When you look up during a starry night, the celestial vault reveals its intricate star formation. Thousands of stars, if not hundreds of thousands, appear before our eyes without obeying an 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, which 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.
What are constellations?
Previously we have said that the sky looks like a puzzle, well, using that analogy, in said puzzle each piece of it would be. That is to say, a constellation is the limit into which the celestial vault is divided and each one is made up of a specific grouping of stars.
The position of the constellations in the sky is apparently invariable, although there is differentiation due to the movements of the Earth. So in certain seasons of the year we can observe different constellations parading through the sky. Although this is not due to the variation in the position of the constellations, but rather because the sun sets at different times depending on the season.
How to see the constellations in the sky?
Choose an optimal place
The place from which you observe the sky is crucial to be able to see the constellations more easily. Light pollution prevents 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 there are, 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 stellar sweep
Once you have the starry sky before your eyes, you either decide to lie face up on the ground so as not to strain your neck too much, or just look up. But it is important that you identify east and 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 parade when they appear in the sky. In addition, it is also where the 12 zodiacal constellations pass through.
Now that you have identified east and west, it is time to know 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 move on to identifying the constellations. There are constellations that are easier to identify than others, to begin in the art of astronomical observation we must start with the least intricate ones. In this way our eyes will become accustomed 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. The Big Dipper rises near the northeast in the sky, it is made up of seven especially bright stars that form a ladle.
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 sky. 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 North Star that tells us exactly where the North is located and that has been used by navigators for centuries to locate themselves in the dark night over the sea. To do this, you must take as a reference the imaginary line that joins Merak and Dubhe (the two stars opposite the stellar tail) and add its length five times upwards. The resulting site will be the position of the North Star, the main star of the following constellation.
Little Bear
The Little Dipper is very similar to its older sister, except smaller, less luminous and inversely shaped. It is also made up of seven stars, the brightest being the North Star. If you are successful in identifying this constellation, then you are ready to locate north without the help of compasses in the middle of the 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 sky. It appears before our eyes almost organically without much effort to identify it.
You just have to locate the three most visible stars in the sky together and we will have found Orion’s belt. The belt passes very close to the Ecliptic, so there is no need to look everywhere, just locate the east and west, draw an imaginary line to connect them and the belt should appear close to it. Once you locate it, it will serve as a guide to find the following constellations.
Taurus
Taurus is a zodiacal constellation, so it crosses exactly through the Ecliptic like the sun and the moon. But if you have already located Orion, you only have to look to the right of it, facing west. Near the belt you will see an extremely bright reddish star, that is Aldebaran, the main star of Taurus. It forms the base of a letter V representing the horns of the .
Canis Major
Very close to Orion, but towards the other side of Taurus, we also have Canis Maior, which as its name says, is shaped like a dog. This is not such a simple 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 sky.
So either you use Orion to find it, or you look for the brightest star in the entire sky, Sirius, and from there you trace the shape of Canis Maior.
One more challenge…?
As we said at the beginning, starting to look for constellations can become quite a challenge at first. But it will be enough for our eyes to get used to deciphering them and the ability to hunt for constellations will improve quite quickly. If you have successfully searched for the previous constellations, then you are ready for the next level of difficulty. Although this time you will have to follow the path alone.
Since you know where the Ecliptic is located and what happens in it, you can continue looking for the shapes of the 12 zodiacal constellations and decipher them in their transit through the Ecliptic, do you agree?