Aerial Photographs

Aerial Photographs

As soon as our children show an interest in the night sky, we teach them one of the first things we did when we first became interested in astronomy. Finding constellations is a lot of fun. Constellations, on the other hand, have been used for navigation by humans since the beginning of time. To prove this, we may look back to cave paintings to discover how ancient human cultures saw the sky as a place of importance.

Early navigation relied heavily on the constellations, as did cultural practices such as witchcraft. Many early explorers, especially those who traveled by water, were reliant on the night sky for navigation. Much of the navigation of the universe is made possible by constellations, which are a large part of why "Columbus" was able to "find" America in 1492 by sailing the ocean blue.

While learning to discover the big constellations in the sky, we employ the "find one, you find them all" technique. As a result, we will be guided to the rest of the constellations by finding the first one. The Big Dipper is the name of the constellation. The Northern Lights may be seen clearly on a clear night if you extend your range of view from concentrating on just one star. In the autumn, it will resemble a large cooking pot or ladle, while in the spring, it will be upside down.

Once you've mastered the big dipper, finding the north star should be a piece of cake. Those ancient mariners relied heavily on this star to make their way back to shore. Begin at the other end of the Big Dipper's bowl from the handle. That side of the bowl is made up of two stars. Draw an imaginary line from the bottom of the pot to the bowl's highest point. The North Star may be seen "pointing" towards these two stars. To get to the North Star, just keep following that line, which bends a little bit with the sky. If you know that this star's scientific name is Polaris, you may make a good impression on your relatives and friends.

The Little Dipper may then be reached by following the North Star. To get this effect, the bowl hangs from the Little Dipper's handle like it's in a kitchen, with Polaris as the tip. The stars that make up the Little Dipper are fainter than those that make up the Big Dipper, so take your time with this one. But once you locate it, it's a lot of fun.

The Little Dipper and the Big Dipper are the obvious starting points, but you can also discover Cygnus, sometimes known as "The Swan," from the Little Dipper. It's as simple as tracing a line from the pointer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper to locate the North Star again. To get to Polaris, go roughly half the distance you did to discover it before. A trapezoid of stars, around the size of the Big Dipper, will be visible. The swan's tail is made up of this trapezoid.

It's our path to Cassiopeia, the well-known constellation, that we're sketching from the pointer stars. You may see a large "W" immediately to the left of the line if you envision yourself squarely beneath the two pointer stars. As depicted in Greek mythology, Cepheus' wife, Cassiopeia, represents the constellation Cassiopeia. A decent star chart might help you discover even more beautiful constellations.

All of the constellations, including Cassiopeia, have fascinating tales and legends associated with them that date back to ancient Greece. Finding the star clusters is as much of a thrill as learning about the constellation's fascinating history. There is a constellation in the sky that corresponds to each sign of the zodiac, for example. When looking for constellations that match your "sign" (or the sign of your children), whether or not you believe in astrology, it may be a great way to learn more about how ancient people interpreted the stars.

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