Finding your way
Summary
To find your way in unfamiliar territory, you need a map and signposts. This book provides the maps. The signposts are in the sky, once you know where to look. Start with an easily recognizable pattern, such as the Plough in spring or Orion in winter, and work your way outwards from it to locate other constellations and bright stars, a technique known as star- hopping. While star-hopping around the sky you will find that there are many natural ‘pointers’ that direct you from constellation to constellation. Also, bright stars often form distinctive patterns of lines, triangles and squares that you can remember. The four small charts on these pages demonstrate some of the best ways of locating prominent stars and constellations in each season. As you navigate your way among the stars you will discover many more signposts of your own.
Signposts of spring
Start with the familiar saucepan-shape of the Plough or Big Dipper, which rides high in the sky on spring evenings. The seven stars of the saucepan are actually the most prominent members of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. From the diagram you can see that two stars of the saucepan's bowl – the ones that lie farthest from the handle – point towards the north pole star, Polaris. These two stars in the Plough are popularly known as The Pointers. If you extend the distance between them by about five times you will reach the pole star. Opposite Polaris from the Plough lie five stars that form a distinctive W-shape, which is the constellation of Cassiopeia.
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- Information
- The Monthly Sky Guide , pp. 14 - 15Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012