A Guide to the Constellations (in progress)

A Guide to the Constellations

The human eye and brain together have a habit of finding order and structure where no such order and structure exists, and they often impose an order and structure quite at variance with a real structure and order which is, however, not readily apparent. That's the way things have worked out with the sky.

We are embedded in a galaxy of stars, a huge conglomeration laid out in a series of great spirals leading in to a dust-obscured center of stars, and very likely, a black hole into which stars, dust, and gas pour in a great shriek of electromagnetic radiation. Yet what we see appears to be a random arrangement of stars which our minds link together into the patterns we term constellations. This imposed structure gives us the ability to talk about regions of the sky in a familiar manner, rather like the way we talk about the oceans and continents of our planet. This area of the site will look at the astrography of the night sky by considering the features of the individual constellations, using the 88 internationally recognised constellations though reserving the possibility of looking at alternate constellations which lurk in the cultural sidelines of astronomy.

Initially the project will simply list the officially recognised constellations, but eventually I hope to provide notes for each of the constellations, and as time goes by the notes will also be extended, so please return from time to time to see how the project has developed. In the meantime, let me direct you to one of the bibles of amateur astronomy, the three volume set of Burnham's Celestial Handbook, by the Other Robert Burnham.

About observing

Civilization is wonderful - except when it isn’t. City skies usually make for poor observing - we have polluted the sky with light and smog, so the dark blue of the background sky is a pinkish-orange smudge, and the dimmer stars are swallowed up in the haze. However, though it is good to get out of the city, you can still observe a little, particularly if you can avoid the direct glare of lights from streets and houses. It’s difficult, though, because most city lighting is wasted light, going where it is not needed, and worse, providing a false sense of security for city dwellers (if you were inclined to robbery or violence, why would you haunt the darkness, where you couldn’t see what you were stealing?). If you do want to observe in the city, take a look at City Astronomy, by Robin Scagell, or The Urban Astronomer’s Guide, by Rod Mollise.

The 88 Constellations
according to the International Astronomical Union

King of the Worlds

Changing my mind, one cell at a time