Learning About Your Night Sky
Welcome to the wonderful world of star gazing. Let’s get right to
work and take a quick look at the basics of this wonderful new hobby. If
you live in the Northern Hemisphere you will find that every night
brings its own beauty as our night sky tends to change on a regular
basis. To ensure that you know what you are looking at it might be a
good idea to start by learning to identify constellations. So let’s pack
up our gear and meet outside. The best time to do this is a couple hours
after sunset.
How to start seeing and recognizing the path of our stars
When you first start to navigate your way through our night sky you
might want to start of on a simple mission. Many people will agree that
one of the more easy ways to identify stars would be to look for the
winter constellations. You simply do this by looking in an eastern
direction on one of those cold winter nights. When you see a small row
of three bright stars in close proximity you have found your first belt.
This is Orion’s belt. There are of course countless other great stars
and constellations to discover but this will all come in time. What many
people simply forget to do is take in the beauty of let’s say Orion, and
really try to see all that this breathtaking belt has to show us. It is
great that one can name many different stars and galaxies but how many
of us can tell you what the star actually looks like. So try and take
your time as you will find that it will help you along in your amateur
astronomy career and maybe you will find a new star to name. How to
find even more constellations
Now that we have a good idea what to start looking for in the winter
months let me give you a couple ideas for the summer months. As with the
winter our summer holds its own beauty and special treats that can take
your breath away. Let’s take a closer look at some examples. If you
where to look west on a nice summer night you will almost immediately
spot what appears to be a backwards question mark. These stars are also
known as Leo the lion. And when you take a closer look at the east you
will be treated on a true show of beauty. Simply follow the big dipper’s
handle to one of the brightest stars you can see, and there you have it
you have found the herdsman. But it does not stop here, if you keep
following this bright spectacle of light to the next bright point you
will have found the Virgo the Virgin.
 Knowing that when you have seen these great examples of our
night sky you might want to expand your vision and try to identify
planets. There is still so much to find, see, and learn, you should
simply never have to feel bored. The beauty of our night sky is that it
has a tendency to keep changing and to keep us interested in what might
be the show of tonight. The key to making sure that you will grow into a
great astronomer is to study the sky and keep a journal about your
findings. So start tracking those stars and planets as you never know if
you might find that one special one that makes you famous. Just remember
to bring tools like star maps and compass and you will always be
prepared. |
