At the moment of looking up during a starry night, the celestial vault reveals its intricate star formation to us. Thousands of stars, if not hundreds of thousands, appear before our eyes without obeying any apparent pattern. But, although at first glance the starry night seems to be a difficult puzzle to decipher, the more we observe it we will realize that there is actually a way to understand its structure that the ancient Greeks divided into what we know as constellations. For those lovers of the starry night, we have prepared a small guide that helps us understand how to see the constellations in the sky in 3 steps.
What are the constellations?
We have previously said that the sky looks like a puzzle, well, using that analogy, in said puzzle the constellations would be each piece of it. In other words, a constellation is the limit into which the celestial vault is divided and each one is made up of a specific group of stars.
The position of the constellations in the sky is apparently invariable, although there is differentiation due to the movements of the Earth. Therefore, in certain seasons of the year we will be able to observe different constellations parading through the firmament. Although this is not due to the variation in the position of the constellations, but because the sun hides at different times depending on the season.
How to see the constellations in the sky?
Choose an optimal place
The place from which the sky is observed is crucial to be able to see the constellations more easily. Light pollution prevents the stars from appearing before our eyes and if we cannot see stars, much less constellations. For this reason you should choose a place with little light pollution to observe the sky. The more darkness there is, the easier you will be able to identify star formations. Another point to take into account is the weather, a clear sky will help a lot in the process.
a star sweep
Once you have the starry firmament before your eyes, either you decide to lie on your back on the ground so as not to strain your neck too much, or you just look up. But it is important that you identify the east and the west. East is where the sun and moon rise. While the west is where they hide. This imaginary line from east to west is called the Ecliptic and it is where all the planets pass when they make their appearance in the sky. In addition, it is also where the 12 zodiacal constellations cross.
Now that you have identified east and west, it’s time to figure out where north and south are. North is located to the left of East, while South is to the right. Thus, we have clockwise from the east: east, north, west and south.
Most common and easy to identify constellations
Once you know the position of the four cardinal points, it is time to go on to identify the constellations. There are constellations that are easier to identify than others, to start in the art of astronomical observation we must start with the less intricate ones. In this way our eyes will get used to looking for patterns in the sky and with the passage of time, the ability to observe constellations will improve.
Great Bear
It is the easiest to identify since it is visible throughout the year in the northern hemisphere, although its appearance time varies depending on the setting of the sun. To find it you must locate a point between east and north called northeast. Rising near the northeast in the sky, the Big Dipper is made up of seven especially bright stars that form a dipper.
Although to be more specific it has the shape of a rhomboid attached to a stellar tail. It will be easy to identify it since, at this cardinal point, its stars are the brightest in the firmament. You just have to take your time to decipher its shape.
The Big Dipper is one of the most important constellations to see in the sky, because thanks to it it is possible to identify the Polar Star that tells us exactly where the North is located and that has been used by sailors for centuries to locate themselves in the dark night over the sea To do this, we must take the imaginary line that joins Merak and Dubhe (the two opposite stars to the stellar tail) as a reference and add its length five times upwards. The resulting site will be the position of the Polar Star, the main one of the following constellation.
Little Bear
The Little Dipper is very similar to its older sister, except that it is smaller, less luminous, and in reverse. It is also made up of seven stars, the brightest being the Pole Star. If you are successful in identifying this constellation, then you are ready to locate north without the aid of compasses in the dead of dark night.
Orion
Orion is one of the most famous constellations in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Since it is visible throughout the year and is also made up of the brightest stars in the firmament. It appears before our eyes almost organically without much effort to identify it.
You only have to locate the three most visible stars together in the sky and we will have found Orion’s belt. The belt runs very close to the Ecliptic, so there is no need to search everywhere, just locate east and west, draw an imaginary line to connect them and near it the belt should appear. Once you locate it, it will serve as a guide to find the following constellations.
Taurus
Taurus is a zodiacal constellation, so it crosses the Ecliptic exactly like the sun and the moon. But if you have already located Orion, you just have to look to the right of it, facing the west. Near the belt you will see an extremely bright reddish star, that is Aldebaran, the main star of Taurus. She forms the base of a letter V that represents the horns of the bull.
canis major
Very close to Orion, but on the other side of Taurus, we also have Canis Maior, which, as its name suggests, has the shape of a dog. This is not such an easy constellation to decipher its shape, although it is very easy to find it. This is because it contains Sirius, the brightest star in the entire firmament.
So either you help yourself from Orion to find it, or you look for the brightest star in the entire firmament, Sirius, and from there you trace the shape of Canis Maior.
One more challenge…?
As we have said at the beginning, starting to search for constellations can become quite a challenge at first. But it will suffice for our eyes to get used to deciphering them and the ability to hunt for constellations will improve quite quickly. If you have been successful looking for the previous constellations, then you are ready for the next level of difficulty. Although this time you must follow the path alone.
Now that you know where the Ecliptic is located and what happens in it, you can continue looking for the shapes of the 12 zodiac constellations and decipher them as they transit through the Ecliptic, do you accept?
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