Although there are scientists specialized in observing the universe, and various specialized devices for viewing the planets, such as telescopes. You don’t have to be an expert astronomer to go out and look at the stars and learn what we are seeing.
Many myths were created among the , which later served to navigate the sea without getting lost. Today the cosmos is fascinating not only for scientists and space agencies that send missions to search for answers to the origin of life, but also for those interested in looking at the sky.
How to search for planets, stars and constellations?
No matter where you are, even in the brightest cities, you can see the Moon, and some stars and planets. But to experience the night as a portal to the universe and have the opportunity to see distant galaxies and nebulae, you need to know where to start.
Where to stand and where to look
The first thing to know is that the planets can be seen from any point on Earth, because from our perspective the orbits of planets such as Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mercury will be placed forming an elliptical path.
Therefore, the first thing to do is to orient yourself, this may be possible by using landmarks or celestial landmarks to find out where you are and relate other objects to them. For example, if you are in the northern hemisphere – in countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the United States or Canada – you should look south if the intention is to see to Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter, in that order.
Now, if you are in the southern hemisphere, you will have to look north to see Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury, in that order. Although, knowing if it is north or south, it will be necessary to identify, for example, if the sun rises behind the house or in front of it.
And to recognize those points, it will be necessary to aim according to the time.
Best time
The importance of time is so great that, for example, if in the middle of summer we look directly up between 10 pm and midnight, local time. The brightest star we will see will be Vega.
What differs if we see at 05:30 and 06:30 in the morning, where we will appreciate the alignment of the planets. On the other hand, if we see the sky at 8:00 pm we can find the easiest reference point, the Big Dipper, and next to it, if we imagine drawing a line from that star, upwards, we will find Polaris. Once done, we will have north, south, east and west.
Point to the axes and colors
Once we have identified the hemispheres and recognized the hours, if we find Vega, the Big Dipper and Polaris, we navigate the axes: north, south, east and west of the heavens. Which will make it easier to find anything when looking at the sky.
Although the difference may be subtle, by looking closely at the intensity of their brightness and color, it will also be possible to identify them. It might even sound cheesy, romantic, but once all these aspects have been identified, it will be time to close one eye, extend our arm and put our thumbs up. With this, we can identify yesIf the light dims when the thumb passes over it, it is a planet. If, however, it blinks quickly, it is a star.