Stargazing LIVE Star Guide - Thinktank
Stargazing LIVE Star Guide - Thinktank Stargazing LIVE Star Guide - Thinktank
STAR GUIDE
- Page 2 and 3: WElcomE To STARGAzInG lIVE! We have
- Page 4 and 5: ThE BasiCs So, you’re all set for
- Page 6 and 7: sTar MaP LookinG soUTh 1 2 3 Cancer
- Page 8 and 9: sTar MaP LookinG soUTh 1 2 3 Hercul
- Page 10 and 11: sTar MaP LookinG soUTh 1 2 3 Cygnus
- Page 12 and 13: sTar MaP LookinG soUTh 1 2 Taurus P
- Page 14: c.co.uk/stargazing Design: red-ston
STAR GUIDE
WElcomE To<br />
STARGAzInG lIVE!<br />
We have put together this guide to accompany<br />
<strong><strong>Star</strong>gazing</strong> <strong>LIVE</strong> and to help you discover some<br />
of the best things to see in the night sky<br />
throughout the year. Even if you’ve never tried<br />
stargazing before, you can get started with<br />
our easy-to-use star charts.<br />
When you’re ready for the next step, there’s more<br />
waiting for you at bbc.co.uk/stargazing, including<br />
“How to” videos and audio guides to the night sky.<br />
So what are you waiting for? There’s a whole<br />
world of incredible wonders above your head.<br />
Isn’t it time you looked up?<br />
Happy <strong><strong>Star</strong>gazing</strong>!<br />
Prof.<br />
Brian Cox<br />
Mark<br />
ThoMPson<br />
Dara o’Briain Liz Bonnin
GETTinG sTarTED<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Choose a clear night and find an<br />
outside space – ideally away from<br />
tall buildings and bright lights.<br />
It could be anywhere from your<br />
back garden to a local park.<br />
Wait 15 minutes to allow your eyes<br />
to adapt to the dim light.<br />
Make sure you’re facing north and<br />
start with the ‘Looking North’ page<br />
for this month.<br />
ToP TiPs<br />
You might like to take the following<br />
items along to help you with<br />
your stargazing:<br />
• Binoculars/telescope – to help<br />
you get a better view of objects in<br />
the night sky, although most of the<br />
stars in this guide can be seen<br />
without them.<br />
• A red torch – so that you can<br />
still read your star guide without<br />
affecting your ‘night vision’.<br />
You could adapt a normal torch<br />
using red cellophane or use a rear<br />
bike light.<br />
4<br />
5<br />
Hold the star chart in<br />
front of you and look up<br />
at the sky. How many of the<br />
constellations can you find?<br />
When ready, try looking south.<br />
This time use the ‘Looking<br />
South’ chart.<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
The stars that we can see at a<br />
certain time of night change<br />
throughout the year as the Earth<br />
orbits the Sun and we move to a<br />
different position in space.<br />
• A compass – so you know which<br />
direction you’re facing.<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
If you observe the night sky at a<br />
later time than that on the chart,<br />
the stars will have moved across<br />
the sky and so may not match your<br />
chart exactly.
ThE BasiCs<br />
So, you’re all set for your night<br />
of stargazing... but what exactly<br />
will you be looking at?<br />
sTars<br />
These are spheres of gas that emit heat<br />
and light through nuclear processes.<br />
The Sun is the nearest star to Earth.<br />
GaLaxY<br />
The name given to a collection of stars,<br />
gas and dust that are all bound together<br />
by gravity. We are part of a galaxy<br />
called the Milky Way, which contains<br />
more than 100 billion stars.<br />
PLanET<br />
A body that orbits the Sun and has<br />
enough gravitational pull to be<br />
spherical and clear its orbit of debris.<br />
There are eight planets in total in our<br />
Solar System. If a planet orbits a star<br />
other than the Sun it is known as an<br />
extrasolar planet.<br />
METEor<br />
This is when dust particles falling<br />
through the Earth’s atmosphere are<br />
seen as streaks of light across the<br />
sky (also known as shooting stars).<br />
Meteors vaporise high up in the<br />
atmosphere whereas meteorites<br />
actually land on Earth.<br />
ConsTELLaTion<br />
An arrangement of stars in the sky<br />
that are shown to represent objects,<br />
animals and mythological creatures.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG norTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Cassiopeia<br />
Cepheus<br />
2<br />
Ursa<br />
Minor<br />
Draco<br />
1<br />
Ursa<br />
Major<br />
JanUarY—MarCh LookinG norTh EarLY EVEninG<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
This is called the ‘Plough’. It isn’t a constellation<br />
itself, but part of a constellation called Ursa<br />
Major (Latin for Great Bear).<br />
Here is Polaris (the North <strong>Star</strong>). You can find<br />
Polaris by following the line of the two ‘pointer’<br />
stars in the Plough. Polaris remains in the same<br />
place in the sky throughout the night, no matter<br />
what the season.<br />
Mark’s METEor WaTCh<br />
Look out for the<br />
Quadrantid Meteor<br />
Shower peaking on<br />
3–4 January.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG soUTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Cancer<br />
Gemini<br />
Canis<br />
Minor<br />
Canis<br />
Major<br />
2<br />
1<br />
3<br />
Orion<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Using binoculars, have a look just below Orion’s<br />
belt for something that looks like a fuzzy star.<br />
This is a stellar nebula where hundreds of young<br />
stars are formed.<br />
Follow the line of Orion’s belt east to find Sirius<br />
in the constellation Canis Major. This is the<br />
brightest star in the night sky. Although it looks<br />
like just one star, it’s actually a system of two<br />
stars: Sirius and a fainter companion star.<br />
This star is Aldebaran and you can find it<br />
by following the line of Orion’s belt west.<br />
It’s 40 times wider than the Sun, but luckily<br />
for us it’s also four million times further away.<br />
Auriga<br />
Taurus<br />
JanUarY—MarCh LookinG soUTh EarLY EVEninG<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
On average it takes<br />
8.3 minutes for light to<br />
travel from the Sun<br />
to the Earth.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG norTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Ursa<br />
Major<br />
3<br />
Ursa<br />
Minor<br />
Cepheus<br />
Draco<br />
Cassiopeia<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Can you find Cassiopeia? Legend says that this<br />
‘w’-shaped constellation represents the wife<br />
of King Cepheus of Ethiopia.<br />
Have a look for Vega, a star in the constellation<br />
Lyra. This is one of the brightest stars in the<br />
night sky and, in 1850, it became the first star<br />
other than the Sun to be photographed.<br />
Look for Mizar, the second star in from the end<br />
of the handle of the Plough. See if you can see<br />
its fainter companion known as Alcor.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Lyra<br />
Cygnus<br />
aPriL—JUnE LookinG norTh LaTE EVEninG<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
<strong>Star</strong>s twinkle because<br />
some of the light<br />
coming from them is<br />
disturbed as it passes<br />
through the Earth’s<br />
turbulent atmosphere.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG soUTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Hercules<br />
Corona<br />
Borealis<br />
Libra<br />
Boötes<br />
2<br />
Virgo<br />
Coma<br />
Berenices<br />
3<br />
Ursa<br />
Major<br />
aPriL—JUnE LookinG soUTh LaTE EVEninG<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Look for a group of stars in the shape of a<br />
reverse question mark. This is the lion’s head<br />
of the constellation Leo.<br />
Follow the curve of the handle of the Plough<br />
around to locate the bright star Arcturus. This<br />
is the brightest star in the northern half of the<br />
sky and is part of the constellation of Boötes<br />
the Herdsman.<br />
In between Boötes and Leo, you’ll find the<br />
Coma <strong>Star</strong> Cluster. This is a faint triangular<br />
smattering of stars also known as Coma<br />
Berenices, or Queen Berenice’s Hair.<br />
Leo<br />
1<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
In the darkest parts<br />
of the UK you can see<br />
approximately 6,000<br />
stars just using the<br />
naked eye!
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG norTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Ursa<br />
Major<br />
Draco<br />
Ursa<br />
Minor<br />
Cepheus<br />
Cassiopeia<br />
2<br />
Perseus<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Our nearest neighbouring galaxy – the<br />
Andromeda galaxy – can be seen in the<br />
Andromeda constellation. It appears to<br />
us as an elongated fuzzy blob. The name<br />
Andromeda comes from Greek mythology<br />
and refers to the daughter of King Cepheus<br />
and Queen Cassiopeia.<br />
Meteor showers are named after the<br />
constellation they seem to come from.<br />
So, the Perseids look as though they come<br />
from Perseus.<br />
1<br />
Aries<br />
Andromeda<br />
Triangulum<br />
Pegasus<br />
JULY—sEPTEMBEr LookinG norTh LaTE EVEninG<br />
Mark’s METEor WaTCh<br />
Look out for the<br />
Perseid Meteor<br />
Shower peaking on<br />
12–13 August.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG soUTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Cygnus<br />
Delphinus<br />
Sagitta<br />
1<br />
Aquila<br />
Lyra<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Hercules<br />
Ophiuchus<br />
Corona<br />
Borealis<br />
Serpens<br />
Boötes<br />
JULY—sEPTEMBEr LookinG soUTh LaTE EVEninG<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Can you spot the Northern Cross? It’s part<br />
of the constellation called Cygnus the Swan,<br />
and looks just like a cross.<br />
Have a look for the Summer Triangle which is<br />
made up of the three bright stars: Altair in Aquila<br />
the Eagle, Vega in Lyra the Lyre, and Deneb in<br />
Cygnus the Swan.<br />
Summer is a great time to see our own galaxy,<br />
the Milky Way, stretching across the sky as a<br />
hazy band of light.<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
Our galaxy, the Milky<br />
Way, is by no means<br />
the only one. In fact<br />
it’s one in a cluster<br />
of more than 30<br />
galaxies, known as<br />
the Local Group.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG norTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Lyra<br />
Hercules<br />
Cepheus<br />
2<br />
Draco Ursa<br />
Minor<br />
Cassiopeia<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Polaris (the North <strong>Star</strong>) is positioned above the<br />
North Pole, and so it seems to stay still in the<br />
night sky while other stars rotate around it.<br />
As a result, it has been used for navigation<br />
for centuries.<br />
Can you spot Cepheus? It looks like a box with<br />
a triangle shape attached. It’s named after the<br />
King of Ethiopia in Greek mythology.<br />
Can you find Capella, the brightest star in the<br />
Auriga constellation? Although it looks like one<br />
star, it’s actually made up of two stars which<br />
appear very close to one another.<br />
1<br />
Perseus<br />
Ursa<br />
Major<br />
3<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
Auriga<br />
oCToBEr—DECEMBEr LookinG norTh EarLY EVEninG<br />
If you counted all of<br />
the stars in our galaxy<br />
at a rate of one every<br />
second it would take<br />
around 3,000 years to<br />
count them all.
sTar MaP<br />
LookinG soUTh<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Taurus<br />
Perseus<br />
2<br />
Aries<br />
Cassiopeia<br />
Andromeda<br />
1<br />
Pegasus<br />
Cygnus<br />
oCToBEr—DECEMBEr LookinG soUTh EarLY EVEninG<br />
WhaT To Look for<br />
Can you spot the Great Square of the<br />
constellation Pegasus? One of the stars in<br />
Pegasus has an extrasolar planet orbiting<br />
around it. However, the planet itself is too<br />
faint to be seen with the naked eye.<br />
Can you spot the Seven Sisters star cluster,<br />
also known as The Pleiades, in Taurus? If you<br />
have good eyesight you should be able to see<br />
more than seven stars here. Using a telescope<br />
the total is around 250!<br />
Mark’s METEor WaTCh<br />
The Leonid Meteor<br />
Shower peaks on<br />
17–18 November and<br />
the Geminid Meteor<br />
Shower peaks on<br />
13–14 December.
ThE Moon<br />
BaY of rainBoWs<br />
CraTEr<br />
CoPErniCUs<br />
CraTEr TYCho<br />
CraTEr PLaTo<br />
Looking at the Moon is another great way to<br />
start exploring the night sky. You may think the<br />
best time to observe the Moon is when it’s full,<br />
but at this time the shadows on the surface are<br />
at their shortest, making it harder to pick<br />
out any features.<br />
So, it’s more fun to wait until the phase of the Moon<br />
has changed and a shadow line (or terminator) is<br />
visible. The ‘terminator’ is the boundary between<br />
the illuminated section on the Moon and the area<br />
in shadow, and is where the Moon’s mountains<br />
and craters are most clearly seen.<br />
So, why not look for yourself? Find a clear night<br />
and see if you can spot any of the above features<br />
on the Moon.<br />
sEa of CrisEs<br />
sEa of<br />
TranQUiLLiTY<br />
DiD YoU knoW?<br />
You may have heard<br />
of the ‘Man in the<br />
Moon’. The dark<br />
patches of the ‘face’<br />
are seas on the<br />
surface of the Moon.<br />
But these seas are not<br />
like the ones on Earth,<br />
they’re actually made<br />
up of solidified lava<br />
from ancient volcanic<br />
eruptions.
c.co.uk/stargazing<br />
Design: red-stone.com<br />
Printed on 75% recycled paper<br />
© Published by BBC Learning 2011<br />
MC4A4 Media Centre<br />
201 Wood Lane<br />
London W12 7TQ<br />
Warning: Choking hazard – contains small parts