Canis Major

Remember the Orion's Belt navigation trick I mentioned in the Orion post? The first practical use for stargazing will be present in this post! Go back and find the star Sirius on the diagram, and make a note of the direction of it. The star Sirius is pretty easy to find, as it is the brightest star in the night sky. Period. No other star is brighter. Sirius is also known as the "Dog Star" as the the star is the center of the constellation Canis Major, or the Greater Dog.
See how Sirius makes up the foundation of the constellation?

Canis Major is closely following the constellation Orion, and is known to be one of his hunting dogs. This constellation should not be confused with Canis Minor, a very similar but smaller constellation. Part of the reason why Canis Major is easily spotted, aside from the star Sirius, is the absence of deep-sky objects in that sector of the sky. A deep-sky object is defined as a celestial body (like a galaxy, nebula or the like) that can be seen in the night sky with the naked eye.

Go out and try to use Orion's Belt to find Sirius and the rest of Canis Major. It is a good feeling when you get a hang of the it. This blog post also may have cleared up something for those of us who wondered why Sirius satellite radio's logo is a dog.

Orion

Do you recognize this? Can you see the bright stars illuminating the popular constellation that we all have heard of? The belt will hopefully give it away. Yes, we are talking about The Hunter, Orion. This is perhaps the highlight of the winter constellations.

Now, by finding the belt, we can fairly easily assemble the rest of the mighty hunter, but the belt is actually extremely useful for some other stargazing opportunities. I will use the Wikipedia article's way of explaining the navigation points it brings:
"Orion is very useful as an aid to locating other stars. By extending the line of the Belt southeastward, Sirius (α CMa) can be found; northwestward, Aldebaran (α Tau). A line eastward across the two shoulders indicates the direction of Procyon (α CMi). A line from Rigel through Betelgeuse points to Castor and Pollux (α Gem and β Gem). Additionally, Rigel is part of the Winter Circle. Sirius and Procyon, which may be located from Orion by following imaginary lines (see map), also are points in both the Winter Triangle and the Circle".

 

Keep this info in mind, as these stars will be reappearing in future posts about other articles. Being able to find and identify stars will help you find said constellations, and it will just make you look rather intelligent.

It is important to note that once you find Orion's belt, his torso is due north of the belt, legs south, shield west, and club east. This also makes the constellation helpful for navigation. Just scan the sky, and Orion's belt will stand out. Become familiar with Orion, and the winter sky will begin to unlock itself.

Winter Constellations

Love it or hate it, the winter months are now upon us. Now, this time of year has some great advantages if you are willing to endure the cold. It is one of the times of the year when the stars are most clear (please see my post about the cold air affecting the night sky), and the second half of the sky's constellations come into view.

For those that may not know, there are four groupings of constellations across the globe. There are the Northern Hemisphere summer and winter constellations, and the Southern Hemisphere summer and winter constellations. There are a few cross over constellations, but this is a way to help map out when and where a particular constellation will be visible.

In the next few weeks, we will be covering the Northern Hemisphere's winter constellations. Based upon my Northern Indiana geographical location, it makes sense to me. I apologize to any other readers, and I plan to get to the other sections soon. Northern Hemisphere friends, get ready for some great stargazing in the upcoming months. Below is a picture of the winter constellations. Get pumped!

Dear Earth, From Space

Life is all about perspective. When we look up into the sky, we perceive the bountiful wonders to be beautiful and serene, but have you wondered what space thinks about Earth? Would the stars look at the earth and think, "Wow, that is beautiful"? Maybe I am the only one who thinks about these things, but either way, I'll let you judge the answer to that after you watch the video below.

From the months of August to October, during 2011, the International Space Station had special low-light cameras trained on earth as the space station floated above us all. What it captured cannot be easily put into words. In the video, you can see thunderstorms, the Aurora Borealis, and numerous other fantastical things from the atmosphere. Talk about a different perspective. Check out this video, and hopefully, it will help us all see our planet as just as wonderful and beautiful as the universe around us.

Earth, Time Lapse View From Space

Asteroids

Outer Space is simply full of objects floating about endlessly. Stars, planets, meteorites, comets, and many more, but one yet remains. This next object closely resembles parts from each of the previously discussed topics. These are the "tiny planets", asteroids.

The Milky Way galaxy is full of these beings. Our solar system has hundreds flying about it, most between the Sun and Jupiter. Asteroids are mostly rock or metal, but the surface of each closely resembles the appearance of comets. They are often referred to as tiny planets due to their behavior. They, like planets, orbit the sun. Asteroids travel alone, and sometimes in asteroid belts. An asteroid belt is a massive grouping of asteroids that forms a semi-circle of asteroids that orbit together. It almost resembles a large cloud of rock.

In this picture, there is an asteroid (the left), the dwarf planet Ceres (center), and the Moon (right). Note how similar each one is to the other. Asteroids, in both behavior and appearance, truly are like tiny planets, just making their way in the night sky.

Comets

Back in the days of the Ancients, people looked to the sky for signs and guidance. The Greeks literally named this astral symbol "long-haired", based on the trail it etched across the evening light. This beautiful light; however, was not a welcome sign, as they believed it signified bad things to come. I am talking about the celestial beings know as comets.

Let's go back to the etymology (origins of the word's name) of comets. The names meaning "long-haired" is quite significant to the identification of a comet. The only discernible difference between comets and asteroids is the fact that comets have comas and tails. Now, what do I mean by this? Please note this picture below.

The super bright core is the comet itself, but the light aura surrounding the core is the "coma" and the trail following them is the "tail". These things form around the comet as its orbit brings it close to the sun. The solar wind and solar radiation cause these lights to appear as they take their toll on the comet.

Comets are usually giant orbs or ice, but can be dust or rock as well, sometimes mixtures of the three. There are over 4,000 known comets that can be seen from earth, and more are entering visible sight. There is about one that can be seen annually. Comets are usually more visually striking than their relatives the meteor and asteroid, but they are harder to find. They are worth the effort. I know I will not forget the first time I saw a comet. It really did look something like this:

Meteor Showers

Meteor showers are fantastic things. So many shooting stars in a single night, it is just a sight to behold. I must admit, growing up I had numerous misconceptions as to what a meteor shower was like. I hope to maybe clear some of those up for you all.

Please look closely at the picture at the top. Note how it looks like all of the meteors are centered around a specific center point. This is not an optical illusion, that is how meteor showers actually happen. There is one central location that the meteors stem from during a meteor shower. The meteors can still appear at almost any point in the sky, but they all come from the same point regardless. Most news places will notify you of the center point of the meteor shower before it happens. If you watch this point, you are far more likely to see the shooting stars.

Now, in multiple fictional depictions, meteor showers are a sudden, short burst of an army of stars. This is not the case in real life. Most meteor showers last for hours on end, with a shooting star visible maybe every few minutes or so. There will be many stars, but they will be spaced out over a period of time.

The next meteor shower is the Leonids shower that will start on November 17 (this Thursday), after midnight. It should be visible from any of the 48 mainland states. Use the info from this post, and go see some of the greatest sights the night has to offer. Be sure to have some wishes ready!

Meteors

Have you ever seen a shooting star? This misleading term does not mean that a star is moving across the sky. Stars are, in fact, quite stationary. What we are seeing are meteors. Meteors are actually the visible trails left by meteoroids. Meteors are seen when a meteoroid trails through the earth's mesosphere. The light comes from the burning of the meteoroid, due to friction, as it passes through the atmosphere.

It is a common misconception that a meteor is the solid mass that flies through space. The light trail is known as a meteor. The meteoroid is the solid mass that soars through the heavens. Meteoroids can be any size from a grain of sand to the size of a boulder, or even bigger. They are almost exclusively made of rock or metal, unlike comets (which we will discuss later). Here we see a meteoroid that landed in Argentina.

The next time you see a meteor, remember, that is just the light. What truly creates the majestic sight is space rock and interplanetary dust. At the bottom, is one of the most bright, brilliant meteors ever captured on photo.
Please feel free to continue to wish on them. I still will be.

Next Stargazing Locale near the Huntington Area!

Dear Stargazers, I have your next location for a great night of stargazing. This spot is pretty sweet during the day as well! It is the Hanging Rock near Andrews Indiana.

To get to this location, star by taking 24 West out until you reach the intersection of 24 and 105. At this point, take 105 South through the town of Andrews IN. It's a small, quaint town, but not much there to report really. After you pass through Andrews, you will eventually come across Division Road in the middle of some farm fields. Take this road west. You will know you are on the right road if you eventually pass by a Ballschmidt's Family Processing. Keep down this road, and follow it as it hits a T in the road. Turn right at the T, and once you finish a few twists of the road, you are there.

It is important to note that this land is owned by a private company, but they have the land open during the day time to the public for use. It is a fantastic area, please check it out. Attached below is a picture of the Hanging Rock. Image courtesy of www.fwdailynews.com.

Nebulae Series #4 Supernova Remnants

When a star's core fusion dies out from lack of fuel, the star sucks into itself until the force of it causes it to implode. This is a supernova. Sometimes, when a supernova occurs, the gases of the stars will be energized and propelled out into space, leaving charged gases in the place where the star used to be. This is a supernova remnant, a special type of diffuse nebula.

The Crab Nebula, seen above, is a popular supernova remnant. It even looks like part of an explosion frozen in time and space. Some of the light from these nebulae comes from ionized gas and x-rays, like the nebulae we discussed previously. This one does have a distinct distinguish-er though:  most of its light is created by radiation from the old star's core.

Nebulae Series #3 Protoplanetary Nebulae

The protoplanetary nebula (PPN) is an interesting variant on most nebulae. This one is actually part of a specific star's stellar evolution. As the same may suggest, it is also a precursor to the planetary nebulae.

During the stellar evolution, the star releases a huge amount of hydrogen into the surrounding sky. The hydrogen, as it is being released, forms a sort of shell around the star. Once this is complete, the PPN phase is in effect. The star core of the PPN fuels the light, creating the fantastically bright visuals that PPN are famous for. Attached below is the Egg Nebula, which is part of the constellation Cygnus, and is a PPN.

 Stellar winds are  responsible for the symmetrical shape of these nebulae. They remain this way until the core temperature of the star reaches about 30,000 degrees Kelvin. AT this point, the heat ionizes the hydrogen cloud, and the PPN becomes a planetary nebulae. Note the distinct symmetrical shape of the Red Rectangle nebula below.

Nebulae Series #2 Diffuse Nebulae

This is the Omega Nebula. It almost looks like a picture taken of the sky hear on Earth. This nebula is an example of our next type of nebula: the diffuse nebula.

The Diffuse nebulae are a collection of two subcategories of nebulae: the reflection and emission nebulae. This is, by far, the biggest category of nebulae in the universe. The term diffuse refers to a nebula with not specific shape or size. It essentially means it's just a massive cloud of gas and dust.

The classifications of emission and reflection refer to the way the nebulae shed their light. Emission nebulae contain ionized gases that create their light. Reflection nebulae produce hardly any light, but are largely visible by reflecting light from the stars. There is a subcategory of these as well known as dark nebulae. They do not produce loght at all, but are visible, and notable, by the fact that their darkness creates their visibility. The Horse Head Nebula, attached below, is a dark nebula. Note the distinct shape formed by the black.

Nebulae Series #1 Planetary Nebula

The first nebula we are going to investigate is the Planetary Nebula. The name of this nebula come from the early astronomers who first found them. They thought that their appearance closely resembled that of of the discs found on a planet, like the rings of Saturn.

Planetary nebulae are the most densely packed forms of nebulae. They are sometimes created when a white dwarf star forms. The formation energy of the star pushes the gases, mostly ionized hydrogen, out of the star itself. The gas forms what we see and know as the planetary nebula. The light of the star contributes to the glow of these beautiful clouds. Seen in the picture below is the Cat's Eye Nebula. This is one of the best known planetary nebulae.

Note the distinct rings around the center. Those rings are the ones that contributed to the name of this particular kind of nebulae.

Nebulae

Nebulae, in my opinion, are probably the most beautiful beings of the heavens. Just look at them! Below is one of the best known pictures of a nebula. This is the "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula.

The term nebula comes from the Latin word for cloud. This is a suitable name for them for sure, as this is essentially what they are. A nebula is a big cloud of dust and ionized gas, usually something like hydrogen or helium. Now, who is this relevant to this blog? The first nebula to be discovered were spotted by the human eye back in the 900's. People thought they were dense clouds of stars. This blog also focuses on the beauty of the night sky, and these are simply beautiful.

Get excited as we begin a series on these gas giants.