Spacepod Star Lore

	Spacepod Star Lore
Some constellations that observers in the northern hemisphere of Earth should know. These help you to find your way around the night sky when you are looking for more exotic objects like galaxies and comets. The old stories help to group the constellations together in regions of the sky.
	The constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is visible to northern hemisphere observers every clear night. Most people do not recognise the whole constellation but can easily find the 7-star pattern of the Big Dipper or the Plough. The two stars at the far end of the ploughshare or the dipper bowl, form a line that leads to Polaris, the north pole star in Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Polaris marks the direction of north in the night sky and was extremely useful to ancient sailors when they ventured out of sight of land. (Click on the highlighted names to see the constellations in the night sky.) Top
Opposite the Plough in the northern sky, you will find the big 'W' or 'M' of Cassiopeia, the Lady in the Chair. She was the mythical queen of Ethiopia, who boasted that her daughter Andromeda (next to Pegasus on the map) was more beautiful than the goddess Thetis. In revenge, Thetis sent a sea-monster Cetus to ravage the land. The only appeasement she would accept was that Andromeda be chained to a rock and left for Cetus to devour. Fortunately the hero Perseus, fresh from slaying the gorgon Medusa, came by on his flying horse Pegasus and slew the monster, saving Andromeda and claiming her for his bride. You can see Cassiopeia, the king Cepheus, Andromeda, Cetus, Perseus and Pegasus in this rich part of the sky. Andromeda also hosts the Andromeda Galaxy. At a distance of 2 million light years, it is the farthest object that you can see with the naked eye. Top
Orion was a great hunter, who toured around with his charioteer Auriga and his two dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor, hunting every animal imaginable. Many of these animals are found in the sky around the constellations of Orion and Auriga. These are at their best in the winter. We see Orion fighting Taurus, the Bull. The bull is really the god Zeus, who is keeping Orion away from his daughters, the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades. Orion hopes to defeat the bull and win the love of one of these nymphs. The three stars of Orion's belt form a line leading up to Aldebaran, the red eye of the bull. Carry on up in this direction and you find the cluster of stars called the Pleiades. Those with reasonable eyesight can count seven sisters, but keen-eyed individuals can find more. Top
Back to the Spacepod This site is © 2000 to 2010 Mark Toner.	These star maps were created with the aid of the wonderful National Geographic Maps CD-ROM set. You can visit National Geographic on-line.