Tuesday, March 2nd we had “Starry Nights” here at Big T. Over 300 people came through to learn about the phases of the moon, make Star Wheels (make your own at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo/familyfun/Make_a_Star_Wheel.html) discover constellations inside the Star Lab, and go outside to the upper playground with the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society (NCAS) to find the constellations and look through their telescopes to see the Orion Nebula in Orion’s sword and Mars. If you did make it to Starry Nights, see if your family can remember how to find the constellations you learned. If you didn’t get a chance to come out (or a review would help), here is a little information to help your family enjoy the night sky!
The constellation of Orion the Hunter is nearing the end of his annual visit to our night sky. Orion can be found in the southern sky from twilight until after midnight as we near the spring equinox. See if your family can find the three bright stars making up his belt. The bright red star above and to the left of the belt (his right shoulder) is called Betelgeuse (“BEH-tull-juice”). It is the second brightest star in Orion. Betelgeuse is a red supergiant that will be visible even during the day when it finally becomes a supernova and explodes! Rigel, the blue supergiant that is diagonally down to the right, is the brightest.
Draw an imaginary line through Orion’s belt and follow it down to the left until you find a very bright star. This is called Sirius, the Dog Star (and Ms. Amber’s favorite star because of the way it appears to twinkle all the colors), and is the nose of the constellation Canis Major. Look further down the line to find a triangle that makes up the dog’s hindquarters. Sirius is actually a binary star (Sirius A and Sirius B), which is two stars orbiting around a central point. It is the brightest star in our night sky!
The moon is currently a waning gibbous, moving from full to 3rd quarter. Find more links and information on our blog at: bigtgreent.blogspot.com Happy stargazing!
(This week's Nature and Science Corner)
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