though its 5000 light years away and estimated to be around 35 million years
old, can be seen with binoculars.
Of course, Stars aren’t the only thing visible in the night sky. There are also nebula, planets
and moons. And in some parts of the world, the night sky gets dark enough to see the dark
voids where starlight is absent in the Milky Way.
To help you spot the constellations, there are some great astronomy apps. My favourite is
called ‘the night sky’. You point your phone up to the sky and it shows you all the stars
within your view, even detailing the constellations and showing you how they ‘link’
together. It also shows where to look for meteor showers, so it’s a great app if you want to
learn a bit more about the stars, planets, or when to spot a shooting star.

The next time the cloud clears from the sky, go out at night and see these constellations for
yourself. See if you can recognise them and what you remember about their histories.
There's nothing better than being wrapped up warm late in the evening, watching the sky
slowly turn inky blue, then spotting those little pins of light popping into focus one-by-one.
Light pollution has a massive impact on the stars you can see, so head out of Cirencester
into the most remote spot you can find. The Cotswold Water Park or Minchinhampton
Common are good spots. Lie back and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Soon, you will
start to recognise familiar shapes and patterns...