Star Gazing in the Pontiac

At the cottage, camping or just relaxing in the back yard, chances are you
will find yourself under the stars at
some point this summer. There’s a lot
to see overhead and, with just a bit of
knowledge, you are on your way to a full
evening’s entertainment.
Getting Started
Start by looking for the North Star
Constellations are groups of stars
that form patterns in the sky that look
like animals or people. If you can find
two main constellations, they can easily
lead you to Polaris, or the North Star,
which serves as a compass in the night
sky.
Start by finding the big dipper. Look for
four stars that make a square or box,
with an arc of three bright stars coming
out of one corner.
At the side of the dipper, opposite of the
handle, look for two bright stars.
Follow the line these stars make to Polaris. It is on the end of the handle of the
Little Dipper.
Now that you know which direction is
North, it will be easier to navigate the
night sky.
Planets
The brightest planets can be seen easily
with the naked eye; Venus and Jupiter
are the easiest to spot in the summer.
There is a simple way to figure out if you
are looking at a planet or a star. Fix your
gaze on one point of light. If it seems
to glimmer or flash, it is a star. Planets
shine with a more steady, even glow
than stars do. Another way to tell is by
monitoring the sky for several nights in
a row. Stars will appear to circulate, but
stay the same distance apart from each
other, whereas planets appear to move
independently, with no fixed relation to
the stars or other planets.
Meteor Showers
If you would like to watch part of a
meteor shower this summer, the best
dates are in mid-August. Every year in
late summer, a meteor shower appears
close to the constellation Perseus.
These impressive meteors called the
Perseids can appear at a rate of 120 per
hour (that means two meteors every
minute). The less moonlight there is,
the better it is to see the meteors, or
“shooting stars.” If you can, try to view
the meteors early in the morning, while it is dark. Look for the
Perseids in the northeast part of
the sky.
To watch a meteor shower, be prepared to spend a few hours sitting
outside. Meteor showers can be
seen as soon as it gets dark, but
optimal viewing begins at about 11 pm.
You will want to go someplace far
away from large cities, because
light pollution makes it impossible
to see the night sky clearly. Give
your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to
the dark before gazing towards the
corner of the sky where the meteor
shower is expected to appear. You
may want to use binoculars, but
they are not always necessary.
While you’re outdoors, you may
also want to look for constellations,
stars, or planets using a star locator or guidebook.
The Summer Triangle
If you have a telescope, find the
Summer Triangle, which can help
you locate other night sky sights.
The two stars by the handle of the
Big Dipper will lead you to the Summer Triangle. Trace a line through
the stars until you reach a very
bright star, Vega. The star locator
can also help you locate Vega,
one of the brightest stars in the
summer sky. To the left is another
bright star, Deneb. Look below
both stars and you will find another
bright star, Altair, the final star in
the Summer Triangle.
Each of the stars in this triangle is
part of a constellation. On a clear
night you can make out Vega’s small
constellation, Lyra (or the Harp) which is
shaped like a box with one bright star (Vega)
coming out of one corner. Deneb makes up
the tail of its constellation resembling a bird
in flight, Cygnus (the Swan). Altair makes
up the head of its constellation Aquila (the
Eagle, also sometimes called the Vulture).
Other Stars and Constellations
Use the Summer Triangle to guide your eye
towards other exciting sights in the night
sky. Some of these are best viewed with the
powerful magnification of a telescope.
The Ring Nebula (M57) is a colourful circle
of gas formed when the outer layer of a star
expanded into space after it had run out
of gaseous fuel to burn. To find the Ring
Nebula, look in the area between the two
stars furthest away from Vega in the Harp
constellation. The doughnut-like shape of
M57 can be seen with even a small telescope,
but the more powerful the telescope is, the
more detail of colour and shape you will be
able to see.
Another astronomical object to view with a
telescope is the double star Albireo, which is
at the head of the Swan constellation. What
may at first appear to be a single star is actually two faraway stars; one is blue, and the
larger, brighter star is yellow. This amazing
contrast can be viewed with low magnification on almost any telescope. Don’t forget to
examine the moon and the planets while you
are using a telescope this summer.