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Winter
Stargazing
A guide to exploring the heavens
during winter
The Winter Sky
Winter Sky
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The winter sky offers stargazers many beautiful and
prominent constellations, with deep sky objects that you
can really enjoy.
Winter represents some of the best viewing of the year.
This is because the smog and haze that mask the heavens
give way to crystal-clear nights, and the night darkness
comes much earlier which is essential when observing.
This is a virtual tour of several of the most prominent and
spectacular sights that the winter skies have to offer.
As you make your way through click on the links for
further information or interesting facts about different
objects.
First Stop: ORION
Mythology:
According to one legend, Orion was the
mightiest hunter of all time. One day, he
boasted of being able to defeat any
animal on earth. His constant bragging
was overheard by Mother Earth, who,
fearing that he would destroy every
creature, sent a poisonous scorpion to
sting Orion on the heel and kill him. But
Diana, goddess of the hunt, felt sorry
for Orion. To honor him, she placed
Orion among the stars.
Orion is jammed packed with cool things to see
•Look for three equally bright stars in a row, which forms
Orion’s belt.
•To the north lies the bright reddish star Betelgeuse — the
left shoulder of Orion. His right shoulder is represented by
the star Bellatrix. Below the belt are the stars Rigel,
representing Orion's left knee, and Saiph, marking his right
knee.
•Stars come in many different colors, and these colors
depend on the stars' temperatures. Our Sun is a yellow star
and has a surface temperature of about 11,000 degrees.
Compare that to blue-white Rigel, one of the hottest stars
known. Rigel's surface temperature is about 23,000 degrees
At the other end of the scale is red Betelgeuse. Its surface
temperature is only about 5,000 degrees.
Hanging from the belt of Orion are the dim stars of his sword.
The middle star in the sword is not actually a star at all, but a
cloud of glowing hydrogen gas called a nebula. (To learn more
follow this link) It is know as the Great Orion Nebula. Deep
within, hundreds of stars are forming from the clouds that
make up this celestial nursery.
Second Stop: Taurus the Bull
To locate Taurus, draw a line through
Orion's belt and extend it to the
upper right. You will come to the
bright orange star Aldebaran,
marking the Bull's eye. The head of
Taurus is formed by a V-shape group
of stars nicknamed the Hyades.
Imaginary lines extend to two stars
above its head to create Taurus's long
horns.
For Orion, it seems that there is no rest. Even in the sky, we find the
Hunter doing battle again, this time with Taurus the Bull.
The story goes that Orion is trying to club the Bull over the head in order
to save seven sisters who were kidnapped by Taurus. We can still see the
sisters trapped in the sky, formed by the tiny cluster of stars known as the
Pleiades.
Third Stop: Ursa Major and Minor
Mythology:
Ursa Major actually means "the Great Bear" and Ursa Minor is "the Lesser
Bear”. Zeus, King of the Gods of Mt. Olympus, was always disguising
himself to sneak into women's bedrooms. One of these women was Callisto.
Zeus’ wife became enraged and turned Callisto into a bear that roamed the
forests of Arcadia. One day, Callisto, the bear, came face to face with her
son Arcas, who was out hunting., saw what was happening, and quickly
turned both mother and son into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa
Minor. Hera, was still upset over the whole issue, persuaded the Titans, to
forbid the two figures from bathing in their waters, so the two constellations
never dip below the horizon.
Ursa Major and Minor
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The second star from the end of
the Big Dippers handle is called
Mizar. On a clear night you might
see another much more faint star
called Alcor. This is a binary star
system, this means that each start
rotates around each other. Mizar
and Alcor.
By drawing a line from the star
Merak and Dabhe (the end of the
bowl) and extending it to the
north, you will come to Polaris, the
North Star. End point of the little
dipper.
Despite popular belief, Polaris is
not the brightest star in the sky, but
is special because Polaris is
apparently motionless from the
Earth, and all the stars of the
Northern sky appear to rotate
around it. Polaris
The last stop Andromeda
Mythology:
According to most legends
Cassiopeia angered Poseidon by
saying that Andromeda was
more beautiful than the nereids.
Poseidon the god of the sea
then sent a sea monster to prey
upon the country; he could be
appeased only by the sacrifice
of the king's daughter.
Andromeda in sacrifice was
chained to a rock by the sea; but
she was rescued by Persues,
who killed the monster and later
married her.
Andromeda
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The most famous deep sky object in Andromeda is M31, the
Andromeda Galaxy, the most distant object visible to the naked eye. It
is an enormous spiral galaxy much like ours To find the galaxy, draw a
line between β and μ Andromedae, and extend the line approximately
the same distance again from μ. Andromeda Galaxy.