By Alastair Leith B.Sc (Hons)
Acknowledgements
SpaceKidets Observation book and check list Front and back cover design by Jen Smith
www.digimoe.co.uk
First published 2020 by Online Astronomy Society Academy which is a brand name of AWA Training Services Limited. While the maps remain proper of Simulation Curriculum corporation, www.starrynight.com. All diagrams and pictures where accredited so are property of AWA Training Services LTD.
There are several people i would like to thank for this publication. My family who have always been a support and inspiration to me, my wife Cathy and three children, Alexander, William, and Abigail on whom the characters are based. Sue and Jen Smith for their assistance in the front and back cover design. Jen Smith is an up and coming graphics designer who kindly offered her services to design the covers, she is available for commissions, her website can be viewed at www.digimoe.co.uk Assistance as well from Sue Smith, Robert Ratford, Debra Hankin, Kay McClean, and Sue Stubbs who also helped to proof read this. Any typos that may have slipped in are the fault of the author. But also to the wider Home Education community who have embraced SpaceKidets with such love and affection thus willing me on to further develop the project and write this. Thanks to Starry Night simulation software for their kind permission to use their star charts. http://www.starrynight.com/ Finally, my mother, Jean Dower who inspired me and encouraged my early interest. Buying me my first pair of binoculars and a telescope - thanks mum!
This workbook and checklist are designed to enable the SpaceKidet to not only follow the online program but also to engage with the night sky and provide a record for themselves to remember and revise what they have learned. As we move through the seasons we will offer information on each well known constellation, discussing its key features and what can be seen in it. Please keep this as a review of your learning so you can revise and look over what you have learned and ensure you keep refreshing. To the parents and teachers. This workbook is designed to accompany SpaceKidet’s. To enable the SpaceKidet to apply what they have learned from the course and to research the answers. For example, Orion might be a topic we follow, and we’ll identify the name and group of stars but invite the SpaceKidet to research and note the star names! They will learn them quicker this way. Let’s begin
Contents
Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................. 3 Before we get into Astronomy............................................................................................ 6 Quick Test.............................................................................................................................. 7 Binoculars............................................................................................................................10 So, its now getting dark, is it clear?..................................................................................11 North Star............................................................................................................................14 “M” What?...........................................................................................................................16 Charlies Messier.................................................................................................................16 Caldwell Catalogue............................................................................................................18 John Louis Emil Dreyer ...................................................................................................19 Star Hopping.......................................................................................................................20
Spring Constellations..............................................................................................23
The Plough..........................................................................................................................26 Bootes, The Herdsman.......................................................................................................34 Virgo, The Virgin................................................................................................................38 Leo, The Lion......................................................................................................................44 Cancer, The Crab................................................................................................................48
Summer Constellations..........................................................................................52
Hercules, The Hero.............................................................................................................56 Lyra.......................................................................................................................................63 Cygnus, The Swan..............................................................................................................67 Vulpecula, The Fox.............................................................................................................73 Ophiuchus. Man coiled by serpent..................................................................................77
Autumn Constellations..........................................................................................84
Pegasus, The Winged Horse..............................................................................................87 Andromeda, The Chained Lady.......................................................................................91 Perseus, The Hero Perseus.................................................................................................95 Triangulum, The Triangle..................................................................................................99
Winter Constellations...........................................................................................103
Gemini, The Twins...........................................................................................................105 Orion, The Hunter............................................................................................................110 M42, The Great Orion nebula.........................................................................................112 Taurus, The Bull................................................................................................................118 Auriga, The Charioteer....................................................................................................124 Useful links and free to download software..................................................................130 Books..................................................................................................................................131 SpaceKidets.......................................................................................................................133
Quick Test
Before we get into Astronomy It is very important before going out to do any Astronomy that:- You wrap up warm - If needed you are with a responsible adult - Make sure you have all you need What do we need? Remember from your mission training? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Notebook Pencil Star chart Binoculars (or just your eyes!) Telescope Red torch Planisphere?
If you have a telescope jot down what type it is below
If you have a telescope, what is the size of its objective lens? (we also call it the aperture) ______ mm/ inch Does it note the focal length on the telescope tube as well? If so what is it? ______ mm Do you have eyepieces? Does it have a value on each in mm? If so what are they Eyepiece one ________ mm Eyepiece two_________mm So, hopefully we have the focal length of the telescope (this is the distance by the way that the big lense focusses all the light at). We know the number on the eyepiece (focal length of the eyepiece. So what is the magnification for the eyepiece? So you remember from the Astro for Kids module how we work that out?
Magnification=
So what does this tell us?
Focal length of Telescope / Focal Length Eyepiece
Having now, hopefully worked out the magnifcation of each eyepiece what can you see about the connection (or relationship) between the eyepiece focal length and the telescope? Please answer below.
Why not use the space below to work out both for Eyepiece One, Two, and Three if you have it? Feel free to use a calculator Eyepiece One
Do you think the eyepiece will be the same magnification for EVERY telescope (why?) Please write below ____________________________________________
Eyepiece Two
____________________________________________ ____________________________________________
Eyepiece Three
Thats it, well done, you seem to know the basics about your telescope. Knowing these details will help you see better how you use your telescope Lesson for life, the BEST telescope, is the one you USE! It could also last a lifetime if properly looked after. We will return to your telescope later in the book when we look at how to set it up.
Binoculars
So, its now getting dark, is it clear?
Do you have binoculars? Does it have numbers on the front? Like 10 x 50?
Well that is great, lets first venture out and get our bearings. But some things you might already know or have noticed might help in gaining our bearings.
If so what are they, and what do they mean? Do you remember from the SpaceKidets Astro Kids module?
What direction does the Sun rise in? (this is approximately East, remember the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
Bonus Why do you think it is better to use a good pair of binoculars to learn about the night sky than going straight for a telescope?
If we know this, we can find South and North. Let’s do the important bit, see if we can remember from SpaceKidets - Astrokids how we find the pole star. Do you remember? What is the main constellation we should first find to help give us our bearing (bearing is knowing where we are and being familiar with how our observing area is in relation to the night sky). Always before you begin, work out where North, South, East and West are.
Do you remember the Plough from SpaceKidets? What does the Plough look like? Try sketching it from the night sky, below. (what are the star names?).
The Plough is an interesting asterism (an asterism is a group of stars), the Plough is actually part of a constellation of a much bigger group of stars called, the Great Bear, or Ursa Major!
Much to see and learn about in the Plough, but for this purpose we are just interested in two stars, the ones circled and in yellow in the image to the left. The lower one is a star called Merak The upper one is a star called Dubhe Draw an imaginary straight line through both and meet another star, quiet bright, this is Polaris! It sits in the tail of the Little Bear and points almost exactly North!
North Star As you might recall from the SpaceKidets - AstroKids module, the Polar Star points almost exactly North, in fact it is just a tiny bit off (one degree!). But for our purposes this is enough to know the direction. Tip Knowing where this star is can greatly aid in navigation and knowing where you are. It might appear high or lower in the sky depending on where you are on the planet. At the North Pole of Earth it sits directly over your head (the Zenith). At what we call the Equator it is lost at the horizon. Where i am sitting, writing this, it is about 52 degrees up from the Horizon. (a bit techy? don’t worry, it will come!). So now we know where we are in the night sky from our garden we can crack on and see what constellations we see. Let’s begin!
Astronomy We will first see what we can see with the naked eye, then with binoculars, then with a telescope!
“M” What? Charlies Messier
(26 June 1730 – 12 April 1817) As you will see in this guide we mention a lot of numbers starting with “M”, “C”, and even “NGC” but what do they all mean? We know that the “M1” is a motorway? Is it that? NO! The “M” stands for the surname of a French Astronomer (or comet hunter) Charles Messier. Charles Messier himself was born in Badonviller in the Lorraine region of France. His interest in Astronomy was inspired by the appearance of a 6 tailed comet in 1744 and the appearance of a Solar Eclipse in 1748. He subsequently become famous for his discovery of comets. Of which he discovered 13! (unlucky for some!). The use of the catalogue, believe it or not, had a less romantic use. He had no interest in deep space fuzzies, he just wanted to stop wasting time observing nebula or galaxies which he might mistake as comets. So he created the Messier Catalogue as we know it today.
In total there are 110 Messier objects in the catalogue. Objects range from globular clusters like M13, nebulae like M42 and galaxies such as the celebrated M31. Messier identified most of the objects which he did not want to mistake for newly discovered comets. Of course, the use of the catalogue today continues as amateur, and professional Astronomers world wide refer to the various objects within it as they study the night sky. Many of them will be visible in the night sky throughout the year!
Caldwell Catalogue Sir Patrick Caldwell Moore (4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) To many people, Sir Patrick Moore should require little introduction. He was a world famous British Broadcaster, Television presenter of the Sky at Night, and Amateur Astronomer. He was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Throughout his childhood he was plagued with heart problems and had to be educated at home by private tutors. He developed an interest in Astronomy at the age of 6 and was elected member of the British Astronomical Association at the age of 11. He was invited to run a small observatory at the age of 14 when the previous person (and his mentor) was killed in a road traffic accident. Sir Patrick Moore specialised mainly in Lunar Astronomy certainly becoming one of the first to make a comprehensive map of the Moon. His work was also used by the Russians to help decide where they could land Cosmonauts. Moore also noticed that while Charles Messier made a substantial list of night sky objects, he was puzzled as to why he missed out others. He proceeded to catalogue the remaining objects, 109 in total. We will meet several in this guide. As the letter “M” was already in use with the “Messier” catalgue, he used “C” for Caldwell. The list was published in the Sky and Telescope magazine in 1995. Unlike the Messier list, which listed objects in order of discovery, the Caldwell lists from furthest
John Louis Emil Dreyer
(February 13, 1852 – September 14, 1926) John was a Danish Astronomer, son of Lieutenant General John Christopher Dreyer. He was 14 when he took up Astronomy and was a regular visitor to the Copenhagen Observatory. Also educated in Copenhagen, at 22 he moved to Ireland where he became assistant to Lord Rosse. In 1916 he moved to Oxford with his wife. His most noted contribution was the New General Catalogue. which unlike the Messier and Caldwell offerings, contains over 7840 objects of galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. It is one of the most comprehensive catalogues.
Star Hopping In the day of age of automation, for an expensive go-to telescope it is a case of pushing a couple of buttons and off the telescope goes to hunt its target. These days in the realm of light pollution, this is not a bad thing. Sadly, one skill this seems to take from today’s budding astronomer is the ability to find objects in the night sky manually. We gaze up into the night sky on a decent dark night and it is awash with stars. However, what is harder to see are the many nebulae, star clusters and galaxies in the night sky that in most cases are beyond the range of the naked eye. True there are objects such as the Great Orion Nebula, or the Andromeda Spiral which are reasonably easy naked eye objects. However, there are some that are evasive. As such, pointers are needed to easily find them. This is where star hopping comes in. Starhopping is the art of using stars, local to an object you want to see and using them to “guide you” to the object.
Nearby stars
A galaxy
We see above how an observer can locate a star close to an object then hop to the next and use it to find a galaxy. The same method can be used to locate nearby constellations using the stars from those you already know!
You can also use this method to find other constellations.
Start with a constellation you are comfortable with and get to know the names of its brightest stars. You can then advance to learn about the objects it contains; a pair of binoculars or a telescope may aid this. Once completed, on a piece of paper with a pencil or pen, start plotting other stars in the area. You can then refer to your star atlas to see which constellation or constellations you have made a plot of, and then repeat the above process of learning the star names and the objects within before moving onto the next object. Advantages of this method are that you will gain first hand knowledge of the night sky. You should also gain a reasonable knowledge of the constellations and where they are located in relation to the others. Knowing the star names can really impress family and friends at star parties. This also makes for good observational astronomy. Yes, it is tempting to use a goto telescope, and there is nothing wrong with that, however, it means you will be missing out on what the night sky might have to offer while also missing the opportunity of building a personal connection with it.
Spring Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
1, Plough 2, Bootes 3, Virgo 4, Leo
5, Cancer
As before there is a chart on the next page. The nights are drawing in a little later now, but still loads to see. Once again each constellation is clearly marked and numbered with key ones being discussed.
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Spring Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
1. The Plough 1, The Plough
M51, Whirlpool Galaxy Is actually in the constellation of Canes Venatici, however we mention it here as it is close to the Plough, and its the Plough i use to find it. It is a bright galaxy and one of the neighbours of our own Milky Way. It is visible as a small smudge in both binoculars and small telescope. A larger amateur telescope shows detail (6 inch reflector upwards). Not as bright as our Andromeda Spiral, larger telescopes will be needed to show it as more than a faint fuzz. It was discovered by Charles Messier ,October 13th 1773 (but its been around for billions of years before that!). It is believed to be a whopping 23 million light years away.
The Plough, is what we call an “asterism”. That is, its a group of stars we recognise in the night sky. The Plough is recognisable by 7 stars which form the shape of A Plough A saucepan Can you think of anything else it looks like? The Plough is a very useful constellation to know as it always helps us find the Pole star
Image of M51 taken by the Author
The Plough is a part of a much larger group of stars, called The Great Bear, or Ursa Major
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
M101, Pinwheel Galaxy We mention is as you could have the opportunity to see it. But it is a fainter galaxy at a distance of about 21 million l.y away. It takes a large telescope and very dark conditions to see it. It is possible you might see it very faintly with binoculars in a very dark sky.
Seeing double?
Sketch of M51 (Use a small telescope if you have one)
We all know our local star The Sun is a single star, in fact the next nearest one is more than 4 l.y away. But did you know many stars in the night sky, far from being single have another star, or even several stars which orbit it. We mention this now as one such star we have called Mizar in the Plough is one such double star. Some say they can see it with the naked eye, for others in the ancient times it was a test for good eye sight (personally i cannot split them without binoculars). Use the page opposite to see if you can sketch Mizars partner Alcor, and dont worry you can use binoculars if you need to. Can you see any colour? If so what colours do you see?
How do Mizar and Alcor appear to the naked eye, or binolcars, sketch that below
Spring Constellations
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
2. Bootes The Herdsman 2. Bootes
The constellaton, Bootes is not exactly rich in galaxies, nebulae or clusters, but it still has some interesting objects worth learning about which could also save confusion later. Bootes is seen in the night sky to herd the great bear with his pack of dogs (Canes Venatici (you can see in front of the constellation). Bootes also contains Arcturus (brightest star in Northern Hemisphere). We mentioned confusion, well this star is often mistaken for Mars due to its reddish colour
No cheating now, follow the tail of the Plough, see if you can sketch Bootes below
Arcturus, we have already mentioned this star a couple of times in these pages, but did you know it is also 27 times the size of our Sun but contains the same mass? It is also only 36 l.y away, which means we look at the star as it was only 36 years ago! Nekkar, is a yellow star, only 140 l.y away Izar, we also mentioned is a nice double star in a small telescope. It is also only 150 l.y away. In fact that is the interesting thing about many of the stars in this constellation. They are not that far away compared to many we meet.
Spring Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
3.Virgo The Virgin 3. Virgo The constellation of Virgo is one of the second largest in the night sky, and seems to follow Leo, the lion at its rear. It is a constellation very rich in galaxies, many are within the range of a small telescope. I think we’ll have great fun exploring this one! But lets first learn some star names and get familiar with Virgo as we have done with each of the other constellations so far!
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Spica (Ear of Wheat) is the brighest star in Virgo. It is a blue white star 260 l.y away. It also has a partner which orbits making its brightness vary over a couple of days.
M49, Credit, Wikipedia
Zavijava, (also called Beta Virg), is a bright yellow star sitting almost on our doorstep at only 33 l.y away! Porrimar (Gamma Virg) is a nice double star where its partner takes 175 years to orbit. At the time of writing this they were getting closer and would be hard to separate with a small telescope. This star system is only 36 l.y away. Galaxies! Virgo does contain a massive cluster of galaxies called the virgo galaxy cluster. One of the brightest of these M49 is what we call an elliptical galaxy visible through a small telescopes as a smudge. M60, another small galaxy in range of a 75mm refractor. M58 and M59 are galaxies both in the area as well.
M60, Credit, the Wikpedia
Use the space below to make a Sketch of Virgo and see if you can spot and sketch some of the galaxies.
Spring Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
4. Leo The Lion 4.Leo
Right in front of Virgo is Leo, the lion, which in my honest opinion is one of the more recognisable constellations. One which also looks like what it is supposed to. Being close to Virgo it is also a constellation rich in galaxies. So once again lets learn about some of the stars and take a closer look at these deep sky delights
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Regulus is a blue white star, only 85 l.y away (that’s about the closest we’ve met so far on our journey, isnt it?). It also has a companion star visible in binoculars. Denebola, is a nice white star only 42 l.y away (ok it’s the record holder now!). Algieba is 100 l.y away but it’s actually part of a double star system. Two beautiful yellow stars which take 620 years to orbit one another. Some Galaxies! M65/M66 are a pair of spiral galaxies which are close together. Large binoculars will show them but a decent sized telescope (100mm or above) will be needed to show the elongated condensed centres. There is another galaxy close by called NGC* 3638. This small cluster of galaxies is often called “The Leo Triplet”. M95 and M96 are both galaxies visible through a small telescope. a little further away is M105. NGC stands for New General Catalouge, it is another catalogue of stars used extensively by amateur and professional astronomers
Use the space below to sketch M66 and M66
Spring Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the spring months
5. Cancer The Crab 5. Cancer
Behind the constellations, there is often a myth (a story). Something we’ve left out until now. The story of Cancer, the crab, is it attacked Hercules while he was fighting Hydra. As a result the poor crab was crushed under Hercules. Not so many galaxies in Hercules but we do have multiple stars and some star clusters to explore, so in the usual fashion, lets have a look!
Acubens is the brightest star in the constellation, it’s an orange giant at 170 l.y away. Iota Cancri is about 420 l.y away with a companion visible in binoculars. It is also not labelled, but where it says “Cancer” on the chart is another star called Asellus Borealis. I mention it here as it is also a multiple star system though it could take larger telescopes to separate it. Star Clusters this time! M44, Beehive Cluster. It’s a “swarm” of around 75 stars, easily visible through a pair of binoculars. Misty patch to the naked eye. It’s about 3 x the apparent diameter of the full Moon and 520 l.y away. M67 Is a denser cluster, not as bright. It’s a misty patch through binoculars but a small telescope will show stars. It’s a good bit further away at 2700 l.y away.
Use the space below to sketch the objects mentioned
Summer Constellations
Hercules, has two magnificent globular star clusters. M92 and M13. M13 is without double one of the finest visibile from the Northern Hemisphere. But please don’t ignore poor M92 which is often sadly overlooked.
Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
It is not often we have spilled into two pages to introduce the seasons stars. Although the constellations we discuss do not cover the entire night sky for the season the ones we do choose are chosen due to the ease of spotting and for the objects within.
1, Hercules, M13, M92 2, Lyra 3, Cygnus, M39, NGC 6826 4, Vulpecula, M27
5, Ophiuchus, Globular Clusters! Summer Triangle Vega, Deneb, Altai
It is true, the Summer months are not the best for stargazing. For one thing it gets dark a LOT later into the evening. So chances are if it is a school night you might not get much opportunity. However if you do the rewards are certainly there. Cygnus the Swan has the Milky Way passing straight through it. Great with binoculars! Vulpecular has the celebrated nebula , M27 which is a nice binocular object. But we save what we consider to be one of the finest until last
Because of this, we would also like to introduce Ophiuchus to the party. Often we believe overlooked but once explored, it has a wealth of globular clusters for us to gaze at with our binoculars. Just below Hercules which is itself easy to spot, it should be a delight to explore and certainly worth sitting down and getting to know. We will of course discuss this constellation as well as the others in more detail. Starting as we do, first with the star names and anything of interest there before moving onto the objects! Sit tight, its going to be a long night!
Summer Constellations
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
Summer Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
1. Hercules The Hero 1. Hercules Certainly one of the more recognisable constellations in the Summer sky, along with Cygnus. Hercules of course is the Greek Mythical hero. It is awash with multiple star systems but for the purposes of this book we’ll focus on the main star names and the globular clusters.
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
The brightest star in Hercules is Ras Algethi it’s a multple star system about 384 l. y.from Earth. The second brightest is Kornephorus which is a yellow giant star but closer at 100 l.y. from Earth. M13. - Globular Cluster Is the finest globular cluster visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Contains over 300, 000 stars (can you imagine living in the middle of it!), and is 22, 500 l.y from the Earth, with a whopping 100 l.y. in diameter (so light would take 100 years to go from one end to the other!) Visible to the naked eye and binoculars as a smudge. A small telescope will show some stars. Well worth taking a look at. Certainly one of the jewels in the Summer sky! M92 - Globular Cluster Is a neighbouring cluster to M13. Though quite a bit smaller and less rich than M13 it often sadly gets overlooked. Needs a larger telescope to see any stars. It is 36 000 l.y away
Image of M13 taken by the Alastair Leith Equipment, Canon 1000D, Meade Lx10 8 inch
M13 with binoculars
M92, Hercules, image captured by Alastair Leih Camera: Canon 1000D Telescope: Meade SCT 8 Inch
M13 with a small telescope Use the space below and opposite to make your own sketch of Hercules and see if you can see the M13 globular cluster. Use the space below to sketch what you see through binoculars and a telescope if you have one.
Hercules
M92 - See if you can sketch M92 below
Summer Constellations
M92 with binoculars Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
2. Lyra
M92 with a small telescope
2. Lyra Quite a small unassuming constellation sandwiched between Hercules and Cygnus. However it contains Vega, the 5th brightest star in the night sky and a ring nebula, M57. Vega, of course as we’ll see later is a member of the asterism, the Summer Triangle! It seemed rude to pass it by, so sit tight see what there is to delight.
M57, a planetary nebula This small galactic “smoke ring” is the remnant of a star that died. A star, about the size of our own Sun, would have come to the end of it’s life. In doing so it then swelled up to an area that would be able to consume most of our solar system. The star would then begin to throw off it’s outer layers, leaving behind a planetary nebula and a “cinder” we call a White Dwarf star, which in time will fade to nothing. Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
Vega is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. One of the first to be seen in the dawn twilight on a clear sky. One of importance to so many amateur Astronomers. Many of us align our finders to this star. It is also used to setup many goto telescopes. Vega also forms part of the Summer Triangle alongside Deneb and Altair. It will also in tens of thousands of years become our polar star! It is a brilliant white star only 26 l.y. away! (Don’t mistake it as a planet!).
This particular nebula is 2300 l.y. away. Visible in small telescopes as a faint smudge, larger ones are needed to make out the structure. Did you know? A teaspoon of white dwarf would weigh 15 tons!
Summer Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
M57, image credit: NASA Note the central White Dwarf star in the centre See if you can find M57 with a small telescope, can you sketch it below?
3.Cygnus The Swan 3. Cygnus One of the more recognisable constellations in the night sky. It is also packed with interesting objects so its going to be some mission to explore this one! So, let’s engage and explore!
(Alpha) Deneb Is the brightest star in Cygnus, a blue white supergiant and 1800 l.y away. It is also a member of the summer triangle asterism (which we’ll meet later!) (Beta) Albereo, is the second brightest star in Cygnus we mention it here as it contains some lovely yellow and blue/ green stars. Great to see in a small 70 mm telescope. Delta Cygni is a blue white star with a companion. A 6 inch reflector would be needed to see it.
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
Clusters M39 Is a large but loose cluster with about 24 stars, good binocular object. NGC 6826 - Planetary nebula This is also known as the blinking nebula. Small telescopes (70 mm) show it as a pale blue patch. Larger 6 inch telescopes are needed to show more detail. NGC 7000 - North American Nebula Called such due to its shape. It is quite faint, but visible through binoculars on a VERY dark night. Its about 1500 l.y away (similar distance to Deneb).
NGC 6992 & 6960 This is the Veil nebula, there is the western part of it (below). Sometimes called the witches broom. To the right is the whole thing. You could fit the full Moon into that area several times. Its came from a star which exploded about 21,000 years ago Picture credit: Alex Hawkingson (Facebook)
NGC 6960: The Witches broom Image Credit: Alex Hawkingson
NGC 6960: The Witches broom Image Credit: Alex Hawkingson
NGC 6992: The eastern side Distance: 2400 l.y
Black Holes - did you know?
Cygnus, the Swan (sometimes also called the Northern Cross), harbours another little secret. For those who did module 10, the Black Holes module and learned all about these fascinating objects whose gravitational pull is so strong that not even light itself can escape, well, Cygnus has one too. We call it Cygnus x-1. Not something to see with telescope but nice to know where it is!
Summer Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
4.Vulpecula The Fox 4.Vulpecula A very small constellation, certainly not the brightest, but it does contain an often photographed object, the Dumbell Nebular, or M27 as it’s called in the Messier Catalougue, so lets have a look!
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
M27, Dumbell nebula. A bright nebula in the constellation of Vulpecula. Easily visible as a faint smudge in binoculars. A small telescope will show more detail. A favourite among amateur astronomers to image. In fact I have had a few attempts at it myself and why not, it is a joy to see in it’s glory. It is 1250 l.y. away. See if you can sketch it below.
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
Summer Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Summer months
5, Ophiuchus Man coiled by serpent 5, Ophiuchus M27 the Dumbell Nebula Credit: Alastair Leith Equipment, Canon 1000D, Telescope: Meade Lx10 8 Inch
Quite low in the horizon but it’s packed with interesting objects within range of binoculars or a small telescope, so certainly worth a look if you can. Expect it to be low in the southern sky.
M10 is a globular cluster which is visible in binoculars and a small telescope. It is around 15 000 l.y. M12, is another globular cluster of interest however a 150mm telescope will be needed to see the stars. There are several other globular clusters in the region but M10 and M12 are the finest. NGC 6572 is a Planetary nebula that is some 2500 l.y. away. Visible as a tiny blue oval in small telescopes. NGC 6633 is a cluster of around 65 stars visible in binoculars, it is some 1600 l.y. away.
Chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp www.starrynight.com
Use the space below, to sketch the objects mentioned above.
M10 globular cluster, credit, NASA
M12, a globular cluster, Credit NASA
NGC 6572, planetary nebula Credit: NASA
Can you label the rest of the constellations
Hercules
Autumn Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Autumn months Pegasus M15 Andromedia, M31 Perseus, Double Cluster Triangulum, M33
The above constellations are best placed for this time of year. We are heading into winter and earlier nights. Pegasus (The Flying Horse) The square of Pegasus is unmistakeable with the M15 globular star cluster thats easily found in binoculars. Andromeda of course follows from the top left, with its famous hard to miss M31 spiral galaxy. Learn too about Perseus and its rich star fields, especially the double cluster, Caldwell 14. Of course we could not complete our tour without a quick look at Triangulum and the glorious face on spiral galaxy, M33!
Autumn Constellations
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Autumn Constellations
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Autumn months
1. Pegasus The Winged Horse 1. Pegasus, the winged horse The constellation is well placed in the autumn months, more noticable is the asterism, the square of Pegasus. Pegasus itself has a wealth of galaxies in it which are sadly out of range of a small telescope or pair of binoculars however it does have a globular cluster M15 worth a look.
Sketch M15 here
M15 This globular cluster can easily be found if you star hop through the neck of the horse, down to its muzzle (Enif) then hop across. Visible as a faint fuzz in binoculars. A larger telescope (6inch or more) will be needed to show any more than that. It was discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746 and estimated to be 12 billion years old, which given the age of the universe is 13.7 billion years old, it makes it one of the oldest known clusters. The cluster is about 33 600 l.y from Earth and about 175 in diameter. It is one of the most tightly packed clusters known in the Milky Way. Also, it is one of the oldest globula star clusters known at 12 billion years old!
Image credit: Alastair Leith M15
Autumn Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Autumn months
2. Andromeda The Chained Lady 2.Andromeda, Not the easiest spotted of constellations. Much seems confused with Pegasus i think and most star maps seem to show the two connected. However, as you will see here it is found following up and contains within it one of the most celebrated objects in the night sky (after M42). The M31 Andromeda Spiral
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Use this space to sketch M31
M31 - Andromeda Spiral This misty patch in the night sky is very visible to the naked eye, especially in dark skies. Binoculars will show it as a fuzzy patch. A small telescope will show the bright central nucleus and the fuzzness of the spiral arms. This is also regarded, at 2.25 million l.y from Earth as being the furthest object we can see with the naked eye (or a person with average eye sight). The galaxy is also on collision course with our own Milky Way galaxy. Don’t worry this will not happen for several million years.
Autumn Constellations
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Autumn months
3.Perseus The Hero Perseus 3.Perseus Sits just below Cassiopia or find it just aloft to the left from the Square of Pegasus. Close to Andromeda. Through binoculars Perseus is a delight to browse as the Milky Way galaxy passes through it. It also contains the beautiful double cluster. Caldwell 14 (Caldwell, Sir Patrick Moore who devised the star catalogue).
Use the space below to sketch the Double Cluster as you see them through binoculars
Caldwell 14 - Double Star Cluster Names h Persei and χ Persei, respectively, they are very close together and visible with the naked eye. They are at a distance of 7500 l.y. from our Sun. Compared to M45 they are younger clusters at 12 million years old. Both star clusters are also heading towards Earth! The star Algol Algol is a very interesting kind of star, often called the “Demon star”. It is weird as it is a type of star we havn’t met yet called a binary star. That is it is known to be orbited two other stars. Now that isn’t unusual, many stars in the universe are made up of what we call “binary” or muliple star Systems. In fact our own star, the Sun, is quite unusual in that it is a single star!
Caldwell 14 - Double Star Cluster Credit: Wikipedia
Autumn Constellations
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Autumn months
4. Triangulum The Triangle 4. Triangulum, the Triangle You can recognise it from its three brighter stars. Quite a faint constellation and we would not normally mention it except it has a galaxy, M33 in it.
Sketch M33
M33 - Triangulum Spiral It is quite a faint galaxy not easily seen in light polluted skies. in dark skies though it is visible through a pair of binoculars. I have seen it with a pair of 7 x 50 binoculars. It’s about the size of the full moon. Larger telescopes would be needed to show structure. It is a galaxy in our own local group where the Milky Way galaxy occupies in the same sort of area as the M31 Andromeda Spiral (we have yet to locate and discuss) but also the M51 spiral galaxy in the Plough. Again another we will meet in this guide. As a galaxy it’s about 3 million l.y. from Earth.
M33 - Triangulum Spiral Image credit: Alastair Leith Canon 1000D, Telescope, Meade Lx10 8inch
Winter Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Winter months 1, Gemini 5, Canis Major 2, Orion, M42 3, Taurus, M45 4, Auriga
Orion dominates the winter sky, high in the south. Unmistakeable with its great belt and the M42 Orion Nebula visible even to the naked eye! Follow up to the right and meet the Eye of the Bull, Aldebaron then onto the great Seven Sisters Star Cluster of M45. A magnificant time to be going out. Let’s pop off now and see what hidden gems are in the skies!
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Winter Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Winter months
1. Gemini, The Twins Gemini - The Twins. Labelled as number 1, in the star chart. Gemini has some interesting objects visible through a small telescope, including M35, a large bright star cluster. Visible to the naked eye. Contains about 120 stars and is at a distance of about 2600 l.y. NGC 2392, it is a planetary nebula, sometimes called the Eskimo or clown face. Small telescopes show a rounded small green disk. The nebula is about 1400 l.y. The constellation is NOT to be confused with Auriga
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
M53, Credit Nasa
N
Please feel free to sketch it below
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com Sketch Gemini here, can you find out the names of some of the other stars in the constellation? Using star hopping we discussed early, what other constellations can you find?
NGC 2392, Clown Planetary Credit: Nasa
Winter Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Winter months
2. Orion The Hunter 2. Orion The Hunter This is probably one of the best known and recognisable constellations in the night sky. As a boy, just getting into Astronomy it was the first one i recognised and likened it to a “bow tie” standing on its end. When you see this rising in the East, you know winter is coming. There is also a lot of interest in this constellation.
Picture of Gemini taken by Alastair Leith
M42. The Great Orion nebula It is indeed!, one of the few in fact you can even see with the naked eye on a dark night. The nebula is a cloud of gas (like most of them are) made up of Hydrogen mainly they were created after a star blew up and died. Nebulae like M42 in fact are like nurseries where new stars are being born, in time the wind from these stars will blow all the gas away leaving behind a star cluster (Like M45 for example!)
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Betelgeuse Stars are points of light in the sky, which often cannot be seen as a disc, like our Sun. Belegeuse is the exception. It is what we call a red giant (please see the SpaceKidets module to remind yourself of what that is). But basically, it is a star coming to the end of its life, it has swollen up to become so huge that if you put it in our Solar System, it would swallow all the planets up to Mars! One day (in 4.7 billion years) our own Sun will die the same way. It is well worth a look in binoculars with that in mind alone!
In terms of distance, M42 is 1,344 light years away. (sounds far away but it’s actually on our doorstep!). But it does mean we’re seeing it as it was in the year 674 AD (at the time of writing this). So imagine light left the nebula then to get here! The nebula is estimated to be about 12 light years wide so it would take like 12 years to cross the nebula Through binoculars, it appears as a small smudge. A small telescope will show it with more structure, when looking though it will appear black and white.
Sirius The Horsehead nebula While on the subject, we could not possibly leave Orion without first discussing Sirius the dog star. Situated This gasous cloudSirius is close to the vicinity of is southwest of Saiph. is actually a double south star (there star Alnitak (far it). leftItofis Orions belt). athe smaller one orbiting called the dog star as it is It is notinoften i will discuss objects generally out dog). located the constellation of Canis Major (the great of reach of smaller instruments this Sirius is a bright young star and is ofhowever interest as it is the celevrated nebula desearves mentinon as it is Jupiter, brightest object in the night sky.aApart from Venus, the obviously Sun.and such. stillMoon oftenand discussed inthe books Interestingly enough, our own Milky Way galaxy exists in The Horsehead nebula, so named for its “horsethis region. Part of what is known as the head” shape siloutted into the gas andOrion dustybelt. For now it’s enoughIttowas know these stars are close Asbackground. first recorded byour Scottish neighbours!
tronomer Williamina Flemming in 1888 at Harvard Observatory. It is about the same distance as the Great Orion nebula at 1500 light years.
< Sirius
Sadly though it is a very dark faint object and out of reach of most but the largest telescopes. You can see an image of it to the right.
Image of Orion, Alastair Leith
Image right, Horsehead nebula (credit: NASA)
Use the space below to sketch Orion, see if you can find the other constellations nearby. Also why not have a look at M42 through a small telescope, what do you see? Try sketching it below
Great Orion nebula Credit: Alastair Leith
Winter Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Winter months
3. Taurus The Bull 3.Taurus the Bull, Taurus the bull is often recognised first as the winter sky begins to meet the warmer months. Just to the top right of Orion. the constellation is easily identified with its open star clusters. Let’s take a closer look.
Great Orion Nebula - M42 Image Credit: Alastair Leith
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Image of Taurus, Credit: Alastair Leith
M45 star cluster (or Seven Sisters, Pleiades)
Hyades Cluster
The chances are, even if you did not know what you were looking at, you have probably seen this cluster. Easily visible to the naked eye and excellent in binoculars. It is also come to that at only 444 light years it is one of the closest to us. It is populated with very hot stars which age an average of 100 million years.
Also in Taurus is another cluster called the Hyades cluster (labelled in the chart on the right). At 153 light years away it is not only the nearest cluster to the Earth but also the most studied. A delight to see with the naked eye or binoculars.
The gas you see around the cluster is not actually part of the cluster. (image left ) Picture taken of Taurus, can you see the Seven Sisters cluster?.
Image credit: NASA
Before we leave Taurus, we should briefly mention the eye of the ball, Aldebaran. Aldebaran is another huge red giant star, though not as large as Betelgeuse. It would swallow our solar system up to the orbit of Mercury! It is also a very close star at 65 Light Years!
Hyades Credit - Wiki Commons
Winter Constellations Summary of constellations that can be seen during the Winter months
Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
Use this space to sketch M45, and the Hyades. How many stars in M45 can you see without binoculars?
4. Auriga The Charioteer This constellation is often confused with Gemini in that they are both in the same vicinity of the sky and similar in appearance. That said it is a constellation with a wealth of interesting objects we can view with binoculars/ small telesscope. Lets take a look at some of these.
M37: The richest open cluster in Auriga, shows as a fuzzy unresolved patch through binoculars. It contains about 150 stars.
Constellation: Auriga Star chart credit: Starry Night images provided courtesy of Simulation Curriculum Corp. www.starrynight.com
M36: Open cluster, situated at about 4100 l.y. Its 14 l.y across with at least 60 stars contained. Also similar to M45, the Pleiades. Visible as a hazy patch in binoculars.
M38: Another open cluster, contains about 100 stars. Visible in binoculars, It has a noticable cross shape. it is a distance of 3600 l.y
NGC 2281: Another open cluster, visible in binoculars. The brighter stars form a crescent shape. Credit: Wiki
Use the following pages to sketch the above objects
We do hope you have enjoyed our little activity book on the night sky. The aim of this book was not just to spoon feed information to children but for them to investigate, research, and make observations. Important tools not only to amateur astronomy but skills essential to life. These objects are by no means exhaustive, there will be others within range of the SpaceKidet with modest equipment, but that’s the point, this guide was never intended to be a comprehensive text, there are other books written for this. As you move on into your hobby, provided you stick with it, you will upgrade telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, even cameras. Even the author did not start with the equipment he now uses. It’s taken years of hard work (and sacrifice) to upgrade. Don’t worry, we will always be there to guide you from your first pair of binoculars to telescope and beyond!
Useful links and free to download software Planetarium Software Stellarium This is a free planetarium software program that can be downloaded and installed in Windows, Mac O/S, or Linux www.Stellarium.org Starry Night This planetarium software is not free, but it has the advantage that it updates itself of latest positions of comets and such. It is also the software used to generate maps used in this book. http://www.starrynight.com/ ISS Spotter Mainly for Android or Iphone, this app will notifiy you of the latest International Space Station passes Societies We always advise the best thing to do is to search for your own local astronomical society. Here you will meet experiences, friendly, and knowleagable people
who will be more than happy to show you how your equipment works and let you view theirs. Of course you can also join www.FaceBook.com/OASoc which also offers free advice.
Books
There are loads on the market, but for those just coming into the hobby, we would recommend. Turn Left at Orion By Guy Consolmagno Cambridge University Press A brilliant book which actually discusses how some of the brighter objects that appear through a small telescope. Night Scenes By Paul Money An annual book which discusses what is in the night sky on a month by month basis. www.astrospace.co.uk Stargazing: Monthly by Monthly guide to the Night Sky By: Nigel Henbest and Heather Couper
Another useful guide, again out annually. So useful in fact that we’ve been using it for the monthly newsletters we produce. Yearbook of Astronomy Brian Jones FRAS Published by: Pen and Sword Another periodical which again discusses the night sky on a month by month basis. This also contains interesting essays. Available on Amazon
SpaceKidets We are hearing much about SpaceKidets, but what is it? SpaceKidets was created and written by Alastair Leith. Designed to give children a head start in their learning before they start to tackle the GCSE. Comprised (at the time of writing) of 10 modules, the idea is that kids login to a secure portal with a username and password they are provided with. By first completing the interactives (the information), then the quiz, then finally they can download and print a certificate to put on the wall. Written for ages of around 7 +. Subscription is from £3.75 per month www.SpaceKidets.co.uk For more information