Constellation: A Field Guide

CONSTELLATION A FIELD GUIDE

BY RACHEL DRINKARD

"Those who first invented and then named the constellations were storytellers. Tracing an imaginary line between a cluster of stars gave them an image and an identity. The stars threaded on that line were like events threaded on a narrative.

Imagining the constellations did not of course change the stars, nor did it change the black emptiness that surrounds them. What it changed was the way people read the night sky."

John Berger

"Every constellation’s like its own fairy tale."

--Lauren Miller "Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations."

-- Alan Watts

CONTENTS

I set out first to cover some of the lesser known, smaller constellations and consistently found surprising and interesting facts about even the most obscure segments of the sky. I wrapped the semester up by revisiting some of my childhood favorites and discovered new and interesting facts, too, about these beloved arrangements.

Moral of the story is that the sky never fails to disappoint if you're looking at it with the right attitude.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

PENGUIN ORION LEPUS VELA ANTILIA OPHIUCUS BOÖTES SCUTUM SAGITTA LACERTA TUCANA PERSEUS ANDROMEDA CASSIOPEIA HERCULES

THE PENGUIN FLIGHTLESS BIRD

ABOUT THE PENGUIN The penguin was first noticed by Antarctic explorers as they ventured ever farther south. The temperatures got frigid and the seas more perilous as they sought what mysteries may lie beyond the comfort of more familiar lands. When they did find land, they were somewhat disappointed to discover its inhabitants were mostly flightless birds that gathered in huge colonies, creating quite a racket (and stench). The birds became so associated with Antarctic exploration that it only made sense to recognize the constellation in the sky as being the celestial equivalent of the bird on land.

WHERE TO FIND IT The penguin of the solar system is a small unassuming constellation set low in the Southern sky during the long dark winter months.

ORION THE HUNTER

ABOUT ORION A remarkably recognizable constellation, Orion can be seen from nearly anywhere in the world as it straddles the celestial equator and is a mainstay in the northern winter sky and the southern summer sky.

Perhaps the most noteworthy part of Orion, which contains 10% of the sky's brightest stars, is the Orion's Belt which is bookended by the constellations' two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel.

While Orion is notable for consisting primarily of brilliant blue supergiant stars, Betelgeuse, at Orion's right shoulder, is a red giant and is typically visibly different in color from its neighbors.

While there are many myths surrounding this popular constellation, the most enduring are that of the Sumerian's associating it with their hero Gilgamesh defending himself from Taurus, the bull depicted in a neighboring constellation while the Greeks' instead chose to name the star cluster after the most handsome son of Poseidon .

REFERENCES www.in-the-sky.org/data/constellation.php?id=61 www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/orionconstellation/

LEPUS THE HARE

ABOUT LEPUS This small constellation, occupying an area of 290 square degrees, is an ancient constellation that has been known since the time of the Greeks, In fact it was one of 48 constellations named by Ptolemy in the second century, but has never accumulated any particularly significant mythology of its own. It is typically said to depict a hare being pursued by Orion the hunter, which sits above it in the winter sky, and his hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor.

The brightest star in Lepus, a white supergiant star located approximately 2,218 light years from Earth named Arneb, has a visible magnitude of 2.58. The name means "the hare" in Arabic. Other notable stars include Nihal, a yellow giant with a magnitude of 2.84, and Sasin, an orange giant with a magnitude of 3.16. Lepus also contains Messier object M79, a globular cluster that contains thousands of individual stars, and the extremely dim but impressive Spirograph Nebula, a planetary nebula with an intricate pattern that resembles a drawing made with the classic Spirograph toy.

Lepus is a Southern hemisphere constellation but is visible in the Northern hemisphere between 60 degrees and -90 degrees latitude. It is surrounded in the sky by Caelum, Canis Major, Columba, Eridanus, Monoceros and Orion.

REFERENCES http://thestarsandplanets.com/skyguides/january.html http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-lepus.html

VELA THE SAILS OF THE SHIP

ABOUT VELA Originally, Vela was part of a much larger constellation called Argo Navis, first catalogued by Ptolemy in the 2nd century, depicting the mythical Jason's Argonaut ship. In the 1750's French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided this extremely large constellation into the three distinct formations we know today, with Vela featured as the sails of the ship while Carina made up the keel and Puppis formed the stern. This nautical association places Vela in the "Heavenly Waters" family of constellations.

Vela contains a number of interesting stars and deep sky objects, among them the Eight-burst Nebula (NGC 3132), the Gum Nebula, the Vela Supernova Remnant, the Pencil Nebula (NGC 2736), and the Omicron Velorum Cluster (IC 2391). Vela contains five stars with known planets and has no Messier objects. The brightest star in the constellation is Gamma Velorum, with an apparent magnitude of 1.75. There are three meteor showers associated with the constellation: the Delta Velids, the Gamma Velids, and the PuppidVelids.

Vela is a Southern hemisphere constellation and is the 32nd constellation in size, occupying an area of 500 square degrees. It is located in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ2) and can be seen at latitudes between +30° and -90°. It is surrounded in the sky by the aforementioned Carina and Puppis, but Pyxis, Antila and Centaurus also frame it.

REFERENCES http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/vela-constellation/ Space.com graphic made with Starry Night software worldwidetelescope.org

ANTLIA THE PUMP

ABOUT ANTLIA Antlia is a rather unassuming constellation. It has no bright stars (Alpha Antlia, the brightest, is only a billion year-old fourth magnitude star located 365 light-years away,) no Messiers and no meteor showers in its second quadrant in the Southern hemisphere neighboring the constellations of Centaurus, Hydra, Pyxis and Vela.

It has no profound mythology, and not even any particularly interesting story associated with its founding as a member of thirteen other constellations named after scientific instruments to fill in “empty” space in the Southern sky.

Antlia, located located between latitudes of +45° and -90°, was named in the 18th century by French astronomer Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille . It’s a small constellation, 62nd in size, representing single-cylinder air pump that French physicist Denis Papin invented in the 1670’s for his experiments.

All that being said, Antlia manages to contain a number of stunning deep sky objects worth note, particularly as telescopic imaging continues to improve viewing capabilities in deep space. Within its confines we can find the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy, the Antlia Cluster of Galaxies, the unbarred spiral galaxy NGC 2997, the spiral galaxies NGC 3244 and IC 2560 and the stunning interacting pair IC 2545.

Even with only far distant, fainter stars and only two of those containing known planets at this time, this sector of space as viewed from Earth manages to house NGC 3268, the elliptical galaxy NGC 3260, lenticular galaxies NGC 3269 and NGC 3267, the spiral galaxy NGC 3281, and the barred spiral NGC 3271, which is the brightest spiral galaxy in the cluster.

Just goes to show there is more than meets the eye to some of the more low-key constellations in our sky.

REFERENCES https://osr.org/blog/astronomy/antlia/ http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/antlia-constellation/

OPHIUCUS THE SERPENT-BEARER

ABOUT OPHIUCUS

ABOUT OPHIUCHUS Ophiuchus /ɒfiˈjuːkəs/ is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is from the Greek Ὀφιοῦχος Ophioukhos; "serpentbearer", and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens. Ophiuchus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It was formerly referred to as Serpentarius /sɜːrpənˈtɛəriəs/ and Anguitenens.

Ophiuchus is located between Aquila, Serpens and Hercules, northwest of the center of the Milky Way. The southern part lies between Scorpius to the west and Sagittarius to the east. In the northern hemisphere, it is best visible in summer. It is located opposite Orion in the sky. Ophiuchus straddles the equator but lies predominately to its south. However, Rasalhague, a fairly conspicuous star in its north, is circumpolar north of 78° north latitude. The constellation extends southward to −30° declination. Segments of the ecliptic that lie within Ophiuchus lie south of −20° declination.

The brightest stars in Ophiuchus include α Ophiuchi, called Rasalhague ("head of the serpent charmer"), at magnitude 2.07, and η Ophiuchi, known as Sabik ("the preceding one"), at magnitude 2.43. Other bright stars in the constellation include β Ophiuchi, Cebalrai ("dog of the shepherd") and λ Ophiuchi, or Marfik ("the elbow").

Ophiuchus contains several star clusters, such as IC 4665, NGC 6633, M9, M10, M12, M14, M19, M62, and M107, as well as the nebula IC 4603-4604.

M10 is a fairly close globular cluster, only 20,000 light-years from Earth. It has a magnitude of 6.6 and is a Shapley class VII cluster. This means that it has "intermediate" concentration; it is only somewhat concentrated towards its center.

REFERENCES https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-ophiuchus.html

BOÖTES THE HERDSMAN

ABOUT BOÖTES As with many constellations with bright stars, Bootes has a long and interesting history with myriad tales and mythologies attached to it. As the home of the third brightest star in the night sky, Arcturus, it was on the radar for star gazers long before telescopic assistance and in fact it was Ptolemy himself who first catalogued the constellation in the second century.

Since that time, Bootes (pronounced /boʊˈoʊtɨs/, with each ‘o’ pronounced separately and stress on the second syllable,) has been associated with a number of legends ranging from a simple herdsman followed by his hunting dogs to a son of Zues who, in a complicated and sordid story, was served to his own father in a meal by the baby momma's daddy, and then brought to life with amnesia and turned into starstuff when he attempted to hunt his own mother who had been turned into a bear by his father's angry wife... (I couldn't make this stuff up, I can only imagine the sort of society that could!)

Boötes is the 13th largest constellation in the night sky, occupying an area of 907 square degrees. It is located in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ3) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -50°. The neighboring constellations are Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, Corona Borealis, Draco, Hercules, Serpens Caput, Virgo, and Ursa Major.

The brightest star in Bootes, Arcturus or Alpha Boötes, is a type K1.5 IIIpe orange giant, one with an unusual spectrum of light and full of emission lines.

(The “pe” stands for “peculiar emission.”) Approximately 36.7 light years distant, the star has a luminosity at least 110 times that of the Sun and a very high proper motion; it moves at 122km/s relative to the solar system. It will arrive at the point nearest to the Sun in approximately 4,000 years. Arcturus is believed to be an old disk star. It appears to be traveling with a group of 52 other old disk stars, commonly known as the Arcturus Stream.

There are are number of fascinating points of interest in Bootes, including Nekkar, Seginus, Izar, Muphrid, Alkalurops, Merga, Nadlat, and Tau Bootes, which together make up the primary stars of the constellation. In addition, it also contains the Boötis void, Boötes Dwarf Galaxy, and NGC 5466, a globular cluster notable because it contains a blue horizontal branch of stars and is as metal poor as regular globular clusters

REFERENCES http://taylorsciencegeeks.weebly.com/blog/interesting-facts-about-the-constellation-bootes http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/bootes-constellation/

SCUTUM THE SHIELD

ABOUT SCUTUM The constellation was originally introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Hevelius named it Scutum Sobiescianum, Shield of Sobieski, in honour of the Polish King Jan III Sobieski, who had been victorious in the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Hevelius created the constellation a year later to commemorate the event, and the name was eventually simplified to Scutum.

Scutum is one of only two constellations named after real people. The other one is Coma Berenices, named for an Egyptian queen.

The "Teapot" of Sagittarius is below Scutum. And the bright star Vega shines high above Scutum.

Scutum is the 84th constellation in size, occupying an area of only 109 square degrees. It is located in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +80° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Aquila, Sagittarius and Serpens Cauda.

Scutum does not have any stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 or located within 10 parsecs (32.6 light years) of Earth. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Scuti, with an apparent magnitude of 3.85. The nearest star is LHS 3398 (spectral class M1V), located at a distance of 41.54 light years from Earth. Scutum constellation has only one star with a confirmed exoplanet, COROT-17 (spectral class G2V).

Scutum belongs to the Hercules family of constellations.

Some famous deep-sky objects reside in this part of the sky, too. One is the Wild Duck Cluster, also known as M11. It’s an open star cluster – one of the densest ones ever found – containing some 3,000 stars. Another open cluster in this part of the sky is M26, discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.

There is one meteor shower associated with the constellation, the June Scutids.

REFERENCES http://earthsky.org/tonight/constellation-named-for-a-polish-king-2 http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/scutum-constellation/

SAGITTA THE ARROW

ABOUT SAGITTA There's something unassumingly interesting about a constellation that embraces "dim but distinctive" and "third smallest" as its claims to fame.

There is truly little of any remarkability about Sagitta, especially among its neighbors in the sky, and yet it still managed to capture my imagination...and apparently someone else's as well.

Even though Sagitta is the third-smallest constellation in the sky, and has no stars brighter than fourth magnitude, it was well-known to the Greeks and was among the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the Almagest. Aratus described it as ‘alone, without a bow’ since there is no sign of the archer who might have shot it. There are several theories and stories as to who the archer might have been, however.

First, Eratosthenes said it was the projectile with which Apollo killed the Cyclopes because they made the thunderbolts of Zeus that struck down Apollo’s son, Asclepius. Second, Hyginus said that Sagitta was one of the arrows with which Heracles killed the eagle that ate the liver of Prometheus.

And third, and perhaps most impressively for such a minor constellation, Germanicus Caesar identified Sagitta as the arrow of Eros which kindled in Zeus his passion for the shepherd boy Ganymede, who is commemorated by the constellation Aquarius.

Sagitta can be seen in late summer in the northern hemisphere. It is visible between latitudes 90 degrees and -70 degrees. It is an extremely small constellation, filling only 80 square degrees of the sky. This makes it the third smallest constellation in the night sky. It is bordered by Vulpecula to the north, Hercules to the west, Aquila to the south, and Delphinus to the east.

Sagitta's few notable deep sky objects include the globular cluster Messier 71 (NGC 6838) and the Necklace Nebula, a planetary nebula discovered in 2005.

REFERENCES http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/sagitta-constellation/ http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-sagitta.html http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/sagitta.htm

LACERTA THE LIZARD

ABOUT LACERTA Lacerta, the lizard of the night sky, is a small, lithe northern constellation which appears highest in the midnight sky in the months around August.

It was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, filling an area of sky between Cygnus and Andromeda which lacks any bright stars. It is one of seven constellations created by Hevelius in the 17th century, and was first introduced in a star atlas published

by Hevelius in 1690. It was originally given the name Stellio after a type of lizard known as a stellion, but the name was later changed to Lacerta. It is a faint constellation that extends from the head of Cepheus to the foot of Perseus, between Cygnus and Andromeda.

Lacerta’s brightest stars form a small W in the sky, similar to the constellation Cassiopeia. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to a “Little Cassiopeia.”

Lacerta only contains one star brighter than fourth magnitude and none of them have proper names. It is visible between latitudes of 90 degrees and -40 degrees. It is a very small constellation, occupying only 201 square degrees of the sky. It ranks 68th in size among the 88 constellations in the night sky. It is home to the open clusters NGC 7243 and NGC 7209, as well as the variable object BL Lac, the prototypical example of a blazar. Varying between magnitude 14 and 17, however, BL Lac is extremely faint and can only been seen through the largest amateur telescopes.

REFERENCES http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-lacerta.html http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/lacerta-constellation/

TUCANA THE TOUCAN

ABOUT TUCANA Forever a fan of the underdog, I’ve found myself attracted week after week to the lesser known constellations on offer to research.

This week is certainly no different. May I present one fruity bird of the sky, Toucana, the Southern Hemisphere’s little known toucan constellation.

Tucana, like many other minor constellations, is not associated with any myths. The constellation’s name is obviously Latin for “the toucan,” a South American bird with a huge bill. It was one of twelve constellations introduced by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius based on the observations of Dutch navigators. It first appeared in Johann Bayer’s star atlas, Uranometria, in 1603 where it was depicted as a toucan. Another astronomer, Frederick de Houtman, included it in his star catalog the same year. However, Houtman depicted it as a hornbill, a bird native to the East Indies. Eventually, the toucan became the bird of choice.

It is visible in latitudes south of 15 degrees between August and October. It is completely below the horizon for anyone north of 30 degrees. It is a small constellation, occupying an area of only 295 square degrees. This ranks it 48th in size among the 88 constellations in the night sky. It is bordered by Hydrus to the east, Grus and Phoenix to the north, Indus to the west and Octans to the south. It is one of four constellations known as the “Southern Birds,” along with Grus, Pavo, and Phoenix.

The constellation is home to the Tucana Dwarf galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, and several other notable deep sky objects.

REFERENCES http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/tucana-constellation/ http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-tucana.html

PERSEUS THE HERO

ABOUT PERSEUS The constellation Perseus, the hero, can be seen in late summer and autumn in the northern hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes between 90 degrees and -35 degrees. Perseus is a mid-sized constellation with a total area of 615 square degrees. This makes it the 24th largest constellation in the night sky. It is bordered by Aries and Taurus to the south, Auriga to the east, Camelopardalis and Cassiopeia to the north, and Andromeda and Triangulum to the west. It is also origin point for the annual Perseid meteor shower.

Perseus was first cataloged in the second century by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy. It is named after the legendary hero who rescued Andromeda from the sea monster, Cetus. Perseus was the son of DanaĂŤ, who was the daughter of King Acrisius. His father was the god Zeus. Perseus was sent by King Polydectes to slay the evil gorgon sister Medusa, whose gaze could turn anyone who looked into stone. Perseus slew Medusa in her sleep and collected her head in a bag. On his way back home he spotted the princess Andromeda chained to a rock. She was to be sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus. Perseus used the head of Medusa to turn the monster into stone. Perseus and Andromeda fell in love and were both placed among the stars.

Constellation Family Name: Perseus Main Stars: 19 Stars with Planets: 7 Brightest Star: Per Nearest Star: G 174-14 Messier Objects: 2

REFERENCES http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-perseus.html https://astronomyisawesome.com/galaxies/7-most-beautiful-constellations/

ANDROMEDA THE PRINCESS OF ETHIOPIA

ABOUT ANDROMEDA Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus of Ethiopia. The mother chained her daughter to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus.

Andromeda was saved at the last-minute by her hero and a hopeful love interest, Perseus, when he turned Cetus to stone by using the dismembered head of the gorgon Medusa.

Perseus and Andromeda were later married and has six children, including Perses, who was the ancestor of the Persians.

The constellation Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia, is visible in the northern hemisphere from August through January. It can be seen and in the southern hemisphere in November. It is below the horizon for anyone south of latitude -40 degrees.

Andromeda is a large constellation, covering 722 square degrees of the sky. In fact, it is the 19th largest constellation in the night sky. It is bordered by Perseus, Cassiopeia, Lacerta, Pegasus, Pisces, and Triangulum.

Andromeda is one of the original 48 constellations listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century.

Constellation Family Name: Perseus Main Stars: 16 Stars with Planets: 12 Brightest Star: And Nearest Star: Ross 248 Messier Objects: 3

REFERENCES http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-andromeda.html https://astronomyisawesome.com/galaxies/7-most-beautiful-constellations/

CASSIOPEIA THE QUEEN OF ETHIOPIA

ABOUT CASSIOPEIA The Queen, Cassiopeia, was gazing at herself in a mirror and proclaimed herself to be more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs. As punishment Poseidon demanded that the princess Andromeda be sacrificed to the sea monster, Cetus.

After Cassiopeia’s daughter, Andromeda, was saved by Perseus, Cassiopeia plotted with her daughter’s ex-fiancée Agenor to kill Perseus. Perseus used Medusa’s head to turn Cassiopeia, Agenor and his soldiers to fixed stone. In the constellation, Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus are facing each other’s feet. The name “Cassiopeia” is a Phoenician phrase that actually means the “Rose-Colored Face.”

The constellation Cassiopeia, Queen of Ethiopia, can be seen in the northern hemisphere all year long. It is visible at latitudes between 90 degrees and -20 degrees. Since it is located close to the north celestial pole, it is completely below the horizon for anyone located south of -20 degrees. It is a mid-sized constellation occupying 598 square degrees. This makes it the 25th largest constellation in the night sky. It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast, and Cepheus to the north.

Constellation Family Name: Perseus Main Stars: 5 Stars with Planets: 7 Brightest Star: Cas Nearest Star: Cas Messier Objects: 2

REFERENCES http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-cassiopeia.html https://astronomyisawesome.com/galaxies/7-most-beautiful-constellations/

HERCULES THE STRONGMAN

ABOUT HERCULES Hercules is a constellation named after one of the most famous characters of all time; Hercules. He’s best known as the Roman mythological hero adapted from the Greek hero Heracles, also a Disney character.

The constellation Hercules, the strongman, is best seen during the summer in the northern hemisphere. It is visible in the southern hemisphere from May until August at latitudes between 90 degrees and -50 degrees. It is a large constellation filling 1225 square degrees of the sky. It the fifth largest constellation in the sky, but can be difficult to locate because of its dim stars. It can be found by looking between Draco and Ophiuchus. The constellation is bordered by Draco to the north; Boötes, Corona Borealis, and Serpens Caput to the east; Ophiuchus to the south; Aquila to the southwest; and Sagitta, Vulpecula, and Lyra to the west. Hercules contains a famous grouping of stars known as an asterism. Four stars form a square shape known as the Keystone. The Keystone represents the hero’s torso in the constellation.

Hercules is one of the 48 constellations listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. It is a very old constellation that was celebrated by a number of ancient cultures. The Sumerians associated the constellation with the hero Gilgamesh.

Constellation Family Name: Hercules Main Stars: 14, 22 Stars with Planets: 15 Brightest Star: Her Nearest Star: Gliese 661 Messier Objects: 2

REFERENCES http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-hercules.html https://astronomyisawesome.com/galaxies/7-most-beautiful-constellations/