Transcript 3.5-star-id

Beginner
Amateur Astronomy
Identifying some stars in the northern
and southern summer sky
Objectives
• Identify the Big Dipper (not a constellation,
but an asterism) and use it to identify a few
other stars.
• Identify the summer triangle.
• Point out these stars to friends and family.
Southern horizon
• The most easily recognized constellation is
Scorpius
• An easily recognized asterism in the
constellation Sagittarius is the teapot.
• The brightest star in Scorpius is Antares.
S-SE
6/23/05
10:30 PM
Northern horizon
• The Big Dipper (in Ursa Major) is the most easily
recognized asterism (it’s not a constellation!)
• Use it to find The Little Dipper (Ursa Minor),
Polaris (Ursa Minor), Cassiopeia, Arcturus
(Bootes), Vega (Lyra), Deneb (Cygus), Altair
(Aquila).
• Deneb is part of the asterism, The Northern Cross.
• Deneb, Vega, and Altair are called the Summer
Triangle.
N
6/23/05
10:30 PM
Summer Triangle
• The Summer Triangle is formed by three bright
stars, Deneb, Vega, and Altair in the constellations
Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila.
• Slicing through this triangle is the asterism, the
Northern Cross, actually part of Cygnus the Swan.
• Tonight you will find the summer triangle above
the eastern sky and you’ll see it all through the
summer as it rises earlier and earlier.
E
6/
23/05
10:30PM