“Wonders of Universe”

Planets, Stars and Constellations

This free document is prepared for learning purpose using various online resources. Prepared by: Krishna, Mob: 8788526039.
 Reading the Night Sky
Tools to observed Night Sky
1. Night Sky : clear the better. 2. Knowledge of Star patterns, Bright objects in night Sky. 3. Basic instruments (Binocular, Telescope, Apps etc).

In general, we can have below steps to learn Astronomy:

1. Learn the Sky by Observation: Place and time to observe, atmosphere effect, what to look for in sky, directions etc.
2. Constellations: Prominent star figures / shapes easily seen in Sky: Saptarshi, Orion, Scorpio, Leo, Cassiopeia etc. These are having bright star
visible from city also. Also it will help to locate other things in Sky.
3. Bright stars in Sky: Sirius, Procyon, Arcturus, Antares, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Canopus, Castor and Pollux, Procyon etc.
4. Seasons and changing star patterns in Sky: Based on Earth's rotation and revolution, stars visible in Sky changes. E.g. Orion is visible in Winter
for full night while it's not visible in Summer.
5. Moon: Closest astronomical body. It's daily motion is fast, about 12-13 deg in Sky. You can follow it's position daily to see and identify the
nakshatra / constellation. You can see this in-home Calendar also, no need to have any app.
6. Planets: Identify difference in stars & planets. Venus and Mars move in Sky quickly compared to Jupiter, Saturn. Follow them.
7. Objects in Sky: We see stars, nebulae, planets, satellites, planes, shooting stars etc. Learn to differentiate among them.
8. Color and brightness: Try to see the colors, brightness of stars and planets. For stars, they give lot of information.
9. Record the observation: This is most important. Your records help to relook your observations, learn it.
While above steps are simple, with zero cost, based on your learning, it can be improved further by instruments like binocular, small telescope.
Planet Positions: Jupiter and Saturn

Map showing Jupiter and Saturn on 10th October, 2020.

Observing time: Evening in South
Planet Positions: Venus Mars

Map showing Venus in Leo on 10th October, 10, 2020. Map showing Mars in Pisces on 10th October, 2020.

Observing time: Early morning before Sunrise in East. Observing time: Evening in East.
Venus is brightest object in East Sky. Mars is bright red object in East Sky.
25 Brightest Stars in night Sky
 Constellation Guide
Constellation:
A constellation is an identifiable pattern formed by group of visible stars in the Sky. In general, constellation represents as animal, mythological
person or an inanimate object.
There are total 88 constellations identified and defined in the Sky by IAU ( International Astronomical Union).
Out of the 88 modern constellations, 36 lie predominantly in the northern sky, and the other 52 predominantly in the southern.

Asterism:
An asterism is a popularly known pattern or group of stars that can be seen in the night sky. It is a visually obvious collection of stars and the
lines used to mentally connect them.

Difference between Constellation and Asterism:

Asterisms do not have officially determined boundaries and in a general concept refer to any identified pattern of stars.
E.g., the Pleiades and the Hyades are both asterisms, and each lies within the boundaries of the constellation of Taurus. Another e.g. is of
asterism known as the Big Dipper, composed of the seven brightest stars within the area of the IAU-defined constellation of Ursa Major.
Big Dipper or Saptarshi: This is an asterism, a part of Ursa Major constellation.
Saptarshi or Big Dipper
Pointer Stars Indian Bayer Western
γ
Name Designation Name
Merak η
ε Kratu α UMa Dubhe
β ζ Pulaha β UMa Merak
Dubhe δ Pulastya γ UMa Phecda
α Atri δ UMa Megrez
Angiras ε UMa Alioth
Vasistha ζ UMa Mizar
Marichi η UMa Alkaid
Little Dipper

Polaris

Time to observe: In May – June Saptarshi can be seen high over North Sky during evening times.
Bootes and star Arcturus
Bootes can be seen if you extend the arc from Big Dipper stars towards Arcturus. The Bootes constellation here can be seen as a Ice Cream
Cone with Arcturus at its base.

How to find the Bootes

Time to observe: In May – June Bootes can be seen near zenith (overhead) during evening times.
Spica
Spica is alpha star of Virgo constellation, located at ~250 light years from the Sun.
It is a binary star and both partners orbit a common center of gravity in only 4 days. Their mutual gravity distorts each star into an egg shape,
with the pointed ends facing each other.
To find the Spica, follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to Arcturus, and then continue the same angular distance to Spica. This can be
recalled by the mnemonic phrase, "arc to Arcturus and spike to Spica.
How to find the Spica
Scorpius and Antares
Scorpius is one of the zodiacal constellation. It is visible in southern sky. Its shape resemblance to a Scorpion.
Bright star Antares is referred as "the heart of the scorpion“.
Antares, the red super-giant’s name comes from the Greek for “Rival of Mars” because its reddish-orange color closely mimics that of the
planet Mars itself.
The constellation is visible during the summer days.

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer astronomers

have constructed this remarkable image of the red supergiant
star Antares. This is the most detailed image ever of

Credit:ESO/K. Ohnaka
Orion
➢ Orion's seven brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass-shaped asterism, or pattern, in the night sky.
➢ Four stars—Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix and Saiph—form a large roughly rectangular shape.
➢ In the centre of this rectangle, lie the three stars of Orion's Belt—Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.
➢ Descending from the 'belt' is a smaller line of three stars, Orion's Sword (the middle of which is in fact not a star but the Orion Nebula).
The constellation is visible during the winter days.

Observation of other stars using Orion as guide

Credit: Mysid, wikimedia Credit: telescopeobserver.com

Sirius and Canis Major constellation
➢ Sirius is the brightest star in night sky. Sirius A, only 8.6 light-years from Earth, is the fifth closest star system known.
➢ With a visual apparent magnitude of -1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star.
➢ While by naked eyes, it’s a single star, i;’s actually a binary star system, consisting of a white main sequence star Sirius A, and a faint white dwarf companion
Sirius B.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows Sirius A, the brightest star in our
nighttime sky, along with its faint, tiny stellar companion, Sirius B.

Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Bond (STScI), and M. Barstow (University of Leicester)

Leo
➢ Leo is zodiacal constellation. Leo
➢ Regulus and Denebola are bright stars in Leo.
➢ Meteor shower Leonids usually peak on November 17-18 every year and have a radiant near the bright
star Gamma Leonis.
➢ Regulus, Alpha Leonis, is the 22nd brightest star in the sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 1.35 and is
approximately 77 light years distant.
➢ Regulus is a four-star system composed of two pairs of stars.

The constellation is visible during the late winter days.

Cassiopeia
➢ Cassiopeia is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky,
➢ It is a circumpolar constellation, means it can be seen all year round from northern latitudes.
➢ This beautiful constellation is most noted for its asterism of five stars which form a giant “M” or “W” as it rotates around the north star Polaris.
➢ SN 1572 , is a supernova in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records. It appeared in early
November 1572 . It is called as "Tycho's supernova", because of Tycho Brahe's extensive detail observation of it.

The constellation is visible during the winter days.

Cassiopeia
Dimensions in Space Magnitude of Stellar Objects
Name Apparent Absolute Distance
Magnitude Magnitude
Sun -26.7 4.8 1 AU

Full Moon -12.5 - ~3.85 Lakh Km

Venus -4.7 - ~0.28 AU

Alpha Centauri AB -0.27 A: 4.38 4.37 LY

B: 5.71
Proxima Centauri 11 15.6 4.24 LY

Sirius A -1.46 1.42 8.6 LY

Vega 0.03 0.58 25 LY

Arcturus -0.05 -0.3 36.7 LY

Distance measurement units in Space:

➢ Distance to nearby planets (Km, AU)
➢ Distance at Solar system end (AU)
➢ Distances in Space (Light year, parsec)
Thanks for joining. Have Clear Skies…