Night Sky: A Field Guide to the Constellations

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my brother, Eric, for a lifetime of inspiration.

Thanks to Jon Young, for his inspiration and guidance in helping connect people to nature. Thanks to Larry Rudnick for sparking my interest in astronomy and introducing me to the art of teaching. Thanks to the members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS) for their tremendous support of stargazing, for the opportunities they have given me over the years, and for their continued interest in this project. Special thanks to past MAS board member Russ Durkee for reviewing the first edition of this book. Thanks also to the countless professional and amateur astronomers whom I have never met but who have generously shared their time, talents, and expertise. In particular, I offer a special thanks to Torsten Bronger for his excellent PP3 software used to create the star charts for this book; to Wordpress user Simontelescopium for the AstroExcel spreadsheet I’ve used for untold numbers of calculations; to Fabien Chéreau and the team of developers at Stellarium for their amazing software; and to Axel Mellinger of the University of Potsdam, Germany, whose beautiful full-sky Milky Way panorama serves as source data for both PP3 and Stellarium.

Edited by Brett Ortler

Cover and book design by Jonathan Norberg

Photo Credits.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Revised and expanded 9th printing, 2018

Copyright 2009 and 2018 by Jonathan Poppele

Published by Adventure Publications

An imprint of AdventureKEEN

(800) 678-7006

www.adventurepublications.net

All rights reserved

Printed in China

ISBN: 978-1-59193-229-1; eISBN: 978-1-59193-614-5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

About This Field Guide

How to Use This Book

Sample Pages

A Brief Introduction to Stargazing

Light Pollution Map and the Bortle Dark Sky Scale

Frequently Asked Questions About Stargazing

The Constellations

The Spring Sky

The Summer Sky

The Fall Sky

The Winter Sky

The Southernmost Sky in Brief

Additional Information for Stargazers

Atmospheric Phenomena and Manmade Objects

The Solar System

Deep-Sky Objects

Planet Location Tables

List of Prominent Meteor Showers

List of the 100 Brightest Stars

List of Constellations

List of Asterisms in This Guide

List of Deep-Sky Objects Visible to the Naked Eye

Glossary

Helpful Resources

About the Author

ABOUT THIS FIELD GUIDE

Few things are as awe-inspiring as the starry sky on a clear night. Stargazing is a venerable pastime that still evokes wonder and amazement. For ancient civilizations, the stars served as clock, calendar, and compass. Storytellers linked myths and legends to the stars, helping to preserve cultural knowledge and wisdom. While we no longer depend on the stars to forecast the season, find our way, or preserve our culture, stargazing is still a source of awe and wonder. It is a unifying, humbling experience that connects us to nature and puts our tiny place in the universe in perspective.

Stargazing Is Accessible for Everyone

Stargazing is one of the most accessible activities for nature lovers. Wherever we are, we can step outside on a clear night and gaze into the distant universe. We can marvel at all modern science has learned about the distant objects we see, while still enjoying the stories told by ancient peoples. What’s more, while it can be difficult to find family activities that engage the young and old alike, everyone loves stargazing; children are awestruck, while the elderly see the stars as familiar old friends. The longer you look at the sky, the more you see. And everybody loves a good story.

A Focus on Constellations

A great way to get started stargazing is by getting familiar with the constellations. Since ancient times, these recognizable patterns of stars have helped people orient themselves to the sky, but until we become familiar with these patterns, searching for constellations can be frustrating. Nothing in the sky looks much like a crab or a bear; instead, there are just tiny points of light. It’s challenging—there are so many stars!

Night Sky Makes Identification Easier Because

1) each constellation is featured individually;

2) Night Sky’s maps and graphs include well-known reference points like the Big Dipper, the North Star, and the horizon;

3) constellations are organized first by season and then by how easy they are to locate.

Useful for the Casual Observer and the Expert Alike

This book is designed for everyone—the organization and design are simple and intuitive. In addition, Night Sky includes a wealth of detailed information for the more experienced stargazer. Each entry gives facts and descriptions of the most prominent objects in the constellation. The back of the book includes information about our solar system, as well as tables to help you locate the planets, observe a meteor shower, or spot a distant galaxy.

Companion Deck of Playing Cards

We’ve created a companion deck of playing cards (sold separately) to help you learn the constellations. Each card features a different constellation, and the suit indicates the season in which the constellation is most prominent.

The cards are also ranked by how easy it is to spot a given constellation. Playing with the cards will help you learn the patterns of the constellations without even trying. Not only will you be having fun, but you’ll also find it easier to identify the constellations when you go out stargazing.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Because the Earth spins on its axis and revolves around the Sun, the constellations appear to move both hour-by-hour and from one month to the next. By providing a few simple steps, Night Sky makes locating them as easy as possible at every time of year and all hours of the night.

Step 1: Choose Your Season

Constellations are grouped together based on the season when they are highest in the evening sky and, thus, easiest to see. For instance, even though Ursa Major is visible throughout the year, it is classified here as a spring constellation because it is highest in the late evening sky in April.

Select the season for your stargazing adventure and turn to that section. For the purposes of this book, use the following seasons:

Spring: Mar 21–Jun 20

Summer: Jun 21–Sep 20

Fall: Sep 21–Dec 20

Winter: Dec 21–Mar 20

Step 2: Choose Your Constellation

Within each season, the constellations are organized from easiest to most difficult to identify. I recommend starting at the beginning of each section and working your way toward the end.

HINT: If you can already locate some constellations such as Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, or Orion, it might be a good idea to practice with those, just to give you a better idea of how the book works.

Step 3: Choose Your Location Method

A Where to Look: Overhead Map and a Where to Look: Horizon Graph are included with each constellation. Try them both, and use the one that you prefer.

Overhead Map (for people who prefer a map approach)

a. First, face south. Then hold the book over your head.

b. The red dot at the center of each map marks the zenith, the point directly overhead. The constellation is depicted by a yellow star-like symbol in relation to the Big Dipper and the North Star, which is part of the Little Dipper .

Horizon Graph (for people who prefer a graph approach)

a. Find the current month at the bottom of the graph.

b. Look at the top of the graph above that month and face that direction. In the example below, if it were January, you would face northwest.

c. Use the star symbols to determine how high in the sky to look. Keep in mind that the bottom line is the horizon and the top line is directly overhead. In the example, in January you would look at about a 45 ° angle, about midway between directly overhead and the horizon.

Step 4: Determine Your Viewing Time

You can use the Where to Look: Overhead Map and the Where to Look: Horizon Graph at the times indicated or make modifications as follows:

Adjustments for the Overhead Map

The maps depicted will exactly match what you’ll see at 11pm DST/10pm ST in the sky on these mid-season dates:

Spring: May 5 (midway between Mar 21–Jun 20)

Summer: Aug 5 (midway between Jun 21–Sep 20)

Fall: Nov 5 (midway between Sep 21–Dec 20)

Winter: Feb 5 (midway between Dec 21–Mar 20)

For other dates and times, either:

1) Adjust for Your Viewing Time

On the chart at the right, select your month. Use the overhead map indicated for the season that most closely references the time you are viewing.

2) Approximate the Position of a Constellation Based on Movement

Study the maps on each constellation page and note how they move and rotate between each season. The rotation/movement during the seasons approximates that of the movement during the night. So if you’re viewing earlier than 11pm, you’ll imagine them being earlier in that cycle of movement; if you’re viewing later, you’ll project the movement accordingly.

The seasonal sky maps on pages 36, 106, 176, and 238 are are larger versions of the overhead maps. The times listed above also apply to the seasonal sky maps and indicate when to use them.

See for the Where to Look: Horizon Graph viewing time adjustments

Adjustments for the Horizon Graph

The horizon graph shows the direction and height of each constellation above the horizon at 11pm DST/10pm ST on any night of the year.

It’s easy to adjust the horizon graph for viewing times other than the 11pm time indicated. The general rule is simple: For every two hours earlier than 11pm DST/10pm ST, use the location indicated for the previous month. For every two hours later than 11pm DST/10pm ST, use the location shown for the next month.

For example: If it’s 9pm in September, use the location for August. If it’s 1am in September, use the location for October.

Additional Information in the Back of the Book

The content of Night Sky is geared toward the casual stargazer, and it focuses on the stars and constellations that form the backdrop of the celestial sphere. Objects in our solar system, such as the Moon and planets, move relative to the background stars and so do not appear on the charts in this book. In the Solar System section in the back of the book, you will find detailed information about these close celestial neighbors, including how to identify them and how they move through the sky. The back of the book also features tables describing the locations of the planets through the year 2030, dates of prominent meteor showers, a list of the brightest stars, a table of all 88 constellations, a list of the most accessible deep-sky objects, and a list of asterisms or patterns of stars, such as the Big Dipper, that do not represent entire constellations.

The Moon, Jupiter, and Venus

Flashlight

To help you use this book while stargazing, we include a red-LED flashlight. Red light preserves your night vision, allowing you to see many more stars. Because it can take 20 minutes for our eyes to adapt to the dark after exposure to white light, this flashlight will be a useful tool for night reading under the stars.

The Battery in This Flashlight Is Recyclable!

The flashlight contains a lithium battery (CR1220). As with all button-cell batteries, recycling is encouraged. Some locations forbid disposal in household garbage. Look for a municipal or county household hazardous waste facility, retail store, or other recycling center that accepts lithium batteries.

Appropriate for most of the U.S. and southern Canada

Where This Book Works Best

Night Sky was designed especially for the continental United States and southern Canada, and is useful anywhere in the world. The overhead maps and horizon graphs show the sky at 40 degrees north latitude—a line through Pittsburgh, Denver, and Lebanon, KS (the geographic center of the contiguous US); as well as Madrid, Spain; Ankara, Turkey; and Beijing, China. The maps show little variation for 10° above or below this line, offering a range that spans from southern Canadian cities like Vancouver, Winnipeg and Quebec all the way down to Houston, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida. Farther north in this range, southern constellations get lower in the sky and eventually disappear. At the same time, even more northern constellations become circumpolar (they appear to circle the pole, never dipping below the horizon) and are visible for more of the night. Farther south in this range, you will start to see the stars and constellations of the southernmost sky.

The Far Southern Sky: More Constellations to Explore

If you live or travel south of this book’s main range, you will see stars and constellations that make up the Earth’s southernmost skies. The 24 southernmost constellations, which never rise fully above the horizon at 40 degrees north latitude, include some of the brightest stars and most beautiful celestial objects visible from Earth. These constellations are outlined in an abbreviated format in the Southernmost Sky section of this book. Whether you find yourself near the tropics, or just imagine yourself there, this section will help you begin to locate and identify such gems as the brilliant star Canopus, the striking Southern Cross, and the Magellanic Clouds—the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way. As with the main section of the book, the constellations are grouped by season, with one season on each page. Each entry includes a small chart of the constellation, a brief description, and a map of the world showing where it is visible.

Maps depict mid-season at 11pm DST/10pm ST (May 5, Aug 5, Nov 5 and Feb 5). See for other dates when maps are exact.

CONSTELLATION NAME (Pronunciation)

sign of the

zodiac

English Name: English meaning or translation of the constellation name

Size: How large the constellation is, including its overall size ranking among all 88 constellations

When to Look: The best months to see the constellation

Notes: Introductory information about the constellation, including historical background, how prominent it is in the night sky, the brightness of its stars, and how easy or difficult it is to locate and trace (make out the shape suggested by the brighter stars of the constellation).

If you prefer the graph method

a. Find the current month at the bottom of the graph.

b. Look at the top of the graph above that month and face that direction. In the example below, if it were January, you would face northwest.

c. Use the star symbols to determine how high in the sky to look. Keep in mind that the bottom line is the horizon and the top line is directly overhead. In the example, in January you would look at about a 45 ° angle, about midway between directly overhead and the horizon.

WHERE TO LOOK: HORIZON GRAPH

Shown 11pm DST/10pm ST on the 15th. If viewing earlier/later, adjust 1 month for every 2 hours. (At 9pm in Sep, use Aug; at 1am in Sep, use Oct.) See for more info.

STARS IN THE CONSTELLATION

Light Years: How far the star is from Earth in light years. A light year is the distance light travels through space in one year, which is about six trillion miles.

Magnitude: How bright the star is. Every star is ranked in terms of brightness, or magnitude. The brighter the star, the lower the magnitude. Stars with negative magnitudes are very bright. The sixth magnitude is the limit of human vision; the brightest stars are first magnitude or less.

Star Name: Stars are listed by their traditional names plus their Bayer designation. If there is no recognized traditional name, the Bayer designation or Flamsteed number is listed instead. Bayer designations indicate roughly how bright a star is compared to other stars in the constellation. A Bayer designation of alpha, α, the first Greek letter, is given to a constellation’s brightest; beta (β, the second Greek letter) is given to the constellation’s second-brightest star, etc. Flamsteed numbers label stars