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Home , Chamaeleon, Dorado, Musca, Reticulum, Scutum (constellation)

Summary

You now know the four Guidepost You are also on your way to learning more : , The Big Dipper, The advanced astronomy. Swan, and Cassiopeia. In Book 3 of this series, Seasons & the Round and round they go, year after Celestial Sphere, we expand our presentation year. The jealous Big Dipper follows Orion, to three dimensions. This will enable you to the thirsty Swan fies after the Big Dipper, understand the seasons, the way sundials tell Cassiopeia the queen pursues the beautiful time, and the entire celestial sphere of . Swan, and Orion chases the queen. Here we introduce the Horizon Globe, which is a device that simulates what you see on the You also know when Orion is by the , celestial sphere. It’s like going to a 3-D movie, which allows you to know where and when to except you won’t have to wear the glasses! look for your favorite constellations. After these three introductory books, you You’ve heard the Four (expanded) Stories, will be ready to quantify what you observe in which helps you fnd other interesting stars near the sky. We’ll measure angles and estimate the Guidepost constellations. distances to the Sun and Moon. We’ll estimate the size of the Earth, Moon and Sun. These You know about the North , and how to measurements will make it possible to develop fnd it from any of the Guideposts. You’ve seen theories that explain the observations. the , which is interesting because the most important object in the sky—the Sun— As a reminder of what was covered in this goes through these star constellations. book, the next few pages provide a summary of the stars and their motion. We’ve also included a Finally, you saw the constellations that are list of the constellations arranged alphabetically nested between the ones that stand out. In short, by their English names and again by their Latin you have mastered the night sky. names.

145 The Stars

Countdown 5 4 3 2 1

When you spot one of the Guidepost constellations, it is helpful to remember how many other constellations surround it. That way you won’t forget to look for all the bright stars. The following summary, “Countdown 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” is an easy way to remember them all.

If you see Orion, look for 5 surrounding constellations. If you see the Big Dipper, look for 4 constellations. If you see , fnd the 3 stars of the Summer Triangle, plus 2 across the sky. If you see Cassiopeia, you know there is only 1 bright star to see.

Let’s take a closer look: 2 3 Orion’s entourage has fve members:

1. The Bull 4 5 2. The Charioteer 3. The Twins 4. (The Dog’s Bone) 1 5. The Big Dog 5

1 The Big Dipper points to four constellations: 2

1. The Little Dipper, featuring Polaris 4 4 2. Bootes The Herdsman 3. The Virgin 3 4. The Lion

146 Summary

1 Cygnus belongs to the Summer Triangle: 2 1. Cygnus The Swan 2. The Lyre 3 3. The Eagle

3

Cygnus fies toward two combatants:

1. The Scorpion 2. Sagittarius The Archer 2

1 2

Queen Cassiopeia has only one bright star in her realm:

1. , The Lonely Star of 1 Autumn in the constellation The Southern Fish. 1

147 The Stars Stargazing Reference Sheet

Anyone can enjoy the sky. Start by learning to recognize the 4 Guidepost constellations, you probably already know one or two No need to be intimidated by the vastness of the night sky of them (have you seen Orion? Or the Big Dipper?). or the complexity of star charts. Anyone can completely Enjoy what you know frst, then add levels for a bigger enjoy the sky and be an expert at what they know. challenge and more fun!

Level 1 Guideposts You can always fnd a constellation Orion Big Dipper Cygnus Cassiopeia in any starry night These famous constellations are the four Guideposts. Any time you can see stars at least one of these will be visible. Use them to fnd your way around the sky.

Level 2 Order When you see The four Guidepost constellations turn on a wheel one Guidepost, in the sky, their order never changes: you can point to the other The Big Dipper tries to douse Orion three Cygnus The Swan wants a drink from the Dipper. Cassiopeia The Queen want to catch the Swan Orion The Hunter chases after the Queen.

1. The stars turn a little faster than the Sun so that Level 3 they pass it once in a year. This means the stars The Sun gain on the Sun by 2 hours per month. 2. Orion is in the same direction as the Sun You can on June 21st. point to the Guideposts, Use these two facts to calculate where Orion day or night, is any season, any time, day or night. rain or shine

148 Summary Stargazing Reference Sheet

Orion leads a The Big Dipper Cygnus fies Cassiopeia the Level 4 hunting party. points out the scene peacefully along led queen sits on her of a damsel in by the music of the throne. Stories distress. Lyre. Overhead is his charioteer. A ferocious lion causes An eagle fies up from the She casts a Great Square You know The twins stand behind the lady to swoon. She scene of a battle to warn net to catch the Southern all 1st order Orion for protection from a is revived by a kindly the swan. The archer does Fish. magnitude charging bull. Orion’s dog herdsman who offers her battle with a scorpion. stars & 20 frolics at his feet, chasing a dipper of water. constellations after his bone.

Follow a line from Orion’s Level 5 foot through Capella. North Pole You can fnd the North Pole using any The Big Dipper and Or, line up Guidepost Cassiopeia both point the eye of toward the North Star. the eagle with the wing of the swan.

Gemini Taurus Level 6 Zodiac Leo You know the 12 constellations of the zodiac Virgo and where to fnd them Capricorn Scorpio Sagittarius

Level 7 After you are used to Extras seeing the stars of Orion and Canis Minor as You know constellation units, you how to look can mentally group them between and look for other stars the main The Hare runs ahead of nearby. constellations the dog beneath Orion’s to fnd more feet. obscure ones

149 The Stars

Constellations by Guidepost

Constellations around the North Pole

Guidepost Constellations Cassiopeia Cygnus

Great Square Four Story Constellations (Andromeda & ) Aquila Piscis Austrinus Lyra

Zodiac: Aries Pisces Aquarius Sagittarius Scorpius Libra (Libra) Virgo Leo Cancer Gemini Taurus (Aries)

Cetus Additional Constellations

Dim Constellations Constellations that may be too far south to see

Constellations around the South Pole

Note: Constellations in gray type have no stars brighter than 4th magnitude, so they are not shown in this beginners’ manual. Once you’ve mastered this book, pick up a copy of H.A. Rey’s “The Stars: A New Way to See Them,” and use it to fnd the dimmer groupings.

150 Summary

Constellations by Guidepost Number of Constellations

Cepheus Draco Ursa Minor Camelopardalis 4

Big Dipper 4 () Orion

Auriga Bootes Canis Major 9 Canis Minor

Zodiac: Aries Pisces Aquarius Capricornus Sagittarius Scorpius Libra (Libra) Virgo Leo Cancer Gemini Taurus (Aries) 12

Canes Venatici 15

Antila 18 Ship (, , ) 8 7 Horologium

11 Tucana Octans Pavo Triangulum Australe Apus Musca Chamaeleon Dorado Reticulum Hydrus Mensa

Total: 88 Likewise, constellations around the South Pole are not included. If you live south of the equator you need a different edition of the Star Book that features different Guideposts and reversed directions.

151 The Stars Altar (Ara) Lynx Andromeda Lyre (Lyra) Archer (Sagittarius) Microscope (Microscopium) Arrow (Sagitta) Net (Reticulum) Berenice’s Hair Northern Crown (Corona Borealis) (Coma Berenices) Octant (Octans) Big Dog (Canis Major) Orion Bird of Paradise (Apus) Peacock (Pavo) Bull (Taurus) Pegasus Cassiopeia Perseus Centaur (Centaurus) Phoenix Cepheus Pump (Antila) Chameleon Ram (Aries) Charioteer (Auriga) River (Eridanus) Chisel (Caelum) Scales (Libra) Constellations Clock (Horologium) Scorpion (Scorpius) Crab (Cancer) Alphabetically Sculptor Crane (Grus) English (Latin) Serpent Holder Crow (Corvus) (Ophiuchus) Cup (Crater) Constellations Serpent Dividers (Circinus) Sextant (Sextans) that are quite dim Dolphin (Delphinus) Shield (Scutum) or too far south Dove (Columba) Ship’s Compass (Pyxis) to be seen from Dragon (Draco) Ship’s Keel (Carina) the Northern Eagle (Aquila) Ship’s Sail (Vela) Hemisphere are Easel (Pictor) Ship’s Stern (Puppis) printed in Gray. Fishes (Pisces) Southern Cross (Crux) Fly (Musca) Southern Crown Flying Fish (Volans) (Corona Australis) Furnace (Fornax) Southern Fish Giraffe (Camelopardalis) (Piscis Austrinus) Goat (Capricornus) Southern Triangle Great Bear, Big Dipper (Triangulum Australe) (Ursa Major) Square (Norma) Hare (Lepus) Swan (Cygnus) Hercules Swordfsh (Dorado) Herdsman (Bootes) Table Mountain (Mensa) Hunting Dogs () Telescope (Telescopium) Hydra Toucan (Tucana) Hydrus Triangle (Triangulum) Indian (Indus) Twins (Gemini) Lion (Leo) Unicorn (Monoceros) Little Bear, Little Dipper Virgin (Virgo) (Ursa Minor) Water Carrier (Aquarius) Little Dog (Canis Minor) Whale () Little Fox (Vulpecula) Wolf (Lupus) Little Horse (Equuleus) Little Lion (Leo Minor) Lizard (Lacerta)

152 Summary Andromeda Indus (Indian) Antila (Pump) Lacerta (Lizard) Apus (Bird of Paradise) Leo (Lion) Aquarius (Water Carrier) Leo Minor (Little Lion) Aquila (Eagle) Lepus (Hare) Ara (Altar) Libra (Scales) Aries (Ram) Lupus (Wolf) Auriga (Charioteer) Lynx Bootes (Herdsman) Lyra (Lyre) Caelum (Chisel) Mensa (Table Mountain) Camelopardalis (Giraffe) Microscopium (Microscope) Cancer (Crab) Monoceros (Unicorn) Canes Venatici Musca (Fly) (Hunting Dogs) Norma (Square) Canis Major (Big Dog) Constellations Octans (Octant) Canis Minor (Little Dog) Alphabetically Ophiuchus (Serpent Holder) Capricornus (Goat) Orion Latin (English) Carina (Ship’s Keel) Pavo (Peacock) Cassiopeia Pegasus Centaurus (Centaur) Constellations Perseus Cepheus that are quite dim Phoenix Cetus (Whale) or too far south Pictor (Easel) Chamaeleon to be seen from Pisces (Fishes) Circinus (Dividers) the Northern Piscis Austrinus (Southern Fish) Columba (Dove) Hemisphere are Puppis (Ship’s Stern) Coma Berenices printed in Gray. Pyxis (Ship’s Compass) (Berenice’s Hair) Reticulum (Net) Corona Australis Sagitta (Arrow) (Southern Crown) Sagittarius (Archer) Corona Borealis Scorpius (Scorpion) (Northern Crown) Sculptor Corvus (Crow) Scutum (Shield) Crater (Cup) Serpens (Serpent) Crux (Southern Cross) Sextans (Sextant) Cygnus (Swan) Taurus (Bull) Delphinus (Dolphin) Telescopium (Telescope) Dorado (Swordfsh) Triangulum (Triangle) Draco (Dragon) Triangulum Australe Equuleus (Little Horse) (Southern Triangle) Eridanus (River) Tucana (Toucan) Fornax (Furnace) Ursa Major (Great Bear) Gemini (Twins) Ursa Minor (Little Bear, Grus (Crane) Little Dipper) Hercules Vela (Ship’s Sail) Horologium (Clock) Virgo (Virgin) Hydra Volans (Flying Fish) Hydrus Vulpecula (Little Fox)

153