Written by Scott Huddleston
Occasionally, everyone can find themselves glancing up at the night sky on a clear night, glowing with dim twinkling lights and a large, milky band that stretches across a dark background. These mesmerizing views are even better with a telescope or pair of binoculars, where planets within our solar system and over a hundred hidden “deep-sky objects” await, such as nebulae, star clusters, and even distant galaxies. Unfortunately, most people don’t own a good night sky viewing setup, but that doesn’t mean some beautiful sights can’t be seen with the naked eye.
As expected, the 88 modern constellations are among the most famous and easily recognized night sky “objects” in the world. It’s easy to recognize shapes and patterns among the tiny little specks of light; the brain is good at that. However, chances are you aren’t looking at the true constellations, which are used for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps you’re interested in astrology and you want to find the constellation associated with your zodiac sign. Maybe astronomy is your thing and you need the constellations to locate a far-away celestial object. Or maybe you just love gazing at the night sky and wondering what lies out there. In the vast sea of stars in the night sky, it’s easy to get lost and get confused as to what your looking at, but hopefully this guide can help you in that aspect.
To give some brief history on the modern constellations, many of them date all the way back to Ancient Greece, (2000 BCE - 146 BCE). Ancient Greeks are undoubtedly famous for trying to understand puzzling subjects like astronomy, along with Ancient Egypt and the Babylonians. By that time, they had figured out the Earth was a giant sphere, but believed it was the center of the universe. That meant they believed the Sun, the planets, and the many, many stars revolved around them. This is simply just an illusion caused by the Earth’s rotation.
To give some brief history on the modern constellations, many of them date all the way back to Ancient Greece, (2000 BCE - 146 BCE). Ancient Greeks are undoubtedly famous for trying to understand puzzling subjects like astronomy, along with Ancient Egypt and the Babylonians. By that time, they had figured out the Earth was a giant sphere, but believed it was the center of the universe. That meant they believed the Sun, the planets, and the many, many stars revolved around them. This is simply just an illusion caused by the Earth’s rotation.
Each constellation was made to somewhat resemble animals, people, mythical creatures, etc. If you’re having trouble with remembering the shapes and locations of certain stars, you can refer back to their constellation’s associated being/object. But once you get the gist of the shapes of constellations, they won’t be hard to remember. However, it’s important to be aware of some obstructions in stargazing and astronomy.
The night sky will always be at least a little bit different depending on where you are. If you travel from North America to South America, the constellations will be in different locations, there will be newly visible constellations, and some others just won’t be visible anymore. For example, if you stood at the South Pole, it would be a completely different view from the North Pole. The different seasons will also provide new views because of Earth’s different positions when it rotates around the Sun. Some constellations, however, are visible all year, meaning they technically never rise or set. These constellations are called circumpolar constellations, and they will vary for where you are on Earth. For example, some circumpolar constellations in the Northern Hemisphere are Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and Draco.
The night sky will always be at least a little bit different depending on where you are. If you travel from North America to South America, the constellations will be in different locations, there will be newly visible constellations, and some others just won’t be visible anymore. For example, if you stood at the South Pole, it would be a completely different view from the North Pole. The different seasons will also provide new views because of Earth’s different positions when it rotates around the Sun. Some constellations, however, are visible all year, meaning they technically never rise or set. These constellations are called circumpolar constellations, and they will vary for where you are on Earth. For example, some circumpolar constellations in the Northern Hemisphere are Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and Draco.
Now, in order to witness the best clear skies, a few conditions must be met.
1. There should be no clouds in sight.
2. Stay as far away from bright lights and light pollution as possible, as they can mess up visibility.
3. The moon should not be in the sky, especially not a full one. The brightness from it can ruin lots of visibility.
To sum this all up, a beautiful night sky shouldn’t be missed. Take a few minutes from time to time to stargaze and you won’t regret it.
To see all visible constellations and objects in the night sky in any area of the world at any time, I highly recommend a free, easy-to-use computer program called Stellarium. It’s very accurate and really helps with night sky viewing.
1. There should be no clouds in sight.
2. Stay as far away from bright lights and light pollution as possible, as they can mess up visibility.
3. The moon should not be in the sky, especially not a full one. The brightness from it can ruin lots of visibility.
To sum this all up, a beautiful night sky shouldn’t be missed. Take a few minutes from time to time to stargaze and you won’t regret it.
To see all visible constellations and objects in the night sky in any area of the world at any time, I highly recommend a free, easy-to-use computer program called Stellarium. It’s very accurate and really helps with night sky viewing.
Header Source: NASA.gov