Learn about astronomy and the night sky with short videos about constellations (and soon, other topics, too). Each constellation video shows you how to find and recognize that constellation and features a brief tour of some of the interesting targets you may find within it, like double stars, nebulae, clusters, and galaxies!
Oh, and support this channel! -Hit the Like and Subscribe buttons! -Make a comment (say hello, or ask for a given subject... or tell me the first time you first saw a given object or constellation)... The Universe will thank you (or at least, I'l really appreciate it). :)
According to my math, it would be about 3.26 kilometers high (2.03 miles). This is assuming it’s a class 1 imperial star destroyer, which has a width of 548 meters. This is also assuming the length of two average fists is 10cm and you have an average wingspan.
if you use three stars that are on top of the constellation like you use Orion's Belt in Winter you can find Lupus the wolf, Centaurus the Warrior, Scutum the Shield and Septants the Snake. Also Ophiuchus is standing on top of it
Thanks for the suggestions... :) I would note, though, that what someone could find is also dependent on their latitude. At mine (+40°), the Centaur is only barely above the horizon and only for a short while. Lupus will work a little better... You're right about Septans and Ophiuchus, but I'd say Scutum will be more easily found coming upwards from the top of the Sagittarius "teapot," or downward (and a touch west) from the bottom of Aquila (if you can find M11, the Wild Duck Cluster, there you are!). Cheers!
Let's change the stars. What I mean is, get the IAU to, OFFICIALLY, make a new constellation. My idea for changing the stars includes Orion, Taurus and Pleiades (Subaru). Figure it's time to put something up there that's relevant to us, don't you think? Take Orion's belt and Betelgeuse becomes the head with a baseball hat. The 3 stars of Orion's belt make up the 3 fat belt loops on a baseball uniform. Below the belt are two legs bending at the knee. Saiph is the back foot and Rigel is the front foot. The feet aligning perfectly under the bent knees. The spear pointing at "Subaru" is the bat being swung and "Pleiades" is the baseball flying away after being hit. Bellatrix is the hand that let go of the bat and Aldebaran of Taurus is the tip. Put it all together and you get, "THE ALL-STAR." In my case, I see a left-handed batter and I imagine a "7" on the jersey. Which makes him, "Mickey." (As it should be ;-) But you can put any number you want, making, "THE ALL-STAR," any player you want. It'd be wrong of me to not, at least, try. This is me, trying. Pass it on, please and thank you. Don't worry, where I come from, crazy is a compliment.
My nic name is boo My father gave me at birth in constellation of bootes stars are ended with your DNA because that's why he its said knew you before you were born 😊😊
This the age of instant gratification. Go to telescopes and software that take a person instantly to an object of interest. There is much lost by not learning the night sky. I have always urged beginners in astronomy to learn the night sky first. Thank you for sharing your passion for astronomy!
I agree. I actually have a telescope with those features, but have yet to do a sky alignment on it. I have just been using it manually to learn the sky.
I’m glad my videos have served a dual purpose for you. For what it’s worth, I find that getting behind a telescope’s eyepiece for a while is a terrific stress reliever, as are books or videos that can make you step back and experience wonder… Good that my projects here may be helping with that. :)
With years of experience and recorded observations with different optics and especially my 10" Newtonian, I have always had a passion for the study of astronomy. In reference to open clusters I learned that Ursa Major is also a possible open cluster, and that because of our close proximity we don't perceive it as such. In reference to the constellation Scorpius, my late sister who left this world in 2012 was somewhat of a astrology fan. Her birth constellation Scorpius was high enough above the horizon in all it's glory the night she passed. By the way, I love your channel!
Hi Gary, Thanks for writing… I’m sorry to hear about your sister. As for Ursa Major being a cluster, you might be thinking of the Ursa Major Moving Group, which includes most of the Big Dipper stars, but not the rest of the Great Bear (“Ursa Major” in English). interestingly, there are other stars in other constellations, some in vastly different parts of our sky, that ARE parts of this moving group! :)
Thank you for clarifying that about Ursa Major. It had been many years since reading about those stars. I miss studying astronomy and taking my telescope out. I hope to do so again soon before my eyes are too old.
You're welcome! If you still have that 10", that big aperture will help even up the score a bit with older eyeballs (then again, so does experience behind the eyepiece). If your gear is out of commission, though, don't forget there are astronomical societies all over, and they typically hold star parties where you can go and look, whether you have a scope or not. Great way to make friends, too! :)
I do still own my 10" Newtonian. Your remark about aging eyes is encouraging. I am hoping this is the year I can get back into astronomy.@@thenightskywithzacharysinger
Scorpius is one of my favorite Constellations and I live far enough South it isn't too low in the sky though as August goes into Sept. it can be difficult to see it when it's dusty. M4 globular cluster right next to Antares which is a giant red sun they can make a nice pair. Down in the crook of the stinger in the lower right side is the Northern Jewel Box open cluster and it is a beauty. Just below it are two stars that look like a double binary, but are just an optical binary of two different color stars. They look great when pictured with the Jewel Box at the bottom.
Thanks! By the way, if you get outside at moderate northern latitudes around 9:30 one evening soon (late August, early September), you can still see Boötes relatively high in the western sky. :)
I see that constellation all the time. Infact ita tge only one that actually looks like the name of it. Well otger then the big dipper. But i always said hey tgat looks like a kite. I didnt know it was called that lol
Excellent video. Thanks. I compiled a list of targets with directions in both Scorpius and Sagittarius and am looking that way tonight (and beyond!). I used Stellarium on my laptop and zoomed in, giving me more targets than I knew were there. I'll be looking for M22, M8, M20, popping over to open clusters M21 and M23, the "Patch" M24, globular M28 on the way from Kaus Borealis to the multiple Mu Sag (Polis), to M25, continuing up to M17 then M16 in Serpens. It should be fun. If I can stay awake, in lower Scorpius I want Caldwell 76, the double/multiple Sargas, to Ptolemy's cluster M7 and up to Butterfly cluster M6. Whether I get everything is doubtful (especially if I hang around with something especially striking- I always stay on M92 for example), but it's been cloudy more evenings than not, so I'm going to have a good time. Clear skies to all, and thanks again!
I'm glad you liked the video, and I think your observing list is pretty cool (a nice mix of targets). I took advantage of a break in the clouds last weekend, myself--as it happens, I hit some of those on your list. M24 is a favorite of mine, though I suspect many folks miss it--and good on you for hitting M92, it's another oft-overlooked target (in this case, because people only go to M13). NGC 6231, aka your Caldwell 76--a neat little cluster! Did you notice how blue many of the stars are? (I haven't been to that one in a while now, but the last time was in my 12-inch, so it was pretty spiffy.) Anyway, thanks for sharing your enthusiasm, and wishing you clear skies back!
@@thenightskywithzacharysinger Thanks for replying. I got the Caldwell 76 description off one of the diagrams online. I use the Cambridge atlas and Stellarium on the laptop for ideas for searches, and follow up with online search of constellation breakdowns/star names. I use SkyView Lite on my phone for quick directions (especially to new constellations I'm not familiar with), then follow what I wrote down. As for M92, I think it's a prettier cluster than M13, but they're both stunning. I also really like M11, and visit it every session. I haven't split the doubles/multiples in Aquila yet, but that's on my list for this evening, as well as the clusters NGC6709 and 6755 there. I wasn't able to split Sargas the one night I tried. Seeing wasn't ideal, being slightly hazy with a breeze picking up. I got the objects across the bottom of the teapot pretty easily a couple of nights ago, but I didn't follow up on my handwritten notes to make the quick jaunt up to NGC6624 near Kaus Media, but will tonight. ...I must have just bypassed M24 when I hopped up that rich area. It's on my list, and I hopped two paths- one from Polis to M25, 18, and 17, and the other Kaus Borealis to M28, M8 and 20, stopping at M21. I'll head up to M24 this evening if the clouds don't build too much. Anyway, thanks again.
Thanks for the tour. I'm also in Colorado, probably south of you in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains about 30 miles to New Mexico. I'm a relative newbie, having my 8" Dob since late November. My primary targets last night were towards the east in Cygnus, Aquila, and Lyra. Unfortunately, like most of the winter and spring, clouds shared the sky in the evening...mostly towards the east and at zenith. Vega would occasionally peek out. I had time to split Mizar again (oh boy!), but not time enough to view M101 or 51. Hercules never showed, so trying to give M13 further consideration compared to more lovely M92 in my opinion didn't happen. Clouds swept toward the south beyond Scorpius, where I planned on finishing my evening. Spica and Virgo were SSW, mostly in the clear, as was Corvus, which was sinking behind the house and ridge to the west. Enough haze and broken clouds filling in kept M104 from view. I didn't have a "plan B" or C, which is why I'm here, looking for objects to view in Virgo in a different direction. Venus in the totally clear western sky was just taunting me, to no avail. Breaking down to set up again on the other side of the house wasn't going to happen. Now I have a place to start, thanks to your video. Much appreciated. Clear Skies, and I'm subscribing to your channel.
Wow, Steve, that's quite the comment! (Thanks for the interest and involvement.) The hour is late here now, but one thing that came to mind is the Leo Triplet. M65 and M66 should be no problem in your 8", and perhaps the "Hamburger Galaxy" (the third galaxy in the triplet, and more difficult). Grab your earliest opportunity, skies permitting--they'll still be at an acceptable height in the southwest around 10:30 PM in mid-June, but don't wait too long, or they'll sink lower into the haze near the horizon. Clear skies! :)
@@thenightskywithzacharysinger, thanks for your reply. I've viewed M65 and M66 when Leo was higher in the sky, and will of course be looking at them again. Hamburger Galaxy I have not. I thought about looking that way the other night, but like with the western sky, I would have had to take down and set back up. We're mostly clear today (but hazy), and if the sky doesn't deteriorate into cloud cover, I'll be out looking probably southwest first, before things sink too far. Anyway, thanks again.
