Constellations and Bright Stars
Building Your Naked Eye Observing Skills
Goals of the Lab
To gain a familiarity with the night sky.
To learn the names and patterns of the constellations, and the names of some of the brightest stars.
To practice drawing starfields, and to learn how to see more by paying detailed attention to what you draw.
Requirements: your eyes, your observing log, a pencil, and a clear night sky.
Procedure
This lab requires only your eyes, a good clear sky, your observing log and a pencil, your star wheel, and a star map. For very precise drawings, you may want to use the crossbow to make angular distance measurements, but you can make sufficient drawings using just the fist-and-finger rules (see How To Measure Angular Distances).
Make a sketch of at least ten constellations. (For grading purpose, each drawing will be considered a different "part" of the lab.)
For constellations which are close to each other, put more than one constellation on the same drawing. (For example, in the fall, it often makes sense to sketch at least Lyra and Cygnus on the same drawing; in the Spring, you might make a big drawing showing Orion, Gemini, and Taurus together.) However, don't try to draw too big an area at once; each sketch should have 1-4 constellations.
Include the date, time, and your observing location on each sketch; also include notes about the weather conditions and sky darkness. Indicate the "cardinal" directions (N, S, E, and W) on the sky in each sketch.
Include an angular scale on each drawing. You can do this by measuring and indicating the distance between several pairs of stars you have drawn. (See How To Measure Angular Distances.)
If you are drawing constellations near the horizon, include a rough outline of that horizon in the drawing.
Use bigger dots to indicate brighter stars, and smaller dots to indicate dimmer stars.
Label each constellation with its name. Use the star charts to label the names of the one or two brightest stars in each constellation. (See Star Names and the Greek Alphabet.)
Spend some time looking at the constellation! As you concentrate on it, you may find that you see more stars than you saw at first. You may see more stars than are included in your star maps. Draw everything you can see... but don't draw what you can't see! Don't include a star just because you know it is "supposed" to be there.
Your drawings must be your own; however, you may find it helpful to work with other people to locate dimmer and harder-to-see stars. Even if the people near you have all seen a dim star, don't draw it unless you see it yourself.
Suggestion:
Review the constellations and stars you have already learned regularly, especially before you learn new ones. You can do this on your own time or during the lab sessions, it only takes a few minutes. When you're outside and it's dark at any time, look up! Find the things you recognize. You'll find that it's surprisingly easy to learn several constellations, and you'll be well prepared for the practical. Impress your friends by naming the stars.