No Doubt I'm Daft as Well as Being Well Past It

[rabbithutch]

. . . but it occurs to me that the community of stargazers is such an intelligent and erudite - though always polite, generous and helpful - group of people that they sometimes overlook the very basics that neophytes might need to know.

The simple, basic question that I have rarely seen addressed in print or on forums (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) is "How does one locate Polaris, the North star?"

How about others adding to the list of simple questions that we never see answered?

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

(I use the Big Dipper to find Polaris but I don't know how to describe how I do so. I'll leave it to someone with better expressive skills than I have to write the instructions).

[brantuk]

Make sure you're looking North (use a compass to confirm.

The two end stars of the plough point at polaris (dubhe and merak).

The two left hand stars of cassiopiea ("V" shaped bit) point across the sky to cross an imaginary line from the plough.

If you imagine where they cross - the pole star is half way between there and the plough

(It stands out like a sore thumb cos in our light polluted skies it's the only star visible in that patch of sky even if it is a little dimmer than others)

[wrinkly]

Bah!

Humbug!

Ridiculous!

EQ5 have an 'N' on them, so the tripod knows where North is and automatically faces that way, like happens in water divining.

My Polar scope has 'Polaris' written on it, poncey term for the Pole Star and I refuse to believe it would lie to me. If it says this star is 'Polaris', it is .

Simples.

[pjmaciw]

Easy........it's at the bottom of my garden above the tree. Always been there,no trouble finding it.

Pete.

[glowjet]

Line through dubhe and merak points straight to it, as Brantuk said sticks out like a sore thumb, the odd thing is it never seems to move

[FraserClarke]

Stand there for 6 hours and see which one doesn't move.. ??

I also use Dubhe and Merak for the line.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Stand there for 6 hours and see which one doesn't move.. ??

Brilliant one for the patient

[umadog]

You type "locating polaris" into Google then look at the images.

[rabbithutch]

Make sure you're looking North (use a compass to confirm.

This I can do. Even if I didn't know North, I agree that expecting someone to have access to a compass is reasonable.

The two end stars of the plough point at polaris (dubhe and merak).

Uhhh? What plough? Are we on a farm? Isn't Dubhe an oil rich emirate in the Middle East? Merak? Sounds like a belch or expelling gas!

The two left hand stars of cassiopiea ("V" shaped bit) point across the sky to cross an imaginary line from the plough.

If you imagine where they cross - the pole star is half way between there and the plough

I know a gal named "Cassie" but she knows nothing about the stars and I ain't about to cross her.

I'll put my tail between me legs and dart under the porch and hide in the dim dark recesses where the spiders rule, but I thought this might start a good thread about explaining things very basically as if explaining to a young child. Most of them know the Big Dipper or can be shown it easily. My guess is that this is the most well known stellar configuration; therefore it seems the correct 'portal' for entering into any pursuit of learning about the sky.

[rabbithutch]

Bah!

Humbug!

Ridiculous!

EQ5 have an 'N' on them, so the tripod knows where North is and automatically faces that way, like happens in water divining.

My Polar scope has 'Polaris' written on it, poncey term for the Pole Star and I refuse to believe it would lie to me. If it says this star is 'Polaris', it is .

Simples.

Don't look now but someone just stole the battery from your BMW and slashed the tires. (Or is that tyres?)

[rabbithutch]

Stand there for 6 hours and see which one doesn't move.. ??

I also use Dubhe and Merak for the line.

Yabbut . . . what's the reference point?

[rabbithutch]

You type "locating polaris" into Google then look at the images.

What is this "Google" thing and why would one use a typewriter to look at the stars? I thought Barney was a dinosaur rider?

[pastiche]

PJMACIW is wrong I'm afraid. Polaris is not above the tree in his garden because its definitely just past next doors chimney!

[foundaplanet]

PJMACIW is wrong I'm afraid. Polaris is not above the tree in his garden because its definitely just past next doors chimney!

[Stevie816]

Easy........it's at the bottom of my garden above the tree. Always been there,no trouble finding it.

Pete.

Thats incredible it's at the bottom of MY garden above a tree also,

What are the chances of that happening again?

Stevie

[brantuk]

The plough is the big dipper

(also known as the bear, and ursa major)

[chris connolly]

I thought it was a submarine

[rabbithutch]

The plough is the big dipper

(also known as the bear, and ursa major)

Don't look under the porch! I just left and crawled in a hole!

[lw24]

Let me google that for you

Done?

[umadog]

Why would one use a typewriter to look at the stars?

Well, that's what you did when you started this thread...

[wrinkly]

Well, that's what you did when you started this thread...

If rabbithutch is as old as me, it would have been a Monotype hot lead setter.

Senior moment mind wander:-Is **** retentive a posh way of saying constipated?

Just previewed and found a psychological characteristic banned.

[JonnyP]

Thats incredible it's at the bottom of MY garden above a tree also,

What are the chances of that happening again?

Stevie

No coincidences here! It's behind the large building next door, so invisible from my yard. I'm waiting for it to move so I can align on it more easily. Been waiting for a while now.......