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Constellations
Some
of the stars in the night sky are brighter and
more noticeable than others are, and some of
these bright stars appear to the eye to be
grouped together. These groups are represented
by some figures and are called constellations.
Explorers and astronomers developed and recorded
the official constellations of the southern
hemisphere in the 16th and 17th centuries. The
International Astronomical Union (IAU)
officially recognizes 88 constellations.
The IAU defined the boundaries of each
constellation, so the 88 constellations divide
the sky without overlapping. More
below |
The Big Dipper is a constellation of seven stars in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is also known by the names Ursa Major (the Great Bear), the Plow, Charles’s Wain, and the Wagon. In Hinduism, the seven stars in the constellation represent the
Saptarishi (seven rishis, or holy ancient
sages).
Big
Dipper as a signpost in the sky
The
two stars Merak and Dubhe, which form the
leading edge of the Plough, point to the Pole
star (The Polaris, Dhrub Tara).(See
Picture A)
The
Polaris is the key to locating and
identifying constellations. This star seems to
stand still because it is almost directly above
the North Pole. This star is found due north of
an observer and at an angular height above the
northern horizon roughly equal to the
observer’s latitude. Since Kathmandu is 27°
42`43``, the Pole star as seen from Kathmandu is
27° 42`43`` above the horizon.
Having
located the Pole Star from the Plough we can
also find a constellation called Ursa Minor (
The Little Bear or Little Dipper). The Pole star
is the last star in the handle of Little Dipper.
The Little Dipper appears to pour into the Big
Dipper. ( See
picture B & C)
The constellation of Cassiopeia is located
opposite the Plough beyond the Pole star. it
forms the letter W. Another familiar and easily
recognizable constellation is Orion ( The
Hunter). Orion contains three bright stars in a
line called 'Belt Of Orion'. Below the belt are
three fainter stars called the 'Sword'. (Picture
D)
ZODIAC
CONSTELLATIONS
A
band of 12 constellations, called the Zodiac,
lies in the same plane as the earth's orbit
round the sun. During the course of a year the
sun rises in each of these constellations in
turn. The next year the same constellation is on
the horizon at daybreak on the same date. It is
as if the Sun returns to visit a particular
group at an appointed date each year. (picture
E)
PICTURE
A ABOVE
PICTURE
B ABOVE
The
picture just below (Picture C) shows how Today's
Astronomers give boundary to a part of the sky
for a constellation. The blue lines closing the
constellations represent the part of the sky
belonging to constellations.
Picture
C ABOVE
PICTURE
D Above
PICTURE
E Above
Source
for 'Constellations of Zodiac' : Microsoft ®
Encarta ® Reference Library 2004.
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