Kinghorn Gardens

Something to Count on…Autumn Star Gazing

October 25th, 2010

In autumn, darkness sets in earlier allowing more time for star-gazing.  So, if you find yourself removed from the city lights on a clear night this fall, why not turn your attention upwards and see if you can recognize these constellations:

Andromeda – The Chained Lady

You may need aided eyes to see this important constellation.  First spot the three bright stars forming the side of her body and one leg, then trace the rest of her. The other leg is formed by fainter stars.  At the bend in the leg, on a clear night you can see a small, hazy spot, known as the Andromeda Nebula.  This is the most distant thing an unaided human eye can see.  It resides in a galaxy 2.7 million light years away and is composed of a hundred billion suns!  Dangling from her out-stretched arm is a series of closely stringed stars composing her chain.

Fishes – Pisces

One of the faintest constellations of the zodiac, second only to Cancer.  Pisces appears as two fish, Northern and Western, each caught on a line that are tied together at a point.  The Northern Fish is comprised of three stars forming a triangle and appears just south of Andromeda’s hip.  The Western Fish, is brighter and consists of six stars forming a ring.  Pisces is best when viewed October through January.

Whale – Cetus

A large, but dim constellation.  Whale was sent by Neptune to devour Andromeda.  He can be seen lurking south of his prey, separated by the Fishes.  The Whale’s nose is on a line from Andromeda’s head downward along the side of the Square.  Though faint, this portion of the sky has relatively few stars, so even dim ones stand out.  Best seen October through January.

(A note on Andromeda and Whale:  According to myth, Andromeda was the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus.  Her mother constantly bragged about her beauty and angered the sea nymphs enough for them to prevail on Posiedon to release a sea monster, The Whale, to ravage Ethiopia’s coast.  To appease The Whale, Andromeda’s father, Cepheus, chained her to a rock to be devoured by the monster.  Fortunately, the hero of the story, Perseus happened to pass by and slayed The Whale and released Andromeda from the rock, married her and rode off together on Pegasus, the winged horse.  In late fall and early winter when Cassiopeia is high up in the sky Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, Pegasus, and The Whale can all be seen together.)

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