Professor Zumwalt hoped the students were well prepared for this lesson. Last week, she enjoyed teaching them about the main zodiac constellations, but this week they would be expanding farther out from the central line on the celestial sphere. “Kia ora*, hello. I hope each of you are ready for today's lesson. Just a reminder as we head towards the end of the semester that if you're struggling with any concept, you can always meet with me to ask questions,” Adorah said before starting off the lesson. She hardly saw students during her office hours, though she knew some students could use the help, based on their grades.
“Today, we are looking at more constellations, specifically the ones we can only see in each hemisphere. The earth is large - so large that it is impossible to see every visible star from one location. Therefore, we must explore from the South and the North. Let’s begin by looking at this list on the board,” she said as she waved her wand. A list of the constellations appeared on the board.
The Southern Cross (Crux): Two of the four stars, Acrux and Becrux, are first-magnitude stars, meaning they are among the brightest in the sky. Along the eastern edge of the Crux is the Coalsack Nebula, a dark place where stars are born. Just near the Coalsack is something called The Jewel Box, which holds a cluster of red, white, and blue stars. Connecting lines create a cross-like shape.
Carina (The Keel): This constellation is known as the keel or the bottommost part of a ship. It makes a kind of “U” shape, and the circle at the end could be seen as the ship’s figurehead. It was originally part of a huge constellation called Argo Navis, a huge boat in the sky. The brightest star in Carina is Canopus and is the second brightest star in the sky after Sirius.
Centaurus (The Centaur): Centaurus lies below Hydra and Scorpius and resembles a half-man, half-horse creature. Its brightest star, Alpha Centauri, is the third brightest star in the sky and the closest star to the sun. It is also the home of the brightest and biggest globular cluster, a spherical cluster of stars that is extremely dense in the middle, Omega Centauri (NGC 5139).
Sagittarius: While you can technically see this constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, it is best seen in the South. Like Centaurus, Sagittarius is a centaur, but he has a man riding atop him. Many people just recognize the brighter stars in the center as a little teapots. On very dark summer and fall nights, you may be able to see ‘steam’ rising out of the spout. This steam is the galactic center of our frothy Milky Way.
Carina (The Keel): This constellation is known as the keel or the bottommost part of a ship. It makes a kind of “U” shape, and the circle at the end could be seen as the ship’s figurehead. It was originally part of a huge constellation called Argo Navis, a huge boat in the sky. The brightest star in Carina is Canopus and is the second brightest star in the sky after Sirius.
Centaurus (The Centaur): Centaurus lies below Hydra and Scorpius and resembles a half-man, half-horse creature. Its brightest star, Alpha Centauri, is the third brightest star in the sky and the closest star to the sun. It is also the home of the brightest and biggest globular cluster, a spherical cluster of stars that is extremely dense in the middle, Omega Centauri (NGC 5139).
Sagittarius: While you can technically see this constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, it is best seen in the South. Like Centaurus, Sagittarius is a centaur, but he has a man riding atop him. Many people just recognize the brighter stars in the center as a little teapots. On very dark summer and fall nights, you may be able to see ‘steam’ rising out of the spout. This steam is the galactic center of our frothy Milky Way.
Professor Zumwalt paused a moment for students to catch up with the notes they were taking, she hoped they were good notes. “Alright, moving on from Sagittarius, we will bring our attention up north,” she said waving her wand and a new list appeared on the board. These were the constellations she had grown up looking at and she knew them like she knew each freckle on her daughter’s face, quite well that is.
Ursa Major (The Big Dipper): 7 stars form the Big Dipper appear in the familiar shape. Chances are, this was the first constellation you learned. For anyone in the latitude of New York or higher, this constellation never goes below the horizon. To see the Big Dipper in all of its big dipper glory, you must be north of latitude 25 degrees south. Astronomers in the past also refer to Ursa Major as a Large Bear.
Cassiopeia (The Queen): Looking like a flat “W” pressed against our Milky Way, Cassiopeia can best be seen in the late fall and winter months. The star in the middle of the constellation, Gamma Cassiopeia, is about 15 times bigger than the sun.
Cepheus (The King): Cepheus is an old constellation, discovered in the 2nd century, and it looks more like a house than a king. The star at the very top of the house-like structure is a Cepheid or a giant star used as a reference point for measuring distances.
Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper): Ursa Minor is best known for the star at its tail, the North Star, or Polaris. It’s called the North Star because it never budges from its spot at the end of the Little Dipper. It is the brightest star in the constellation and the brightest Cepheid in the night sky.
Cassiopeia (The Queen): Looking like a flat “W” pressed against our Milky Way, Cassiopeia can best be seen in the late fall and winter months. The star in the middle of the constellation, Gamma Cassiopeia, is about 15 times bigger than the sun.
Cepheus (The King): Cepheus is an old constellation, discovered in the 2nd century, and it looks more like a house than a king. The star at the very top of the house-like structure is a Cepheid or a giant star used as a reference point for measuring distances.
Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper): Ursa Minor is best known for the star at its tail, the North Star, or Polaris. It’s called the North Star because it never budges from its spot at the end of the Little Dipper. It is the brightest star in the constellation and the brightest Cepheid in the night sky.
With that, Professor Zumwalt finished the lesson with a wave of her wand, and the homework for the following week appeared on the board. She dismissed the students right after reminding them to copy down the homework so they could complete it before the next lesson.
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*Kia ora means Hello in the Native New Zealand Language, Maori.
For full credit, RP the lesson.
For extra credit (up to 5 points, one for each sentence), write a short essay about the story behind any major constellation we have discussed this year. Make sure to credit any outside sources.
Source for this week's lesson material.
