~by Chris Curwin, Astronomy by the Bay
Learning the night sky can be a very rewarding experience… and today more than ever, we have many tools to guide us at our fingertips. Astronomy is an outdoor hobby… go out into the night and learn the patterns overhead. Looking up and saying “That’s Polaris!” or “There’s Venus!” can provide a sense of pleasure, and maybe even help you understand a bit more about our universe and our unique role in it’s story.
Learning the Night Sky the Easy Way~
A typical, printable star chart can be a great tool under the night time sky. This one is available for download from the website heavens-above.com . The chart can be configured for any date and time. This is tonight’s sky from Saint John around 8pm. Most astronomy magazines also contain star charts.
Look high in the south this evening to find Orion. It’s easily distinguishable pattern remains in the night sky most of the night. Try and see the colour difference between the red supergiant Betlegeuse at the top left and bright blue white supergiant Rigel, bottom right… as well as the Orion Nebula, below the three stars of the belt.
Free programs like this one, Stellarium, offer a wealth of information about the night sky. Once configured to your location, you can look up any sky any day of the week. It has many wonderful features and is available for download at www.stellarium.org. Many people consider it the easiest program for learning the night sky.
An excellent app for tablet or phone is this one, offered at Google Play Store for free. it follows the pattern used on their website… www.heavens-above.com. and will reveal a huge amount of information on the night sky, including the next pass of the space station, satellites, comets and much more. This is only one of many free apps at our fingertips.
Questions? You can contact me on Facebook at Astronomy by the Bay. Thanks.
More from Astronomy by the Bay~
Star Hopping
Favourite Binocular Targets
“Sign Posts” for Navigating the Night Sky
Europa
Astronomy by the Bay (web)
Astronomy by the Bay (Facebook)