The Rambling Astronomer

In the next two asterisms we will be looking at a milk dipper or Plough and a teapot, both are in the constellation of Sagittarius the archer. They are as you might expect close together in the sky so some of the stars will be found in both asterisms.

Capella in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer is the 6th brightest star in the sky.

Capella whose name means the ‘Little She Goat’ slightly to the right and just below Capella is a little but quite distinct triangle of stars called the Haedi or the kids. They are referred to as the Kids because where the she goat goes the kids will always follow!!

The four star Keystone asterism marks the lower abdominal and pelvic regions of ancient Greece’s greatest hero in his starry abode. The asterism’s name derives from its resemblance to the critical, wedge-shaped, architectural feature known as a keystone.

This is part of the small constellation of Delphinus the Dolphin, which has the rather strange name of Job’s Coffin. No one seems to now where this name has come from. I would like to put forward a possible suggestion.

The last of the three headers. Hydra is the largest constellation in the sky but is by no means easy to find on account of its faintness. Hydra winds its way from the head in the northern hemisphere on the borders of Cancer to the tip of its tail south of the celestial equator near Libra and Centaurus.

The group of stars that mark the head of the Dragon.

The head of Cetus is the first of a series of three asterism indicating the heads of creatures depicted in constellations .

A naked eye star now known as a variable star in Ursa Major which was not labelled by John Flamsteed when he produced his star chart in the 1670s.

My trip to the Arctic Circle in February 2022 to present astronomy talks and look for the Northern Lights on a cruise ship.

I will be away during the second half of February 2022, the Pod Pause explains what is going on.