The Rambling Astronomer: Recent Episodes
Martin Lunn
Join me Martin Lunn MBE while I take you on a journey around the solar system. If you need to contact me please email me at; lunn_martin@sky.com
The mythical dragon, Draco is the constellation that is home to the star that was the North Star, Thuban when the Pyramids were built. In more modern times Draco is associated with the Harry Potter stories
A modern constellation added in the 1670s, it is faint and hard to find, but it has produced at least 3 nova during the 20th century.
The female is often more deadlier than the male but in the sky Queen Cassiopeia is much brighter than King Cepheus. Having said that Cepheus does contain some fascinating stars and is worth while looking for.
The queen in the sky whose actions in upsetting Neptune the god of the sea lead to all the characters in the story being placed in the sky. The story was so famous that the film The Clash of the Titans tells the story.
Ursa Minor or the small bear is much harder to find the the big bear, but it does contain one of the most important stars in the sky. This is Polaris the North Star
Probably the most famous of the constellations that can be seen all year from Britain, Ursa major the Great Bear
Avior of Epsilon Carina has no classical name attached to it. The star is one of 58 that are used by the RAF a navigation stars. Carina is one of the constellations formed in the 1750s when the massive constellation of Argo was broken up.
Sargas or the Arrowhead can be found in the constellation of Scorpio the Scorpion. It is in fact the third brightest star in the constellation.
A line drawn down from Sirius and slightly to the left leads to delta or Wezen which means ‘Weight’ which has a magnitude of 1.8 and is a F8 supergiant and is slightly hotter than the Sun, Wezen lies about 1600 light years away. It is thought that in the next 100,000 years Wezen could destroy itself in a supernova explosion.
One of the stars that form the Plough, an asterism in the much larger constellation of Ursa Major the Great Bear. However Dubhe is not just only one of the stars of the Plough it is one of the pointers that indicates the position of the North Star
Mirphak, or alpha Perseus is often overlooked in this constellation because it is Beta or Algol which normally attracts all the attention. Now you can find our more about the brightest star in Perseus
Kaus Australis or Epsilon Sagittarius is the first of out magnitude 1.8 stars. It is also the brightest star in the constellation Sagittarius and part of the famous teapot shape.
Although the name of this star might not be too familiar, its location will be known. It is one of the stars that forms the group of stars known as the Plough. It is one of the three stars in the handle of the Plough and is the closest of these three stars to the four stars that form the blade of the plough.
One of the rare type of Wolf Rayet stars, these are incredibly hot young stars that will end their lives as supernova. Gamma is one of the closest of the Wolf Rayet stars to the Sun
The brightest star in the constellation of Grus the Crane The name of the star Al Nair might not be too familiar to people in the northern hemisphere, but in the southern hemisphere this star Al Nair which is a fairly bright magnitude 1.7 star.
The first of the mag 1.7 stars, Miaplacidus is in the constellation of carina the keel, part of what was originally the largest constellation in the sky, Argo Navis.
The Geminids are now possibly the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. The Geminds like the Quadrantids are from the dust trail of an asteroid rather than a comet.
The Leonids meteor shower can produce spectacular meteor showers every 33 years when many thousands of meteors can be seen per hour. These are referred to as meteor storms.
The second meteor shower of the year in which we can see the remains of Halley's comet burnt up in the Earth's atmosphere
A normally very poor meteor shower which in the past has caused major meteor showers. the Draconids from the constellation of Draco the Dragon are always worth having a look out for.
Probably the best known of all the annual meteor showers, the Perseids can be seen each August.
When we see eta Aquarid meteors we are seeing remnants of one of the most famous comets. This is Halley's Comet. Sadly for observers in Britain people living in the southern hemisphere get a better display than we do.
The first meteor shower of spring time. The Lyrids can be seen in April and although not the most spectacular shower, it can sometimes surprise astronomers with he number of meteors that can be seen.
The first meteor shower of the calendar year. The Quadrantids is the only meteor shower named after a now defunct constellation. The Mural quadrant
The moons of the farthest known planet contains one, called Triton which appears to be a captured object orbiting Neptune .
Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel, its the only planet not to have its moons named after characters from Greek mythology, instead they are named from characters in English literature.
The famous ringed planet planet with, its largest moon Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system. Titan is the only place other than the Earth where liquid can be found. On Titan it is methane rather than water.
The 4 Galilean or largest moons of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo when he first used his telescope to look at the night sky in the in the winter of 1609/1610. One of them Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and is even bigger than the planet Mercury.
The two small moons of Mars, which were discovered in 1877, they are probably captured asteroids, this is their interesting story.
The Moon its our nearest neighbour in space and the only place apart from the Earth where people have walked upon. This is the Moon's 4.5 billion year story.
If you explore the night sky using a star atlas such as Sky Atlas 2000 don't be surprised if you come across some strange results when looking at stars that are and are not given Flamsteed numbers.
T Coronae Borealis is also know as the Blaze Star, its a nova which erupted on May 12th 1866 eventually reaching magnitude 2.2 it then took only 8 days to fade below naked eye visibility. The star then stunned astronomers when on February 1946 T CrB went novae again reaching magnitude 3.0. It is what astronomers call a recurrent nova.
September 10th 1784 was a night to remember in the city of York because Beta Lyrae was found to be variable by the deaf astronomer John Goodricke who was observing from the Treasurer’s House in the city. It was the same night that Edward Pigott also observing from the city of York on that same night discovered that eta Aquila was also a variable star. When I was Curator of Astronomy at the Yorkshire Museum in York I christened these two the ‘Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy’.
Rho was first described as a variable star in 1901 when until 1946 it varied in brightness between 4.1 to 4.5 then unexpectedly in that year it faded to magnitude 6.0 it then returned to about magnitude 4.5. The same thing happened in 2000 and 2001. Checking back even further the same thing was recorded in 1893. There appears to be a cycle of events every 50 or so years. So what is going on here?
Eta is among the most distant stars that we can see with the naked eye. It lies at a distance of around 7,500 light years. There is evidence to suggest that a 4th magnitude star located in the position of eta was recorded by the Dutch astronomer Pieter Keyser. In 1603 Johann Bayer who labelled the 24 brightest stars in each constellation with a Greek letter labelled this star as eta Argus. We must remember that the constellation of Carina was one part of the giant constellation Argo Navis.
One of the most famous and most interesting stars in the sky. It is ranked as the 10th brightest star in the sky, but although being labelled as alpha it is usually slightly below beta or Rigel in brightness. It is a variable star normally varying between 0.3 to 0.8, its a semi regular variable star with a variable period of between 400- 1,000 days. However during during 2019 and 2020 it became much fainter than normal and caused astronomers many headaches.
Most variable stars are faint and either difficult to see with the naked eye or with binoculars and requires telescopes to see those stars. However one notable exception to this idea is gamma Cassiopeia. The star does not have a recognised name and is simply referred to by its Greek letter notation.
I have mentioned in the past couple of podcasts how important the Goodricke and Pigott era for variable star astronomy was. After Goodricke’s death Pigott was distraught and moved from York to the city of bath. But he did not give up his astronomy work.
In 1795 while observing the small constellation of Corona Borealis he discovered yet another new class of variable star. This would be the prototype example of the R Corona Borealis type stars.
Possibly the most famous and arguably one of the most important of all the types of variable stars are the Cepheids. The first to be discovered, delta Cephei was from York in 1784, and you have probably all ready guessed it was discovered by John Goodricke.
This is the story of Algol 'The Winking Demon Star ' in Perseus as explained by the deaf astronomer John Goodricke in York
Our story starts in the year 1596 when a David Fabricius a Dutch pastor and astronomer was looking at the constellation of Cetus the Whale, these are of course in the days before the telescope was invented. He noticed a star of the 3rd magnitude, this was Mira the Wonderful.
Delta Ursa Majoris or Megrez which means the base of the bear’s tail or root of the ber’s tail is the faintest of the stars that make up the part of Ursa Major that is referred to as the plough which is one of the best known groups of stars in the sky,
Beta Taurus or El Nath which means the ‘butting one’, in the times of ancient Greece was a star shared by both Taurus and Auriga.
Shaula or lambda Scorpii is the star that marks the sting of the scorpion. The name Shaula means the ‘Stinger’ With a magnitude of 1.6 Shaula is the second brightest star in the constellation of the Scorpion. Yet lambda is only the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. This rather throws the system introduced in 1603 by Bayer on his Uranometria star atlas into some confusion.
Gamma in Crux the Southern Cross is also known as Gacrux, it's the star at the top of the cross. Its 87 light years away and has a magnitude of 1.6 its a red M3 giant class star with a temperature of 3,300,C. Its the only red giant in the crux shape all the other three stars are blue white in colour and therefore much hotter and younger. It is the nearest red giant to the Sun.
Gamma or Alhena Gemini which means the ‘Shining One’ it is often described as shinning with a bright sharp light.
There are some suggestions that Alhena together with the stars eta, mu, nu, and xi may have been part of the Babylonian constellation of the camel.
The brightest star in Aries is Hamal which means ‘The Head of the Sheep’. In addition on some Arabic star charts the star is called Al Nath the butting one. Interestingly this is also the name of beta Taurus which astronomers use today.
Alpha Canes Venatici or Cor Caroli is the brightest star of the hunting dogs that was created by Johannes Hevelius who invented 10 new constellations in the 1670s. It is formed of stars that can be found beneath the handle of the Plough or Big Dipper of which it once formed part off.
Alpha or Alphard which means the ‘Solitary One’ is the brightest star in the constellation of Hydra the Water Snake , this is also the largest constellation in the sky.
Alpha or Castor which means the Horseman, the 23rd brightest star in the sky at magnitude 1.9 is the second brightest star in Gemini lying 51 light years from Earth, Castor is an A 1 class star with a temperature of around 10,000’c much hotter the Sun at 5,800’C. Although it appears to the naked eye as a single star there are in fact 6 stars that make up the Castor system.
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the Lion a ferocious beast that was killed by Hercules as one of his twelve labours. In spring Leo is easily seen in the sky and Regulus is located at the bottom of a backwards looking question mark of stars in the sky.
Saiph marks the bottom right hand star in the large rectangle of Orion and is the last in this short series of stars in Orion.
This is the strange story of a star which is on star charts but isn't. I don't know if this is a unique story.
This is very much a 20th century asterism it was named by Walter Scott Houston( 1912-1993) an American populariser of astronomer much like Patrick Moore was in Britain. It was named Kemble’s Cascade in honour of Father Lucian Kemble (1922-1999) a Canadian Franciscan Friar and astronomer.
An asterism in the modern constellation of Vulpecula, a faint constellation at the head of Cygnus the Swan. Although made up of faint stars the Coat hanger has been know for some time as it is also known as Al Sufi’s cluster as he first mentioned this group in his book of fixed stars published in 964.
A small quadrilateral of stars in Sagittarius comprising omega 59, 60 and 62 found in the hind quarter of the horse. The name Terebellum means borer in Latin in China this was known as the ‘dog’s country’.
Following the Summer Triangle you won't be surprised to know that there is a lesser known Winter Triangle formed of the stars, Sirius, Betelgeuse and Procyon.
A familiar sight for astronomers in the summer sky, this asterism is formed from the stars Altair, Deneb and Vega.
The Great Diamond consists of the stars Arcturus, Spica, Denebola and Cor Caroli and covers a large area in the spring skies.
Aquarius is not a particularly bright constellation and can be found below the square of Pegasus. The most prominent part of the constellation is the Y shaped figure of 4 stars representing the water jar itself centred on the star zeta. Together with gamma, eta and pi this little area is often called the ‘Water Jar’.
Leo’s Sickle, which represents the head and shoulders of the Lion, is formed by six stars: Epsilon, Mu, Zeta, Gamma, Eta, and Alpha Leonis (the last one is better known as Regulus, or Cor Leonis, the Lion’s Heart). The Sickle is a hallmark of spring skies in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Orion’s Sword asterism hangs just below his belt. At a glance, it is made up of what looks like three fainter stars below the brighter stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka of Orion’s Belt. The Orion Nebula or M42 is also a part of this asterism, making it easier to recognize.
The winged horse of Greek mythology, born from the blood of Medusa after she was slain by Perseus, who can be found nearby in the sky. This is an autumn constellation.
The most famous feature in the constellation is the great square outlined by 4 stars. This is similar to the Plough, in that the square of Pegasus is not a constellation but an asterism.
Staying with Sagittarius we continue with the teapot to go with the milk dipper from the last podcast.
The “Teapot” asterism is part of the constellation of Sagittarius. Grab a nice cup of tea, head outside, and try and see if you can see the “Teapot”.
Another of my searches across the sky finds yet another star, this time 40 Ursa Major which was catalogued by John Flamsteed and should not be in his list as it is below naked eye visibility. I have no idea what is going on.
In the next two asterisms we will be looking at a milk dipper or Plough and a teapot, both are in the constellation of Sagittarius the archer. They are as you might expect close together in the sky so some of the stars will be found in both asterisms.
Capella in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer is the 6th brightest star in the sky.
Capella whose name means the ‘Little She Goat’ slightly to the right and just below Capella is a little but quite distinct triangle of stars called the Haedi or the kids. They are referred to as the Kids because where the she goat goes the kids will always follow!!
The four star Keystone asterism marks the lower abdominal and pelvic regions of ancient Greece’s greatest hero in his starry abode. The asterism’s name derives from its resemblance to the critical, wedge-shaped, architectural feature known as a keystone.
This is part of the small constellation of Delphinus the Dolphin, which has the rather strange name of Job’s Coffin. No one seems to now where this name has come from. I would like to put forward a possible suggestion.
The last of the three headers. Hydra is the largest constellation in the sky but is by no means easy to find on account of its faintness. Hydra winds its way from the head in the northern hemisphere on the borders of Cancer to the tip of its tail south of the celestial equator near Libra and Centaurus.
The head of Cetus is the first of a series of three asterism indicating the heads of creatures depicted in constellations .
A naked eye star now known as a variable star in Ursa Major which was not labelled by John Flamsteed when he produced his star chart in the 1670s.
My trip to the Arctic Circle in February 2022 to present astronomy talks and look for the Northern Lights on a cruise ship.
I will be away during the second half of February 2022, the Pod Pause explains what is going on.
Ursa Minor contains the present North Star or Polaris which is within one degree of the the north point.
Ursa Minor is also termed the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars form a shape like a smaller version of the Plough in Ursa Major.
However it is the stars Beta and Gamma in the blade of the small plough are referred to as the Guardians of the pole. This is our asterism for today. The Guardians are the two stars furthest from the handle of Ursa Minor.
The false cross it sounds like the title of some sort of novel, but its not, the false cross is an asterism of 4 stars in Carina and Vela and is often confused with the constellation of Crux the southern cross. Although the southern cross is smaller it is much brighter.
An ancient constellation representing a pair of fishes tied by their tails, the knot being marked by the star alpha. The two fishes are often referred to as the northern and western fishes. It is however the western fish which astronomers call the circlet in Pisces.
Not to be confused with the cats eye nebula NGC 6543 planetary nebula in Draco ,or the cats eyes in the road!! But it is the two stars lambda and Upsilon Scorpio that I want to look at here.
The three stars of Orion's Belt are part of what is the brightest and grandest of th 88 constellations in the night sky.
Probably the one group of stars that most people can recognise is the plough. Most people will also call it the Great Bear or Ursa Major. This is incorrect because the Plough is an asterism a pattern of stars within the constellation of Ursa Major.
The post of Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University was stared by Sir Henry Savile, a Yorkshireman.
A faint constellation at the head of Cygnus the Swan. It originated with the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius who called it Vulpecula cum Anser, the Fox and Goose. Alas the Goose is now more, did the Fox get him?
Volans is on the borders or Carina the Keel part of Argo Navis. Volans is not associated with any myths. It was one of the constellations created by the Dutch astronomer and cartographer Petrus Plancius in the late 16th century that first appeared depicted in a star atlas in 1603, in Johann Bayer’s Uranometria. The constellation was originally named Piscis Volans, the flying fish, by Plancius, but the name was eventually shortened to Volans.
The 2nd largest constellation in the sky. Many myths are associated with this constellation which has usually been seen as a beautiful and virtuous maiden. But other legends have associated Virgo with successful harvests, and so she is pictured holding an ear of corn (Spica) in her left hand and a palm leaf in her right hand. In these legends she is identified with the Greek harvest goddess Demeter (the Roman Ceres)
Formerly part of the ancient constellation of Argo Navis, which represents the ship that Jason and the Argonauts sailed on looking for the golden fleece. It was broken up by the French astronomer Nicolas De Lacaille in the 1750s, into four parts Carina the Keel, Puppis the Poop Pyxis the Compass and Vela the Sails.
Ursa Minor is also termed the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars form a shape like a smaller version of the Plough in Ursa Major. The stars Beta and Gamma in the blade of the small plough are referred to as the Guardians of the pole.
The 3rd largest constellation in the sky. Its central feature is the seven stars that make up the shape variously called the Plough or Big Dipper, undoubtedly the best known of all star patterns, references of it are found in writings dating back to the dawn of civilisation.
A small constellation near the south pole of the sky introduced by Petrus Plancius based on observations by Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman It represents the Toucan a bird found in central and south America. The bird has a large beak.
An ancient constellation representing a pair of fishes tied by their tails, the knot being marked by the star alpha. One legend identifies the constellations with Venus and her son Cupid, who turned themselves into fishes and swam away from the attack of the monster Typhon.
John Field 1527-1587 was born in Ardsley to the SW of Leeds) in the West Riding, an astronomer who seems to be missed of many people’s radar. His describes himself as being a farmer, and sometimes student in the mathematic sciences. Yet this farmer would become a trail blazer and was the first person to publish an ephemeris or movements of the stars and planets in England that was based on the Copernican theory. John Field was known as the proto Copernican of England.
A small but readily distinguishable constellation near alpha Centauri. It was introduced by the German astronomer Johann Bayer in 1603. It is the southern hemisphere equivalent of the long established northern Triangle, Triangulum.
A small but distinctive constellation between Andromeda and Aries, consisting of 3 main stars that form a thin delta or triangle shape. The Greeks referred to it as Deltoton.
Another constellation introduced by de La Caille in the 1750s in honour of the invention of the telescope which had such a revolutionary significance for astronomy. However like many of his constellations it is faint and indistinct.
One of the most ancient constellations. Taurus has been known to people’s throughout the world since the dawn of civilisation, for the bull’s attributes of strength and fertility mean that it has always held an honoured place in ceremony and religion.
A barren constellation south of Leo introduced in the late 17th century by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. It commemorates the instrument used for observing star positions. Although the instrument was very important this constellation certainly is not, there are no bright stars here and little of interest to naked eye observers.
An ancient constellation representing a serpent wrapped around the serpent bearer, Ophiuchus. In fact Serpens has come off much worse with Ophiuchus because the constellation is split into two halves, Serpent Caput the Head, and Serpens Cauda the tail. However although a large constellation it is faint with no bright stars.
A faint constellation between Aquila and Serpens, introduced in the 1680s by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius under the title Scutum Sobieski. This was to honour King John Sobieski of Poland who defeated the Ottoman army at the battle of Vienna in 1683. Today we just call it it Scutum.
One of the faint and half forgotten constellations introduced in the 1750s by Lacaille to fill in the southern celestial hemisphere. Originally called Apparatus Sculptoris. This constellation represents a sculptor’s workshop, why he put this in the sky is unknown. Its stars are of little interest.
A resplendent constellation lying in a rich area of the Milky Way, and packed with exciting objects for users of binoculars and small telescopes. In mythology, Scorpius was the scorpion whose sting killed Orion. And in the sky Orion still flees from the scorpion, for Orion sets below the horizon as the scorpion rises.
An ancient constellation depicting a centaur, half man, half beast with a raised bow and arrow. Sagittarius has been visualised this way since at least ancient Greek times. It probably originated with the Sumerian civilization around the river Euphrates who saw him as Nergal, their archer god of war.
Despite its small size Sagitta is the 3rd smallest constellation in the sky this arrow shaped constellation as known to the ancient Greeks. In the sky the arrow seems to be flying between Cygnus and Aquila. One legend says the arrow was shot by Hercules. Sagitta lies in a very river part of the galaxy.
The Romans built their Watling Street, but is it possible that the name used for this Roman road was based on an earlier Celtic myth based on the path of the Waetlings the sons of King Waetla?
A small and very inconspicuous constellation introduced in the 1750s by Lacaille to commemorate the instrument known as the reticule which he used for measuring star positions on his surveys of the southern skies. The best example of a reticule is if you look through a telescope and you see lines that help you target the star you are looking for.
The smallest and least impressive of the four parts into which the constellation Argo Navis the ship was divided into in the 1750s by Lacaille. The other sections Carina the keel , Puppis the poop and Vela the sails.
This is the largest of the four sections into which the ancient constellation of Argo Navis, the ship of the Argonauts, the constellation was dismembered in the 1750s by the French astronomer Nicolas Lacaille. The other sections are Carina the Keel, Pyxis the compass and Vela the sails.
This constellation has been known since ancient times and is often represented as a fish drinking the flow of water from the urn of the neighbouring Aquarius the water bearer. The fish has been identified with the Babylonian fish god Oannes and is said to be the parent of the zodiacal fish Pisces.
An ancient constellation representing a pair of fishes tied by their tails, the knot being marked by the star alpha. One legend identifies the constellations with Venus and her son Cupid, who turned themselves into fishes and swam away from the attack of the monster Typhon.
Phoenix was the largest of the 12 constellation described by Petrus Plancius in 1597-98 its an inconspicuous constellation lying near the southern end of Eridanus the River representing the mythological bird that was regularly reborn from its own ashes. It was introduced in 1603 by Johann Bayer in an area known by the Arabs as the boat moored on the shores of the river.
Perseus was the hero of Greek mythology who rescued Andromeda who was chained to a rock waiting to be eaten by the Kraken sea monster. Previously he had killed the medusa. The Gorgons eye is marked by Algol. Perseus lies in a rich part of the milky way and is worth sweeping with binoculars.
The winged horse of Greek mythology, born from the blood of Medusa after she was slain by Perseus, who can be found nearby in the sky. The most famous feature is the great square outlined by 4 stars. Strangely and for some unknown reason the top left hand star of the square which used to be known as delta Pegasi has now been transferred to Andromeda where it has become alpha Andromedae.
‘Twas the night before Christmas… and the festive season of 1965 would be like no other when, above the small Leicestershire village of Barwell, a very large turkey size meteorite was about to crash from the sky. This is the amazing story of the Barwell Meteorite.
Introduced by Johann Bayer in 1603 it is one of a series of celestial birds in this region of the sky including Apus, Grus, Phoenix and Tucana. In mythology the peacock was sacred to Juno, goddess of the heavens. According to legend Juno sent a creature with a 100 eyes called Argus to watch over a white heifer; Juno guessed that this heifer was the form into which her husband Jupiter had turned one of illicit lovers the nymph Io.
At Jupiter’s request Mercury decapitated the watchful Argus and released the heifer. Juno place the 100 eyes of Argus on the peacock’s tail.
This is the story of how Venus changes from the goddess of love to the vision of hell when 2 spacecraft one American the other Russian in 2 Decembers 8 years apart changed our views of our nearest planetary neighbour.
Without doubt the brightest and grandest constellation in the sky, crammed with objects of interest for all sizes on instruments. Orion’s impressiveness stems from the fact that it is an area of star formation in a nearby arm of the galaxy, centred on the famous Orion Nebula.
In one story the boastful Orion was stung to death by a scorpion and is now placed in the sky so he sets as the scorpion rises.
The Before Yule Moon is the full moon which occurs before the feast of Yule on December 21st. This year that Full Moon falls on December 19th.
An ancient constellation, depicting a man encolied by a serpent (constellation of Serpens). He is identified as a mythological healer and forerunner of Hippocrates . He served as a ship’s doctor aboard the Argo.
The constellation that contains the South Pole star, despite this privileged position, Octans is faint and unremarkable. There is no southern equivalent of Polaris, the North Pole star. The nearest star to the south celestial pole is Sigma Octantis with a magnitude of only 5.5 which lies about 1 degree from the pole.
A superfluous constellation invented in the 1750s by Nicolas Lacaille who populated the southern skies with several constellations representing scientific instruments, in this case the Surveyor’s Level.
Musca (Latin for "the fly") is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It was one of 12 constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, and it first appeared on a celestial globe 35 cm (14 in) in diameter published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius.
A faint but fascinating constellation between Orion and Canis Minor. Jakob Bartsch, a German mathematician and son in law of Johannes Kepler brought it into general use on his star chart of 1624, although there are references to such a constellation in this position in earlier works by astronomers. Its location in the Milky Way ensures that it is well stocked with nebulae and clusters.
Another constellation introduced by Lacaille in the 1750s. This group represents another of the scientific instruments that Lacaille placed in the southern sky. Sadly as with so many of his new constellations Microscopium is little more than a filler between Sagittarius and Piscis Austrinus.
A constellation introduced by Lacaille in the 1750s. It is a southern hemisphere group and celebrates the Table Mountain at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa from where he observed the night sky. Part of the Large Magellanic Cloud strays from the neighbouring constellation of Dorado the Goldfish, over the border into Mensa possibly reminding Lacaille of the cloud that frequently covers the real Table Mountain.
A constellation dating back to ancient times Lyra represents a stringed instrument invented by Hermes and given by his half-brother Apollo to Orpheus. Although a small constellation it is a very prominent one. Its brightest star Vega is the 5th brightest star in the sky and it is one of the summer triangle star, the others being Altair in Aquila and Deneb in Cygnus.
A decidedly obscure constellation despite its size, it is the 28th largest of the 88 constellations. It was introduced by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687 to fill the gap between Ursa Major and Auriga. He named it Lynx because only the lynx eyed would be able to examine it.
Lupus is often overlooked by observers because it is so close to the constellation of Scorpius and Centaurus. Although the term Lupus refers to a wolf, the Greeks and Romans regarded this constellation as an unspecified wild animal held by Centaurus as an offering to the gods. It appear to be during the renaissance period that the connection with the Wolf seems to have become the common term to use. Lupus lies in the Milky Way so it is very rich in stars.
A small faint constellation of the zodiac, the ancient Greeks knew it as the ‘claws of the scorpion’ an extension of the neighbouring constellation of the Scorpion. However the Romans made it a separate constellation at the time of Julius Caesar. Since then the scales of Libra have come to be regarded a the symbol of justice held aloft by the goddess of justice Astraea.
A constellation known to the ancient Greeks, it represents a hare cunningly located at the feet of Orion. The Hare was placed in the sky for Orion to Hunt.
The smaller Lion designated by Johannes Hevelius in 1687, located between Ursa Major and Leo. Leo Minor hardly merits a separate name as there are no bright stars. He designed 10 new constellation and we still use 7 of them today.
One of the few constellations that looks like the figure it is supposed to represent in this case a crouching lion. The Lion’s head is outlined by a sickle shape or backwards question mark at the bottom of which is the bright star Regulus.
This is the lion that is slain by the hero Hercules as the first of his 12 labours.
Another inconspicuous constellation sandwiched between Cygnus and Andromeda, introduced to the sky by Johannes Hevelius in 1687.
Sometime around 500 a British monk was born he was known as Gildas Sapiens or Gildas the Wise, no one is quite sure where he was born some say the north of England which could have been part of the more northern area of Yorkshire. He was a very well educated person, however some of the things he would describe were believed to have been of a biblical fire and brimstone nature, making him appear as nutty as a fruit cake! That has now changed with scientists now studying much more closely the things he was talking about.
This constellation was proposed by the Dutch navigator /astronomer Peter Keyser in honour of the natives of America at the end of the 16th century. It was introduced to stellar maps by Johan Bayer in 1603.
It was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm (14 in) diameter celestial globe published in late 1597 (or early 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius. The first depiction of this constellation in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603.
Hydra is the largest constellation in the sky but is by no means easy to find on account of its faintness. Hydra winds its way from the head in the northern hemisphere on the borders of Cancer to the tip of its tail south of the celestial equator near Libra and Centaurus. Hydra has only one readily identified star alpha or Alphard which marks the heart of the snake. Hydra is usually identified with the multi headed creature that was slain by Hercules.
A faint constellation in the southern sky invented by La Caille in 1752, it is a shame that a constellation trying to represent something so important as the clock should be represented by such a faint and obscure constellation.
Hercules represents a Greek mythological hero famous for his 12 labours, Hercules is the 5th largest constellation and because of the legends associated with Hercules it should be a very prominent constellation sadly its not.
Grus is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the Crane, a type of bird. It is one of twelve constellations conceived by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. It was depicted in Johann Bayer's star atlas Uranometria of 1603.
An ancient constellation, Gemini a winter group represents a pair of twins holding hands. They are Castor and Pollux members of the crew of the ship Argo with Jason in search of the golden fleece.
Castor and Pollux were of mixed parentage although both sons of Leda, Castor’s father was king Tyndareus of Sparta while the father of Pollux was the god Zeus. When Castor died, because he was mortal, Pollux begged his father Zeus to give Castor immortality, and he did, by uniting them together in the heavens.
Near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire a line of stones were placed about 4,000 years ago, these are the Devil's Arrows.
Fornax is a constellation in the southern sky, Its name is Latin for furnace. It was named by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1756. It was originally called Fornax Chemica the Chemical Furnace and was originally part of Eridanus the River.
Eridanus, the 6th largest constellation meanders from Taurus in the north to Hydrus in the south. In mythology, Eridanus was the river into which Phaethon fell after trying to drive the chariot of his father, the Sun god.
Equuleus constellation lies in the northern sky. Its name means “little horse” or “foal” in Latin.
In Greek mythology Equuleus is associated with the foal Celeris (meaning "swiftness" or "speed"), who was the offspring or brother of the winged horse Pegasus.
Draco the Dragon Circumpolar Northern Hemisphere
Dragons feature in many ancient legends, the body of Draco lies coiled around the celestial pole, although a large constellation it is quite faint being formed of a long line of curved stars ending in 4 stars that form a quadrilateral shape that represents the head of the dragon.
And yes if you think you recognise the name Draco its because Harry Potter fans will know that Draco Malfoy an enemy of Harry Potter.
The name Dorado is Spanish for mahi-mahi, or the dolphin-fish. The mahi-mahi has an opalescent skin that turns blue and gold as the fish dies. This may very well be the reason Dorado is sometimes called the goldfish.
Dorado is in the southern sky and was unknown to the Greeks it was the constellation of Dorado was one of twelve created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and first appeared on a celestial globe published circa 1597-8.
Dorado was taken a bit more seriously when it was included by Johann Bayer in 1603 in his star atlas, Uranometria, there are no myths associated with this constellation.
It is in Dorado that we can see the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way Galaxy.
A small constellation that dates back to the time of ancient Greece. The dolphin rescued the musician Arion from drowning after he was robbed and thrown off a ship, as a reward the dolphin was placed in the sky for ever.
In legend dolphins were the messengers of the sea god Neptune.
Delphinus is close to Altair, in summer triangle. Its brightest stars are only just above mag 4 but it is a small compact little group like a very loose star cluster. In shape the dolphin bears a vague resemblance to a tiny dim distorted Plough.
Its 4 main stars form a rectangle called Job’s Coffin the origin of this name is not known.
The celestial swan is sometimes called the northern cross since its cross shape is very striking. Its brightest star Deneb at magnitude 1.3 and is one of the members of the summer triangle. Although the faintest of the triangle it is actually is the brightest only appearing fainter because it is the most distant.
In mythology Cygnus represents a swan flying down the milky way, swans feature in many legends including that of Zeus who visited Leda wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta in the guise of a swan. The result of their union was Pollux one of the heavenly twins.
The smallest constellation in the sky, but one of the most celebrated and distinctive. It was formed from some of the stars of the constellation Centaurus by various seamen and astronomers in the 16th century. Crux means cross in Latin.
Johan Bayer incorporated these stars into his Uranometria star atlas in 1603 thus making it an officially recognised constellation.
It was known at the time of ancient Greece but at that time it was part of Centaurus.
The second of the small constellations adjoining Hydra the other being Corvus. Crater although very faint it is one of the original 48 groups even though it contains no bright stars.
Crater represents the cup of Apollo and is associated with the neighbouring constellation of Corvus.
A small but quite prominent constellation which is at its highest in the late spring evenings, the crow is low in the sky depicted sitting on the back of the water snake.
According to legend Apollo sent the crow to bring the water of life, but was unable to resist the unripe fruit of the fig tree, he let the cup of water (the constellation of Crater) fall to the ground. Realising that he was taking too long he hurried back to Apollo who discovered the truth and banished the crow to the sky. Another version has this same story but with Noah and the ark.
They are located near the village of Thornborough which is in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire near to Bedale. The henges consist of a series of three circular mounds with ditches and banks that were probably in use for over a thousand years. This site is often referred to as the ‘Stonehenge of the North’.
Corona Borealis the Northern Crown which was given as a wedding present by Bacchus to Ariadne and was then cast by him into the sky when she died. It consists of an arc of seven fairly faint stars with the exception of alpha.
Corona Australis is the southern counterpart to Corona Borealis the northern crown. It is much fainter than the northern crown and is also much fainter. It cannot be seen from Britain.
Yet another faint constellation with no really bright stars, although it has an ancient legend it was only formed by Tycho Brahe in 1601. According to legend Queen Berenice of Egypt vowed to cut off her beautiful hair and place it in the temple of Venus, provided that her husband returned safely from a war against the Assyrians. When the king returned Bernices kept her promise and so impressed the gods that they transferred the flowing locks of her hair to the night sky.
Columba the Dove which represents the dove that followed Noah’s Ark, or some legends say it was the dove that the Argonauts sent ahead to help them pass safely through the clashing rocks at the entrance to the Black Sea.
If you thought you knew what a comet was then you may have to think again, astronomers are trying to work out exactly what a comet is!
Another of the small and obscure constellations added to the southern sky by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Circinus is a compass placed appropriately next to the constellation of Norma the Level, which is also equally obscure.
A faint constellation in the southern sky near the south pole. It was created by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in 1598 from the observations of the Dutch explores Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. It would appear the star atlas Uranometria prepared by Johann Bayer in 1603.
A biblical story with an astronomical ending. These cities were destroyed by a meteor strike.
Cetus was formerly the Kraken from Greek mythology, a large constellation it contains the first variable star to be identified, omicron ceti or Mira the Wonderful.
Although not as bright as his queen Cassiopeia, Cepheus does contain the star delta Cephei that was discovered to be variable in 1784 by the deaf astronomer John Goodricke in York. Today Cepheid variables are used by astronomers to work out how far away clusters and galaxies are.
The scholarly centaur who taught many of the Greek heroes, he was placed in the sky when accidently struck by a poison arrow fired by Hercules. The constellation contains the closest star to Earth apart from the Sun
The bossy queen who started all the trouble for Perseus, Pegasus and the other character from the Greek mythology that figure in the film the Clash of the Titans,
Once part of what was the largest constellation in the sky Argo Navis, Carina the Keel is the brightest of the three parts of the Argo and contains the second brightest star in the sky, Canopus.
A crater discovered under the North Sea which could help astronomers explain certain features on some of the the moons of Jupiter,
A constellation seen low in the sky during autumn evenings, it is a faint group although it does have one of the oldest mythological associations.
The second of the hunting dogs which accompany Orion across the sky. The brightest star Procyon together with Sirius and Betelgeuse form the winter triangle.
Just a piece of coincidence but two bright fireballs were seen over Manchester on the 14th September, one in 1875 the other in 1901.
Canes Venatici represents the dogs Asterion and Chara, held on a leash by Bootis as they chase the Big Bear around the pole.
Another faint zodiac constellation which is only saved from obscurity because it contains the Beehive star cluster.
An obscure and irrelevant constellation in the southern hemisphere introduced in the 1750s by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.
A large constellation found in the spring which contains the bright orange star Arcturus. The rest of the constellation formed of fainter stars.
The Crab Nebula indicates the remains of a supernova, a star that destroys itself in a massive explosion. This particular event happened in the year 1054, it was widely reported by astronomers in China, but there are no reports from the west. This podcast looks at why there were no reports from Europe.
A large and prominent winter constellation which contains one of the brightest stars in the sky, Auriga which can be found in the over head point during winter evenings.
In mythology Aries was the golden fleece sought b y Jason and the Argonauts. Despite its faintness Aries was important because 2,000 years ago it contained the point where the Sun crossed the celestial equator from south to north, the vernal equinox or First Point of Aries
A small constellation seen by the Greeks as the altar on which Centaurus the Centaur was about to sacrifice Lupus the Wolf.
Aquila, contains the star Altair the southern most star that forms the summer triangle.
One of the moist ancient constellations, It is usually seen as a man pouring water from a jug.
Another of the small faint constellations found in the southern hemisphere. Apus can be found near the south pole star.
A faint obscure constellation introduced by Nicolas De Lacaille in the 1750s to honour the invention of the Air Pump.
In mythology Andromeda is the princess rescued from the Kraken by Perseus. The constellation which can be seen in the autumn contains the mot distant you can see with your eye without using binoculars or telescopes. This is the Andromeda Galaxy
Here is a simple introduction to pieces of information and terms that will be met frequently as I look at the 88 different constellations in the night sky
Comet Hale Bopp was seen by so many people over such a ling time. At its brightest it was seen during the whole night from Europe.
In 1910 the world was awaiting the return of Halley's Comet but suddenly a new comet that would be brighter the Halley's Comet burst onto the scene and stole the show.
The great comet of 1882 was estimated to be as bright as -17 the brightest of modern times.
Comet Tebbutt, discovered by an Australian amateur astronomer, it was so bright that according to some reports it cast shadows.
No comet seems to have been depicted more frequently in art. Donati's comet of 1858 unleashed a wave of comet romanticism. No more beautiful comet appeared in the sky in the 19th century.
The great comet of 1843 was so bright that it was seen in the day time by people around the world.
Napoleon's rule over Europe reached its peak when the great comet of 1811 appeared in the sky. It would be visible to the naked eye for nine months.
In March 1744 six giant curved rays towered above the southern horizon, people were staring at the great comet of 1744. This was comet De Cheseaux.
In the autumn of 1618 the devastating thirty years' war had begun when three bright comets appeared in the sky, this was taken as an omen for the coming disaster.
Until the comet of 1577 it was assumed that they were features within the atmosphere of the Earth. However Tycho Brahe observed this comet and saw it go behind the Moon, it had to be out in space beyond the Earth.
This is the closest bright comet to fly past the Earth, it missed us by just 10 million km.
One of the brightest comets ever seen, as comets were always linked with dire events the comet of 1264 was linked with the death of Pope Urban IV
The comet of 44 BCE, many would say it caused the death of Julius Caesar, it appeared in the sky a few weeks after his assassination
Here is a simple introduction to one of the flimsy members of the solar system, comets.
The second brightest star in the smallest constellation in the sky, Crux the Southern Cross. Beta is sometimes known as Mimosa.
The faintest of the three stars that form the summer triangle, yet Deneb is actually the brightest. It appears fainter than Altair and Vega simply because it is much further away.
Together with Castor, the star Pollux are the brightest stars in the constellation of Gemini the Twins one of the brightest of the zodiacal groups.
The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo the Virgin, Spica is always seen low down from Britain, which is a bit if a shame. Spica can be found by using the Plough.
A massive red super giant star that from Britain can be seen low down in the summer skies. It is so big that most of out solar system could fit inside it.
The brightest star in the Southern Cross, a constellation that we don't see in Britain yet it is one of the best know and a very familiar sight in the southern hemisphere.
The brightest star in the constellation of Aquila the Eagle and the southern most member of the summer triangle of stas that dominates the summer months in the northern hemisphere..
Normally known as Beta Centauri, Agena is the second of the pointers to the constellation of the Southern Cross.
One of the best known stars Betelgeuse or Beetlejuise as many people like to call it. A massive red giant star which astronomers expect to destroy itself in a supernova explosion within the next one million years.
One of many bright stars that cannot be seen from Britain, Achernar is the part of the long sprawling constellation of Eridanus the River that is far to the south of us.
The small dog star, Procyon is often overlooked in the winter sky by the brighter and better knwon Sirius the large dog star.
One of the four stars that form the great rectangle of Orion, Rigel can be found in the bottom right hand corner. It is the brightest star in this wonderful constellation.
The star that is overhead during winter evenings, although it appears single there are in fact four stars in this system.
One of the stars that forms the summer triangle, Vega can be seen directly overhead during summer evenings.
Located in the constellation of Bootes Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere with a wonderful story.
The third brightest star in the sky, alpha centauri is a system of three stars, one which is known as proxima is apart from the Sun the nearest star to us.
The second brightest star in the sky, although today in the constellation of Carina the Keel orginally part of the ancinet constellation of Argo Navis. Sadly it cannot be seen from Britain
The brightest star in the night sky, this is Sirius also known as the Dog Star as it is the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Major the Greater Dog