Instruction
Now there are 13 zodiac constellations bearing the names of real or mythical animals (in Greek means "circle of animals"). During the day, the stars describe circles in the sky with the center at the celestial pole. The closer to the pole the star, the smaller the circles. It may turn out that the star never sets beyond the horizon. The constellations also belong to such non-setting stars in our latitudes: Ursa Major Bucket, Malaya, Cassiopeia and the Dragon.
One of the largest northern constellations, seven bright stars of which form the Ursa Major Dipper, and will be the starting point for the search for other stars. Finding this constellation will not be difficult. It is in the autumn in the north, in the winter in the northeast, in the spring right above your head. All the stars of Ursa Major have their own names: Dubhe means “bear”; Merak - "lower back", Fekda - "thigh"; Megrets - the beginning of the tail; Aliot; Mizar; Alkaid - "master". All of them are luminaries of the second or third magnitude. Near Mizar, one can distinguish a star of the 4th magnitude - Alcor. From Persian it is translated as "insignificant" or "forgotten".
Searching for Ursa Minor in urban areas is much more difficult. The fact is that the stars included in this constellation are not so bright. Therefore, it is necessary to arm yourself with either binoculars, or a spotting scope, or a telescope. If you mentally draw a straight line through the two extreme stars of the "bucket", then it will point to the North Star, which is part of the constellation Ursa Minor. It is also known as the Small Bucket. The last star in his “handle” is Polaris.
Find the constellation Cassiopeia. To do this, mentally connect the second from the end star of the “handle” of the Big Dipper Bucket (Mizar) with the North Star. Mentally extend it further, and at the end of the straight line you will see a constellation resembling the letter "M" when it is observed over the north celestial pole in December. In June, the constellation is upside down and looks like the letter "W". This will be the constellation Cassiopeia. Most of the constellation lies in the Milky Way and contains many open clusters.
Between the "ladles" of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor is the constellation Draco, leaving a little towards the constellations of Cepheus, Lyra, Cygnus. The "head" of the dragon consists of four stars arranged in the form of a trapezoid. Not far from the "head" is a bright star - this is Vega.
To find the constellations of Gemini, Orion, Taurus, you must first find the Ursa Major Bucket. Then draw a straight line, the beginning of which will be in the dimmest star of the “bucket” Megrets and further east through the right extreme Merak. On the way of this straight line, two bright stars will meet - these are the main stars of the Gemini constellation. The one located above is Castor, and the lower one is Pollux.
Now we need to move further to the southeast. There is a group of stars in which three especially bright ones stand out, located almost on the same straight line. These stars are part of the constellation Orion and are called "Orion's Belt". To the southeast of Orion is the shining blue Sirius, and to the northwest is the red Aldebaran.
August 11th, 2017 02:20 am
Author - Astronel. This is a quote from this post.
How to find the stars in the skystarry sky
Two things never cease to amaze me - the starry sky above our heads and the moral law within us.
Immanuel KantAt night, thousands of stars flash in the sky, and the picture of the starry sky always delights and amazes us.
And in order to navigate in this sea of sparks of the universe, the stars in the sky were combined into constellations. Total 88 constellations, of which 12 belong to the zodiac. The stars in the constellations are indicated by Greek letters, and the brightest of them have their own name.
So, night came, garlands of stars flashed in the sky, and the Milky Way, our Galaxy, stretched like a white river through the sky. Let's sort through this many distant suns together and find the constellations.Let's start with the summer-autumn sky
Let's get acquainted with the 4 constellations of the northern sky:
Are looking for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia and Draco.
In the middle latitudes of our country, these constellations, close to the North Pole of the world, are non-setting.
Even people far from astronomy can find in the sky Ursa Major, because of the great recognition of her the bucket becomes the starting point to search for many other constellations.
So let's start with Ursa Major. Bucket at the end of summer and autumn - in the north, in winter - in the northeast.
Find the two extreme stars of this bucket. If mentally draw a line through these two stars, then the first bright star will be polar Star constellations Ursa Minor. From it towards the handle of the larger bucket are the rest of the stars Ursa Minor.
Poems from a children's astronomical site will help you remember the stars.THE BIG BEAR
I recognize by the BUCKET!
Seven stars sparkle here
And here's what they're called:DUBHE illuminates the darkness,
MERAK burns next to him,
On the side is FEKDA with MEGRETS,
A cheeky young man.
Fly away from Megrets
ALIOT is located,And behind him - MITSAR with ALCOR
(These two shine in chorus).
Closes our bucket
Incomparable BENETNASH.
He points to the eye
The path to the constellation BOOTES,
Where the beautiful ARCTUR shines,
Everyone will notice it now!
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Let's find the constellation dragon.
It seems to extend between the buckets Ursa Major and Minor, leaving towards Cepheus, Lyra, Hercules and Cygnus. About these constellations - later.Constellation Cassiopeia.
Look at the second from the end of the star bucket handles of the Big Dipper. A bright star bears a name Mizar, and next to Alcor. From Arabic, Mizar is a horse, and Alcor is a rider.
Spend a mental direct from Mizar through the North Star and beyond about the same distance. constellation in the form Latin letter W, That's what it is Cassiopeia.We should now be able to find constellations Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Dragon.
And we are looking for a few more constellations
Cepheus, Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus, Charioteer and PleiadesConstellation Cepheus
Summer, being outside the big city, you will be able to make out a strip of the Milky Way, stretching from south to northeast. Between Draco and Cassiopeia, you will find a constellation that resembles a pentagon or a house with a roof, which, as it were, “floats” along the Milky Way. it constellation Cepheus. It is located just between the “kink” of the Dragon and Cassiopeia, and the “Roof of the House” is not strictly directed to the North Star.
You can connect the stars α and β Cassiopeia and slightly extend this line.Perseus
In August, it is slightly to the left and lower Cassiopeia, you can test yourself by drawing a line between the stars γ and δ Cassiopeia and extending three times further.
Andromeda
Pay attention to the chain of stars stretching from Perseus towards the south. This constellation Andromedae. If you draw a line from the North Star through Cassiopeia, this line will also point to the central part Andromedae. The central bright star of the constellation - Mirach. Above it on moonless nights outside the city you can see faint speck of mist. It's famous Andromeda Nebula - a gigantic spiral galaxy M31, the most distant object visible to the naked eye. The distance is about 2.5 million light years.
Pegasus
Pegasus wonderful with its square formed by four stars.
And up and to the left of the extreme star of the Pegasus square are visible three bright stars in the constellation Andromeda. Together they form a bucket.
The square of Pegasus will be indicated by δ, γ, ε and α of Cassiopeia, these two lines will intersect just in the area of \u200b\u200bthe square of Pegasus.
Auriga
You probably noticed a bright yellow star to the left and below Perseus. it Chapel- the main star of the constellation Auriga, which is visible under the constellation Perseus.
If you walk along the chain of stars of the constellation Perseus, you will notice that the chain first goes vertically down (4 stars), then turns to the right (3 stars). If you continue straight to the right from these three stars, you will find a silvery cloud, upon closer examination, it will break up into 6-7 stars of a miniature "ladle". That's what it is diffuse stellar Pleiades cluster included in the constellation Taurus.
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We are looking for Vega with Lyra, Swan, Orla, Dolphin, and summer-autumntriangleBack to the constellation Draco
The Dragon it seems to stretch between the buckets of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, leaving towards Cepheus, Lyra with Vega, Hercules and Cygnus.
At the constellation dragon, there is four stars in the form of a trapezoid, forming dragon head in its western part.
Looking for Vega in August - September, the star is clearly visible in the southwest.
Bright white star near the "head" of the Dragon and eat Vega, one of the brightest stars northern sky.
Draw a straight line from the extreme star "ladle» Ursa Major (Dubge) through the "head" of the Dragon.
Vega will lie on the extension of this line. Several stars form a figure resembling a parallelogram - constellation Lyra. Vega - staraconstellation Lyra. After Arcturus (aBootes), is the second brightest star in the northern sky. Shine of Vega +0.03m.Summer-autumn triangle
Vega- one of the peaks summer-autumn triangle, the other peaks of which are bright stars Altair (Alpha Eagle) and Deneb (Alpha Cygnus)).
Swan
One of the most beautiful constellations in our sky - Swan represents a cross with a bright star α Cygnus (Deneb) at the top, it looks like a bird soaring through the sky or a cross,
"Northern Cross". You can find it to the left of Lyra.
Eagle
Find the constellation Aquila. Move your gaze down from Vega, and about halfway to the horizon you will find a bright star - Altair(α Eagle). Altair together with Deneb and Vega form
summer-autumn triangle.
Brightest of all in the evening world
Blue VEGA in LIRA!!!
Amazed by the beauty
So our DRAGON froze!Between VEGA and DENEB
Draw a dotted line to the South -
There an eagle flies across the sky,
And ALTAIR sparkles!All summer Summer Triangle visible in the south and southeast, in autumn - high in the south and southwest.
To the left of Altair you will find a weak constellation Dolphin, The constellation is beautiful, reminiscent of one that has emerged from the water dolphin.Summer is the time of the Perseid meteor shower., which lasts from July 17 to August 24 with maximum 12 August, against the background of star placers and the Milky Way, meteors (“shooting stars”) will fly by with bright flashes every now and then. Do not miss!!
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Other constellations of the summer sky.Our summer nights are white, the stars are visible only at the end of August, but for the sake of order I will write about the summer sky.
Constellation Bootes α Bootes (Arcturus).
To the left of Bootes, a semicircle, turned downward - constellation Northern Crown, further to the left constellation Hercules, - a quadrilateral with broken lines diverging from its corners (arms and legs of Hercules).
Under the constellation Hercules constellation is located Ophiuchus, which looks like an irregular polygon, and left and right constellation from him snakes.
Bright stars of the summer sky!
Under the constellations of the Serpent and Ophiuchus is the constellation of Scorpio, reminiscent of this animal. And to the right and below the constellation Libra.
Under the constellations Eagle and Shield located constellation Sagittarius.
Scientists suggest that it is in the direction of this constellation that the center of our galaxy is located.
Below the constellations Pegasus and the Little Horse is constellation Aquarius. It is easily recognizable by the so-called "propeller" with four stars resembling this object.
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Constellations of the winter skyFrom the end of autumn and winter we are looking for Gemini, Orion, Taurus, Charioteer, Small Dog, Big Dog.
In January, at about eight o'clock in the evening, we will find the bucket of B. Medveditsa. Let's draw a straight line from the weakest bucket star (Megrets) through the rightmost bucket star (Merak) to the East. On the way of your straight line, two bright stars will meet, located one above the other. These are the main stars constellation Gemini. Ta the star aboveCastor, lower and brighter - Pollux.
In the south and southeast we see a beautiful picture of the winter constellations. Seven stars brighter than the second magnitude are visible in a small area of the sky. Almost at the zenith, yellow Chapel of the Charioteer, under it - orange Aldebaran, to the left and below - Betelgeuse and Rigel, the stars of Orion. Floats above the horizon Sirius shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. On the left, in the southeast, yellowish Procyon(α Small Dog) and Pollux from the constellation Gemini.
Unfortunately, Sirius is practically invisible in our latitudes.The main character in the picture of the winter constellations is the hunter Orion. Its seven brightest stars are instantly remembered: three bright stars form the belt of Orion, above it, closer to the constellation of Gemini, there is a reddish betelgeuse, and to the right a hot star Bellatrix(they mark the shoulders of the hunter), and below is a bright star Rigel and the star of Saif point to his feet.
By the way, top star Orion's belt is located almost at the celestial equator, therefore, those stars that are below it belong to the southern hemisphere of the sky, those that are higher belong to the northern one.
Under Orion's belt is a small misty speck. This is the Orion Nebula, a gigantic cloud of interstellar gas, the cradle of a new generation of stars.To the right and above the hunter is the constellation Taurus, it stretched to the right letter U. The bull is furious and rushes at Orion; Aldebaran marks the red eye of Taurus. The body of Taurus is marked with a small bucket Pleiades.Pleiades- the brightest open star cluster earthly sky. A person can see 6-7 stars in the Pleiades with the naked eye.
Orion
Not afraid of winter and cold,
girded tighter,
Equipped for hunting
ORION speaksTwo stars from the big leagues
In ORION it is RIGEL
In the lower right corner
Like a bow on a shoe.
And on the left epaulette -
BETELGEUSE shines brightly.
Three stars obliquely
Decorate the belt.This belt is like a clue.
He is a heavenly guide.
If you go to the left
Miracle- SIRIUS find.
And from the right end
Path to the constellation TAURUS
He points straight
Into the red eye ALDEBARAN.Under the feet of Orion is a small constellation of the Hare, and to his left, low above the horizon, is the constellation Big Dog. His main star Sirius is the brightest in the entire night sky of the Earth. Orion's other dog, Small Dog, marked with bright Procyon, is under Gemini.
To the left of Taurus under the constellation Perseus, familiar to us from the summer, find the constellation Charioteer(just under it there will be already familiar to us Twins). There is a bright star in the constellation Auriga, even brighter than Aldebaran. it Chapel.
winter triangle
We'll find it again Betelgeuse(orange bright star in Orion) and Procyon. Under Betelgeuse and to the right of Procyon low on the horizon we will see (if we see!) a bright white flicker Sirius - the brightest star Earth's starry sky!
Sirius - Procyon - Betelgeuse form winter triangle stars.
Unfortunately, the constellation Canis Major is a southern constellation and at the latitude of Moscow it rises low above the horizon, i.e. practically invisible.
If you decide to rush to the latitude of the Egyptian resorts in winter, then under Sirius you will find another bright star - Canopus(the constellation Carina) is second in brightness, the star of the earth's sky after Sirius.
Shine of Sirius - minus 1.4m, Canopus - minus 0.6m. Shine Chapels +0,1m, Aldebarana +0,9m. A shine polar star only 2m.
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Constellations of the spring sky.
Connect polar star with two extreme stars Ursa Major and extend this line below. This will take us to constellation Leo. This constellation has a bright star Regulus(α Leo).
Between the constellations Leo and Gemini is located constellation Cancer.
To the left of the constellation Leo is a group of faint stars - constellation Coma Berenices.
Between the handle of the Big Dipper and the Hair of Veronica you will see two stars forming constellation Canis Hounds.
Constellation Bootes. Reminiscent of a pentagon elongated downwards with a bright star in the lower corner α Bootes (Arcturus). Let's find arcturus, it is enough to extend the line between the two extreme stars of the handle of the Big Dipper bucket down and here it is.
Combining δ, ε and α Bootes, and extending this line down, we find constellation Virgo containing a bright star Spica (α Virgo).
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Stars shine, shine...
Sometimes I can't even believe
How big is the universe.
Into the pitch black sky
I look, forgetting everything in the world ...
Still, it's great
That at night the stars shine for us!
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For observations, it is good to have a flashlight that gives red light, it does not disturb the adaptation of the eye to the dark. It is enough to put a red cloth on a regular flashlight. In addition, you will need a star chart (preferably with an overlay circle). A similar map can be found in the Astronomical Calendar.
Well, how did you manage to find the pearls of the starry sky?
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I also have a star theme:Constellations and stars in myths and legends
When studying the starry sky, star charts are used, compiled in certain cartographic projections, therefore, when comparing the starry sky with a map, it is necessary to take into account image distortions in these projections.
All stars, depending on the apparent brightness, are divided into classes called stellar magnitudes. This term, of course, does not refer to the actual size of the stars.
Stars of the 6th magnitude are visible to the naked eye. Brighter luminaries have zero and negative magnitudes. For example, the Sun shines like a star of minus 27th magnitude, the full Moon - minus 12th magnitude, Venus - minus 4th magnitude.
The brightest star, Sirius, has a magnitude of minus 1.6; Canopus minus 0.9; Vega plus 0.1; Capella - plus 0.2; Rigel - plus 0.3; Arcturus - plus 0.2; Procyon - plus 0.5; Achernar - plus 0.6; and Centauri plus 0.1; Altair-plus 0.9; R Centauri - plus 0.9; Polar - plus 2.1.
The most famous constellation in the northern hemisphere is the Ursa Major constellation, which consists of seven main stars of approximately the same magnitude. They are bright enough to be used for astronomical observations and are the easiest way to find other navigational stars.
Extending the line connecting the stars b and a Ursa Major, for a by about 5 distances between them, we get the location of the North Star (and Ursa Minor). Next to it is the north pole of the world. The height of the North Star above the horizon is approximately equal to the latitude of the observer's position.
The constellation Cassiopeia is easily recognized in the starry sky by the characteristic shape of the arrangement of its constituent stars, resembling the letter W. The constellation is located at the same distance from the North Star as Ursa Major, only in the opposite direction.
Continuing the line from the North Star through b Cassiopeia to the distance between them, we find the star Alferas (a Andromeda). It is, as it were, a connecting link between the constellations Andromeda and Pegasus, as it forms the fourth corner of a large square with the stars of the constellation Pegasus.
If we continue the diagonal a Pegasus - a Andromeda at a distance equal to the side of this square, we find the star Mirach (b Andromeda) and further on the continuation of the diagonal the star Alamak (g Andromeda).
If we continue the diagonal of the large square a Pegasus - a Andromeda even further, approximately 2 distances between these stars, then we will find the star Mirfak (a Perseus). The constellation Perseus can also be found by continuing the line of stars g - a Ursa Major at 5.5 distances between them.
Continuing the line connecting the stars d and a Ursa Major, beyond the star a by approximately 5 distances between them, we find the star Capella (a Aurigae), which lies at the intersection of this line with the continuation of the line of the constellation Andromeda - a Perseus.
Continuing the arc formed by the curved handle of the Ursa Major bucket to the length of the handle (Fig. 6.4), we find the star Arcturus (a Bootes), equal in brightness to Capella. Continuing this arc further in the same direction, we find the star Spica (a Virgo) with a magnitude of plus 1.2.
Following the line from g Ursa Major through the end of the handle of the bucket (h Ursa Major), we will meet the constellation Northern Crown, consisting of seven rather faint stars, forming a semicircle bulging towards Arcturus. The middle and brightest star of Alfakka (and the Northern Crown) is called the Pearl of the Crown.
If we draw a line from Arcturus to the Northern Crown, and then continue it for about 1.5 distances, then we will find the star Vega (a Lyra) - one of the brightest stars. The star Vega can also be found by drawing a line from the star near Ursa Major between the stars d and e of the same constellation.
South of the constellation Lyra is the constellation Eagle. It has three bright stars on one line, the middle of which is Altair. In the middle of the line connecting Altair and Polaris is the star Deneb (a Cygnus).
On the continuation of the line connecting the stars d and a Ursa Major and the constellation Capella lies the star Aldebaran (a Taurus). This star can also be found by drawing a line from the North Star between the stars Capella and a Perseus. Aldebaran will be the first conspicuous star on this line. The magnitude of Aldebaran is plus 1.1.
On the continuation of the line of stars d and b Ursa Major, setting aside four distances between them, we find the stars Castor and Pollux (a and b Gemini). Their magnitudes are respectively plus 2.0 and plus 1.2. The stars Castor and Aldebaran form an isosceles triangle with Capella, in which Capella is the apex.
On the continuation of the line of stars a - b Ursa Major in the direction opposite to the Polar Star, at a distance approximately equal to two lengths of the constellation Ursa Major, we find the stars Regulus (a Leo) and Denebola (b Leo). Regulus is noticeably brighter than Denebola, their magnitudes are respectively plus 1.2 and plus 2.2.
Continuing the line of stars d - b Ursa Major beyond the constellation Gemini, we find the brightest star Sirius (a Canis Major). Approximately at an equal distance between Sirius and Pollux is the star Procyon (a Small Dog).
The constellation Orion, due to its characteristic shape, is well known to every sailor. The four bright stars of the constellation, including Betelgeuse and Rigel, form a quadrangle, and three more bright stars x, e and d in the center of the quadrangle form the so-called Orion's belt.
The constellation Orion can serve as an additional guide for finding the star Capella, which is located in the middle between this constellation and the North Star.
If we continue the line of Orion's belt to the left at a distance equal to the diagonal of Betelgeuse - Rigel, then we will again find the star Sirius.
Continuing the line from Procyon to Sirius to the distance between them, we find the star a Pigeon (magnitude plus 2.7). If we now draw a line from the star Rigel through the star a of the constellation Dove and continue it further for half the distance between them, we find the star Canopus (a Argo) with a magnitude of plus 1.0.
Continuing the side of the large square b - a of the constellation Pegasus behind the star a for three distances between b and a Pegasus, we find the star Fomalhaut (a of the constellation Southern Pisces).
One of the most distinctive constellations in the southern sky is the Southern Cross, and the brightest star in this constellation is the star Acrux a, with a magnitude of plus 1. The northernmost star of the Southern Cross, g, has a magnitude of plus 1.5.
On the continuation of the line of stars d - b of the constellation of the Southern Cross is a pair of stars b and a of the constellation Centaurus.
One of the brightest stars Achernar (a Eridani) is located in the middle of the line segment connecting the stars Fomalhaut and Canopus.
The inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth are lucky - knowing how to find the North Star, they will determine the north even without a compass and landmarks. It always hangs in one part of the sky and points north more accurately than any device - this is often used by astronomers for precise orientation on the ground. In addition, its height above the horizon corresponds to the geographic latitude. However, how to find this so useful North Star? Today we're going to look at the basics together.
Before looking for the North Star, it is worth understanding its main properties. This will help not only to find it faster in the starry sky, where there are no inscriptions with the names of stars and constellation lines, but also to avoid common mistakes. And among people there is a misconception about the North Star. So, they mostly make mistakes in the following things:
- The polar star is at the zenith - that is, directly overhead. This is obviously not the case: how would she then point to the north, since she lies exactly in the center? The "Polar" star is called because it is located exactly above the North Pole of the Earth. By the way, only there it can be seen in the middle of the sky. The farther from the pole, the lower the star sinks to the horizon, until it is completely hidden from view at the equator. For the same reason, the North Star cannot serve as a guide in the southern half of the planet - there the direction is determined by the constellation.
The stars of Ursa Minor - the constellation to which the North Star belongs
Interesting fact: The North Star really helps to determine the north more accurately than a compass. We already know that it is located exactly above the North Pole of the planet. But the compass points to the north magnetic pole of the Earth, which is somewhat distant from the geographic one and shifts a couple of kilometers every year. Therefore, closer to the north, the North Star becomes the most accurate tool for determining coordinates.
- Polaris is the brightest star in the sky. If you get lost and use this belief, it will cost you your life. Alas, the strength of the radiance - the North Star - is not very large; the star is not even included in the top ten of the brightest stars, being content with a modest 48th place. However, this does not complicate its search. But if you are guided only by brightness, you are more likely to find or, but not the North Star.
But this state of affairs will not last long. The Earth's axis is constantly shifting in a circle, and very quickly on a cosmic scale - a full rotation occurs in about 25,800 years. Therefore, the North Star was not always the polar star, and will remain so for a short time. In 13 thousand years, the place at the pole will be occupied by the already mentioned bright Vega, thereby facilitating the search for the north for earthlings of the future.
- The polar star is always in the same place. This is partly true. As you probably already know, the celestial sphere is constantly rotating - more precisely, the Earth itself rotates relative to the fixed stars. The polar star is closest to the pole, and therefore hardly moves. "Almost" is the key word here - the deviation from the pole is only 1 °, making it the least mobile among other stars. However, we already know that the location of the North Star changes with latitude. Therefore, in Moscow, a star cannot be found in the place where it was yesterday in St. Petersburg - the star will sink lower, closer to the horizon. So once you find the North Star, you should not relax. Depending on the season, time of day and geographic coordinates, the constellations around take different positions. Therefore, it is worth working out the methodology for independently searching for the North Star - especially since it is not difficult at all.
Now that we have figured out what the North Star is, it's time to start looking for it. Among the methods, it is worth highlighting two main ones: search by constellations and using technical means.
Constellation Search
If the sky is not obscured by clouds, and your vision allows you to see at least the brightest stars, it is easiest - and fastest - to look for the North Star by constellations. The advantage of this method lies in the accuracy - the stars are always stationary relative to each other. In addition, the North Star also participates in the constellations - it is located at the end of the "tail" of the constellation and is its brightest star.
The first and easiest way is to find a constellation in the sky, namely its main part, the Big Dipper. Its wide part at the “head”, opposite to the “tail”, is formed by two stars - Merak “below” and the brighter Dubhe “above”.
So, let's imagine the Big Dipper and her Bucket. On the left we will have a “tail” and a narrow side of the bucket, on the right - a wide one. On the wide part we find two stars and draw a straight line from the less bright Merak towards the bright one - Dubhe. At a distance equal to 5 distances from Merak to Dubha, you will find the tip of the “tail” of Ursa Minor and the North Star. It's the brightest in the area, so it's hard to go wrong.
It is worth remembering that this method focuses primarily on the components of the constellations. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, like other constellations, are constantly circling the sky - the Bucket can be turned upside down and stand "on edge". To make it easier to draw a straight line across the sky, use a ruler, a rod, or your finger so you won't miss the North Star.
Ursa Major is a fairly large constellation, and therefore may be partially or completely hidden by clouds or obstacles, such as tall buildings and trees. Therefore, a smaller, but no less expressive constellation will also help to find the North Star. Depending on the position, it looks like the letter "M" or "W", only with slightly more stretched edges. Its central arrow always "points" to the constellation Ursa Minor, where the North Star is located. You can check the result by finding the Big Dipper nearby or - the constellation between Ursa Minor and Cassiopeia, resembling a house with a roof.
Let's check all these methods right away. Previously, the drawings had depicted stars over Moscow. The picture below shows the Sochi sky of the same day, without marks and names. Can you find the North Star on it?
Among other stars there is the North Star. Where's she? Correct answer .
With the help of technical means
But it also happens that it is not possible to search for constellations on your own: trees cover part of the sky, clouds are unevenly distributed across the sky, or the stars simply do not add up to constellations due to inexperience. Then technical devices come to the rescue in search of the North Star.
If you have a camera at hand - ideally, the "reflex camera" popular today - then the North Star is almost in your "hands". Surely many of you have seen photos of the starry sky taken with a long exposure - moving stars leave luminous tracks in the sky. And the longer the track, the greater the distance the star traveled. And since the North Star is located near the axis of the celestial sphere and hardly moves, the picture will show the following picture - the tracks of all the stars form concentric circles near the smallest and shortest. This is the track of the North Star.
There are, of course, their nuances. So, on the camera, you will have to manually open the aperture to the maximum, set the focus to infinity and the correct ISO sensitivity within ISO 400-600 - otherwise the picture will be very overexposed. The exposure time at this sensitivity should be set to half an hour: usually this is enough to clearly see the tracks. Since this will take place at night, it is important to consider the possibility of condensation on the lens. The easiest way to avoid this is to take the camera out of the bag, put it on a cold, dry surface and let it “breathe” for a couple of minutes. This will cool it down and allow condensation to be removed before taking the picture. And of course you need to fix the camera, since any movement will reduce the time spent to nothing. However, for an accurate result, it is worth experimenting with your camera in order to determine the exact settings. For example, to set a slow shutter speed that is not provided by the manufacturer, you may need a special remote control.
If there is no suitable camera, use special applications for mobile phones. There is a Stellarium app for Android, and Sky Guide for iOS; there are also numerous analogues. They will help you determine the constellations in the sky using your smartphone's camera, or calculate their position for a given place, season, and time of day. This feature is the most useful - although these programs enhance the camera, it is often technically unable to "see" the stars.
Constellations are sections of the starry sky. In order to better navigate the starry sky, ancient people began to distinguish groups of stars that could be connected into separate figures, similar objects, mythological characters and animals. Such a system allowed people to organize the night sky, making each part of it easily recognizable. This simplified the study of celestial bodies, helped to measure time, apply astronomical knowledge in agriculture, and navigate by the stars. The stars that we see in our sky as if in one area, in fact, can be extremely far from each other. In one constellation there can be unrelated stars, both very close and very far from the Earth.
There are 88 official constellations in total. In 1922, 88 constellations were officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union, 48 of which were described by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Almagest star catalog around 150 BC. There were gaps in Ptolemy's maps, especially in the southern sky. Which is quite logical - the constellations described by Ptolemy covered that part of the night sky that is visible from the south of Europe. The rest of the gaps began to fill in during the great geographical discoveries. In the 14th century, the Dutch scientists Gerard Mercator, Peter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman added new constellations to the existing list, and the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius and the French Nicola Louis de Lacaille completed what Ptolemy had begun. On the territory of Russia, out of 88 constellations, about 54 can be observed. 
Knowledge about the constellations came to us from ancient cultures. Ptolemy compiled a map of the starry sky, but people used knowledge of the constellations long before that. At least in the 8th century BC, when Homer mentioned Bootes, Orion and Ursa Major in his poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, people already grouped the sky into separate figures. It is believed that the bulk of the knowledge of the ancient Greeks about the constellations came to them from the Egyptians, who, in turn, inherited them from the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon, the Sumerians or Akkadians. About thirty constellations were already distinguished by the inhabitants of the late Bronze Age, in 1650-1050. BC, judging by the records on the clay tablets of Ancient Mesopotamia. Constellation references can also be found in Hebrew biblical texts. Perhaps the most remarkable constellation is the constellation of Orion: in almost every ancient culture it had its own name and was revered as special. So, in ancient Egypt, he was considered the incarnation of Osiris, and in ancient Babylon he was called the "faithful shepherd of heaven." But the most amazing discovery was made in 1972: in Germany, a piece of mammoth ivory was found, more than 32 thousand years old, on which the constellation Orion was carved. 
We see different constellations depending on the season. During the year, different parts of the sky (and different celestial bodies, respectively) appear to our gaze, because the Earth makes its annual journey around the Sun. The constellations we see at night are the ones behind the Earth on our side of the Sun. during the day, behind the bright rays of the sun, we are unable to see them.
To better understand how this works, imagine that you are riding a merry-go-round (this is the Earth) with a very bright, blinding light (the Sun) emanating from the center. You will not be able to see what is in front of you because of the light, but you will be able to distinguish only what is outside the carousel. In this case, the picture will constantly change as you ride in a circle. Which constellations you observe in the sky and at what time of the year they appear also depends on the geographic latitude of the viewer. 
Constellations travel from east to west like the sun. As soon as it starts to get dark, at dusk, in the eastern part of the sky, the first constellations appear to pass through the entire sky and disappear at dawn in its western part. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, it seems that the constellations, like the Sun, rise and set. The constellations we just observed on the western horizon just after sunset will soon disappear from our field of view to be replaced by constellations that were higher at sunset just a few weeks ago.
Constellations emerging in the east have a diurnal shift of about 1 degree per day: completing a 360-degree trip around the Sun in 365 days gives about the same speed. Exactly one year later, at the same time, the stars will occupy exactly the same position in the sky. 
The movement of the stars is an illusion and a matter of perspective. The direction in which the stars move across the night sky is due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis and really depends on the perspective and which way the observer is facing.
Looking north, the constellations appear to move counterclockwise around a fixed point in the night sky, the so-called north celestial pole, located near the North Star. This perception is due to the fact that the earth rotates from west to east, i.e. the earth under your feet moves to the right, and the stars, like the Sun, Moon and planets, follow the east-west direction above your head, i.e. to the right left. However, if you turn your face to the south, the stars will move as if clockwise, from left to right. 
zodiac constellations are those through which the sun moves. The most famous constellations of the 88 existing ones are the zodiacal ones. These include those through which the center of the Sun passes in a year. It is generally accepted that there are 12 zodiac constellations in total, although in fact there are 13 of them: from November 30 to December 17, the Sun is in the constellation of Ophiuchus, but astrologers do not rank it among the zodiac. All zodiac constellations are located along the apparent annual path of the Sun among the stars, the ecliptic, at an inclination of 23.5 degrees to the equator. 
Some constellations have families- These are groups of constellations located in the same region of the night sky. As a rule, they assign the names of the most significant constellation. The most "large" is the constellation Hercules, which has as many as 19 constellations. Other major families include Ursa Major (10 constellations), Perseus (9) and Orion (9). 
Celebrity constellations. The largest constellation, Hydra, spans over 3% of the night sky, while the smallest constellation, the Southern Cross, occupies only 0.165% of the sky. Centaurus boasts the largest number of visible stars: 101 stars are included in the famous constellation of the southern hemisphere of the sky. The constellation Canis Major includes the brightest star in our sky, Sirius, whose brightness is −1.46m. But the constellation with the name Table Mountain is considered the dimmest and does not contain stars brighter than the 5th magnitude. Recall that in the numerical characteristic of the brightness of celestial bodies, the smaller the value, the brighter the object (the brightness of the Sun, for example, is −26.7m). 
Asterism is not a constellation. Asterism is a group of stars with a well-established name, for example, the Big Dipper, which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or Orion's Belt - three stars encircling the figure of Orion in the constellation of the same name. In other words, these are fragments of constellations that have secured a separate name for themselves. The term itself is not strictly scientific, rather simply representing a tribute to tradition. 