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Learning the constellations on a cloudy night


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Having recently started with this hobby I've got the scope, I've got a growing collection of EP's, I've got an RACI en route, and perhaps most importantly both TLaO and the Phillips Planisphere are in the post. I've also got both Stellarium and Sky Safari on various devices.
I'm keen to make the most of the time when observing isn't practical learning the major constellations to make life easier when it comes to star hopping and finding my way around. So far I've found Daniel Johnson's series of posts on 'Meet xxxx' really interesting and useful:

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/author/daniel-johnson/


What approaches (if any) did you all use to cement in your heads the map of the constellations - and are there any techniques you'd recommend for those nights when getting outside isn't an option?

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4 minutes ago, domstar said:

If you know the zodiac signs of friends and family and their birthdays, you can put them in order and if you see, for example, Leo in the sky, you will know which constellation will be either side of it.

You can actually get Skysafari to show this very clearly.

Screenshot_20190127-190940_SkySafari 6 Pro.jpg

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1 hour ago, A_N_other_beginner said:

What approaches (if any) did you all use to cement in your heads the map of the constellations - and are there any techniques you'd recommend for those nights when getting outside isn't an option?

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to learn the map of the constellations. I think you will find more enjoyment by having 1 to 3 targets in mind for each viewing session (e.g. "Tonight I will study M42") rather than focusing on constellations. 

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20 minutes ago, SacRiker said:

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to learn the map of the constellations. I think you will find more enjoyment by having 1 to 3 targets in mind for each viewing session (e.g. "Tonight I will study M42") rather than focusing on constellations. 

My reason for trying to learn the bigger constellations are to achieve that end - for example, I could follow directions to find M42 because I can pick out Orion any day of the week. But Orion is the only constellation I can say that about.
And my emphasis is firmly on the 'cloudy nights,' part - when I can go out hunting things, I will, but when I'm stuck indoors and socked in it seems sensible (and relaxing) to be able to pick out some of the bigger ones.

 

37 minutes ago, domstar said:

If you know the zodiac signs of friends and family and their birthdays, you can put them in order and if you see, for example, Leo in the sky, you will know which constellation will be either side of it.

I don't but that's an interesting way to frame it, thanks.

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I tended to try and work out the pattern of the main stars of one new constellation per observing session when I was starting out. I also tried to find a pathway to the "new" constellation from one that I already knew. By pathway I mean disctinctive stars that lead from one constellation to the next. I started with the circumpolar ones (visible all year) and as the year goes by new constellations come into view so I started to learn those shapes and associated them with a period of the year.

Many constellations have a principal asterism (shape) made up of their brighter stars and then  quite a few fainter ones around those. These days I know most of the northern sky main asterisms and what they are adjacent to in the sky but I still need to look up the positions of the fainter members of the constellations.

I expect there are many ways to tackle this but the gradual approach, giving plenty of time to go over what has already been covered to test the learning worked for me. But it does take time and as the seasons progress I do need to re-acquaint myself with "old friends" as they become well positioned in the sky.

 

 

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I still wish I knew more constellations.  I learned a new one this summer - Auriga because I took a photo of it.  Some are easier than others and I expect you can already find them.  Like Orion and The Plough.  Another easy one  is Casseopia as it is like a giant W.  If not one those above it can also be fun to find your own starsign, So why not start with those 4 or 5 and then build on them, which is what I'm trying to do.

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4 hours ago, Stu said:

You can actually get Skysafari to show this very clearly.

Screenshot_20190127-190940_SkySafari 6 Pro.jpg

Thanks Stu, I’ve just learnt something. I highlighted just the zodiac constellations as you have done on Sky Safari and I’ve realised they all follow the ecliptic. Perhaps I should’ve known this already as there are twelve. :) 

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I'd  say the obvious starting points are to be able to recognise the Winter Hexagon (visible when Orion is 'up') and the Summer Triangle (the first stars visible in the summer sky). 

From the basic shapes of the stars, use the planisphere to familiarise yourself with the extent of the constellations that contain the brightest stars. 

Here's a couple of gifs that show the Hexagon and the Triangle, then the shapes of the constellations. 

931404267_WinterHexagon.gif.838f6a029675164dfeaa1ccfcf004150.gif

 

1804624844_SummerTriangle.gif.2485f17e00b1e8854eed2c07bf516985.gif

Once you have the shapes of the constellations that make up these shapes, work on learning the constellations around these large ones.

The planisphere will help show how these relate together and how they relate to the constellations around the pole. 

 

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7 hours ago, Scooot said:

Thanks Stu, I’ve just learnt something. I highlighted just the zodiac constellations as you have done on Sky Safari and I’ve realised they all follow the ecliptic. Perhaps I should’ve known this already as there are twelve. :) 

I'm the same, I didn't twig where they came from until I looked at this selection on Skysafari. I guess it's obvious really in that they are the main constellations the planets move through being on the ecliptic.

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1 hour ago, Stu said:

I'm the same, I didn't twig where they came from until I looked at this selection on Skysafari. I guess it's obvious really in that they are the main constellations the planets move through being on the ecliptic.

and all roughly two hours apart, so if Taurus is due south you know Gemini will be due south in a couple of hours. 

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14 hours ago, Gfamily said:

I'd  say the obvious starting points are to be able to recognise the Winter Hexagon (visible when Orion is 'up') and the Summer Triangle (the first stars visible in the summer sky). 

I'll be honest and say that I don't really find it useful to 'see'/'find' more patterns than the ones I'm already looking for.  The winter hexagon appears to contain bits of Orion, Gemini and other constellations that I don't yet know and I am not sure that seeing those majors stars as a different patter helps me personally to find the individual constellations.

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5 hours ago, JOC said:

I'll be honest and say that I don't really find it useful to 'see'/'find' more patterns than the ones I'm already looking for.  The winter hexagon appears to contain bits of Orion, Gemini and other constellations that I don't yet know and I am not sure that seeing those majors stars as a different patter helps me personally to find the individual constellations.

That's fine, and if it doesn't work for you, so be it. However, if someone is starting out, the approach is to start with the ones that you know, and then extend out from that. 

If you 'know' Orion, then you can look to see how that fits in to the rest of the Hexagon, and knowing that (anticlockwise) it covers Taurus, Auriga, Gemini and the two bright 'Canis' stars, you have a rudimentary map of a region of the sky that's about 60 degrees vertically and 50 degrees horizontally. 

Similarly, the Summer Triangle tells you where to look for Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila, as hosting the main stars; but when you explore further, it also tells you where Saggita, Vulpecula and Delphinus can be found.

Going sideways from the Triangle, you can learn that Hercules is west of Lyra, and Pegasus to the east of Cygnus.

and so on. 

 

 

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In his book "Deep-Sky wonders",pg. 217/218, the doyen of DSO observers, Walter Scott Houston, describes a seasonal approach (developed from a school of celestial navigation during WW II). The key constellations are Leo (spring), Scorpius (summer), Pegasus (autumn) and Orion (winter), when looking southward in the evening/early night hours. They don't change their appearance as much as the Ursa Maior's constellation, that circles around the celestial North Pole, sometimes confusing newbies. From there, work your way to the other ones.

I've always taken the learning of constellations rather relaxed; and, after some decades of observing, still have to consult the map for fainter constellations, as Lacerta, Monoceros, Leo minor.

Stephan

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I started with binoculars and naked eye. It was a few months before I bought a scope. I think binocular observing is a terrific way to learn the constellations while working through a binocular observing list (e.g. see the Astromical League programs).

I don’t think you need to learn all of them - just enough that there’s always a familiar landmark that you recognise not too far away. Identifying the pole star is key to orienting yourself.

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