Watching the night sky, for some it is a romantic , for others it can be a philosophical journey, for some (nerds) it is Star Wars and Star Trek ,for me,well tonight it a little bit frustrating. Yes, it is raining and so no star gazing tonight. I have always been fascinated by the Moon ,stars , planets ,galaxies,and the vast universe. I remember the days when my cousin and I spent hours on the rooftop of our house star gazing and on one special night we were able to witness the full eclipse of the moon. It was an amazing experience.
Afterwards i drifted away and did not really take time to appreciate the the beauty of the heavens above until recently i witnessed something really amazing. A couple of weeks ago , while on a little trip , i saw what probably was one the most beautiful and clear night skies. I was stunned and then also realised how much i much i had forgotten about the stars,planets and constellations. I had to trace my steps back and do what i did as kid , that is getting to know your reference points in the night sky.
My first one was the Southern Cross aka the Crux , the iconic constellation represented on the Australian and New Zealand flags.
Facing South , two very bright stars in the Milky Way can be seen quite near the horizon , one roughly above the other. They are known as Alpha Centauri* ( Rigil Kentauri ) and Beta Centauri ( Hadar). Alpha being the lower one. These bright stars are typically called "The Pointers" as they point towards the Southern Cross.Drawing a line from aplha through beta , continue a very short distance and you will encounter the Cross lying on its left side
Alpha Centauri is also the brightest star in the centauri constellation and is the closest star to our Solar system and a mere 4.3 light years away. ( one light year being 10 trillion km )
Orion's Belt
The constellation of Orion is one of the most impressive sights in the night sky.Viewed from the southern hemisphere the Orion appears upside-down but is is to recognise. Three bright stars in a line in the centre of the constellation form the belt. Below these are two bright stars , Betelgeuse and Bellatrix . Above the belt are two more bright stars , Rigel and Saiph.
Rigel is the brightest star in this constellation and shines with a white is bright light. Betelgeuse is the next brightest, it is a red supergiant star , so massive in fact that if it was in the sun's place , it would have swallowed the Earth. Betelgeuse is 310 light-years away while Rigel is 900 light years away.Even though Rigel is much further than Betelgeuse , it is much brighter and gives much more light.
The three stars in the belt are Mintika , Alnilam and Alnitak. In the middle of these stars is an object that appears as a fuzzy or fade star. It is in fact the spectacular Great Nebula in Orion. This great Nebula acts as a nursery for stars . When the stars are formed ,their heat causes the clouds to glow.
People find different kind of inspiration from the observing the night sky,be it for scientific advancement and understanding the mysteries of the universe, be it for philosophical questions about our being and relations to God or be it for a crazy weirdo like me who just contemplates its beauty. I would also like to share a very poetic description i came across while looking for the different pictures and facts. It is an epilogue of a book called "The Cosmic Dance - An invitation to experience our Oneness" by Joyce Rupp.
" God as a dancer, moving with all beings, dancing forth the creation, evolution -- where everything is dancing with everyone and everything else. All are held in the arms of compassionate belonging, yet each is set free to explore and expand and bring forth new expressions of itself. The universe is dance, alive with energy that brings forth and engages all things in rhythmic relationship -- stars and galaxies, suns and planets, birds and butterflies, wind,waters, and soil, toads and humans-- all in one grand harmonious dance ! Earth is a divine work of art , a poem unfolding , a song ever being sung, always bringing forth greater and greater expressions of beauty and love "
"This I believe ! Each of us is a dancer in this cosmic dance. Each being, each human alive today is here,it participate in the creative adventure that is the universe. there can be no spectators, Some deep longing --each one's unique gift, a passion for belonging , our dream for the world of love and unity -- is urging us to get up and dance " - Mary Southard
Afterwards i drifted away and did not really take time to appreciate the the beauty of the heavens above until recently i witnessed something really amazing. A couple of weeks ago , while on a little trip , i saw what probably was one the most beautiful and clear night skies. I was stunned and then also realised how much i much i had forgotten about the stars,planets and constellations. I had to trace my steps back and do what i did as kid , that is getting to know your reference points in the night sky.
How to find the Crux also known as the Southern Cross
My first one was the Southern Cross aka the Crux , the iconic constellation represented on the Australian and New Zealand flags.
Facing South , two very bright stars in the Milky Way can be seen quite near the horizon , one roughly above the other. They are known as Alpha Centauri* ( Rigil Kentauri ) and Beta Centauri ( Hadar). Alpha being the lower one. These bright stars are typically called "The Pointers" as they point towards the Southern Cross.Drawing a line from aplha through beta , continue a very short distance and you will encounter the Cross lying on its left side
Alpha Centauri is also the brightest star in the centauri constellation and is the closest star to our Solar system and a mere 4.3 light years away. ( one light year being 10 trillion km )
Orion's Belt
The constellation of Orion is one of the most impressive sights in the night sky.Viewed from the southern hemisphere the Orion appears upside-down but is is to recognise. Three bright stars in a line in the centre of the constellation form the belt. Below these are two bright stars , Betelgeuse and Bellatrix . Above the belt are two more bright stars , Rigel and Saiph.
Rigel is the brightest star in this constellation and shines with a white is bright light. Betelgeuse is the next brightest, it is a red supergiant star , so massive in fact that if it was in the sun's place , it would have swallowed the Earth. Betelgeuse is 310 light-years away while Rigel is 900 light years away.Even though Rigel is much further than Betelgeuse , it is much brighter and gives much more light.
The three stars in the belt are Mintika , Alnilam and Alnitak. In the middle of these stars is an object that appears as a fuzzy or fade star. It is in fact the spectacular Great Nebula in Orion. This great Nebula acts as a nursery for stars . When the stars are formed ,their heat causes the clouds to glow.
People find different kind of inspiration from the observing the night sky,be it for scientific advancement and understanding the mysteries of the universe, be it for philosophical questions about our being and relations to God or be it for a crazy weirdo like me who just contemplates its beauty. I would also like to share a very poetic description i came across while looking for the different pictures and facts. It is an epilogue of a book called "The Cosmic Dance - An invitation to experience our Oneness" by Joyce Rupp.
" God as a dancer, moving with all beings, dancing forth the creation, evolution -- where everything is dancing with everyone and everything else. All are held in the arms of compassionate belonging, yet each is set free to explore and expand and bring forth new expressions of itself. The universe is dance, alive with energy that brings forth and engages all things in rhythmic relationship -- stars and galaxies, suns and planets, birds and butterflies, wind,waters, and soil, toads and humans-- all in one grand harmonious dance ! Earth is a divine work of art , a poem unfolding , a song ever being sung, always bringing forth greater and greater expressions of beauty and love "
"This I believe ! Each of us is a dancer in this cosmic dance. Each being, each human alive today is here,it participate in the creative adventure that is the universe. there can be no spectators, Some deep longing --each one's unique gift, a passion for belonging , our dream for the world of love and unity -- is urging us to get up and dance " - Mary Southard
Nice post M3D, it brought me back to my childhood where i used to watch the clear sky in warm summer nights with my cousin. On that trip when i tilted my head back to see the stars has grown so much since those years in the past that i didnt notice...
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking your time to write about this..
And those Brit professors are hillarious and joyful to watch. I really like brian cox's narratement.
I almost forget to mention. The three stars