How to enjoy the most beautiful starry sky in autumn and winter?

Constellation encyclopedia beginner's guide to stargazing

Twain/Dai Jianfeng

This article is taken from the magazine "Knowledge is Power".

The air is crisp in autumn, and the starry sky in autumn night is particularly charming. Looking up, the flying horse is in the sky and the Milky Way is slanting west, which makes people full of reverie. Today, stargazing has gradually become a popular hobby. Do you want to be an astronomy enthusiast? Let's talk about how to appreciate the most beautiful starry sky in autumn and winter!

Beautiful scenery of autumn and winter starry sky

The starry sky in autumn and winter is full of fascinating myths. On autumn nights, after nightfall, you will see the "autumn quadrangle" of Pegasus, which is located high above your head. Perseus can be found from the northeast corner of the quadrangle in autumn. It consists of three rows of stars and extends northeast along Andromeda. To the southeast of the quadrangle in autumn are Pisces and the Great Whale. Wang Xian, Hou Xian, Fairy, Perseus, Pegasus and Whale form a brilliant royal constellation, which is the main constellation in the autumn sky. These royal constellations originated from the story of Pacius saving Princess Moda of Andlau in ancient Greek mythology.

In winter, the starry sky is more dazzling. Although the Milky Way is dark, it has more bright stars than other seasons. The center of the winter night sky is Orion, which appears in the southern sky. In ancient Greek mythology, Orion was imagined as a brave hunter. Orion is mainly composed of seven bright stars, and the three stars on Orion's belt are just connected in a straight line, which is called "three stars shining high" by the people. Orion's Betelgeuse, together with six bright stars next to Canis major, Canis minor, Gemini, Auriga and Taurus, forms the famous "Big Winter Diamond".

In the starry sky in autumn and winter, besides constellations and bright stars, there are many dazzling de "jewels". The Andromeda galaxy M3 1, the Pleiades cluster in Taurus and the Orion nebula M42 are all objects that fascinate astronomy lovers. The Gemini meteor shower on the night of 65438+February 65438+March every year is the most brilliant moment in winter. On this night, we can see hundreds of meteors falling into the sky every hour on average.

The famous winter diamonds rose over Tibet.

Stargazing tips

Although it is difficult for us to see the starry sky in the city, we can see the touching starry sky in the less polluted suburbs. In mountainous areas with higher altitude, the starry sky is more spectacular. So, what are the precautions in the choice of time, place and weather when observing the starry sky?

light pollution

Stargazing must first avoid light pollution. You can check the light pollution distribution map on the website /maps/world.html, try to avoid the red and yellow areas of the light pollution Mi set, and choose the gray and blue areas.

If you live in a farmhouse, you can observe directly in the yard or on the roof, and pay attention to extinguish all the lights nearby when observing. If you are camping in the wild, try to observe in a place where the line of sight is wide and there are not too many obstacles around. In the wild at night, it is most important to ensure safety. You must be accompanied by family and friends.

The phase of the moon

Moonlight, like lights, will light up the night sky, especially around the full moon, and bright moonlight will cover the starlight. This is a fact. Therefore, if you want to enjoy watching the stars, you'd better choose a day without the influence of moonlight. Usually, five days before and after the first day of the lunar calendar is the best star-watching day, followed by the second half of the night before the ninth day of the lunar calendar and the first half of the night after the 21st day of the lunar calendar.

The periodic variation of the moon phase is 29.53 days.

weather

In addition to the above two points, the important factor to consider is the weather. It is best to choose some cloudy sunny days, so be sure to check the weather before you leave. Here, we recommend a website and APP called meteoblue, which can be used to accurately query the weather conditions of the destination on the same day and the weather forecast for the next few days, and effectively help us make observation plans.

Identify constellations with APP

Stargazing gadget

In fact, you don't need an expensive telescope to see the stars. You can travel in the infinite universe with your naked eyes. But for beginners, a compass and a red flashlight are the most basic tools. At the same time, some preparations before stargazing must also be paid attention to, so as to ensure that you can enjoy the night sky comfortably.

compass

It is not easy for the first time stargazer to find the North Star. Therefore, even if you know the X and Xěng blocks you are looking for on the map, it is still very difficult to actually grasp the direction of the starry sky. Compass is a tool to help you solve your troubles.

Red flashlight

In the dark, the small flashlight will be very dazzling. You can add a layer of red cellophane in front to reduce the impact on the human eye. Because red light is less irritating to human eyes, we can continue to observe the beautiful starry sky after using the red flashlight.

binoculars

Binoculars can observe the bright clouds and clusters in the Milky Way through binoculars. But to find the observation target, it needs a certain amount of knowledge accumulation.

thermal insulation

Keeping warm is often overlooked by stargazers. The temperature in the suburbs is 5 ~ 10℃ lower than that in the urban area, and the temperature will drop by 0.6℃ every time the altitude rises 100 meters. So you need to wear winter clothes to watch the stars in autumn.

Moisture-proof mat or lounge chair

If you keep looking up at the starry sky, your neck will soon ache, but if you bow your head and rest, you may just miss a beautiful meteor. Therefore, the best solution is to prepare a moisture-proof mat and lie on it to enjoy the night sky comfortably.

Through the above introduction, I believe you must have a preliminary understanding of stargazing methods. Stargazing is not as difficult as imagined. You can travel around the Milky Way with the naked eye and feel the starlight 2.5 million light years away. Hurry up and make an appointment with friends and have a starry sky trip!

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How do you look at the stars at night? This is the correct stargazing guide!

Wen | Light Zen As night falls, the stars shine. If you look up at the starry sky, you will find a mysterious world. Look at the stars occasionally at ordinary times. Maybe you just need to look at them, but if you really care and want to get in touch with the beautiful night sky, you need to be fully prepared. Maybe you think it's a mountain out of a molehill, but it's not, because stargazing is really influenced by light, and choosing a bad position will inevitably affect the effect of stargazing. What common sense and necessary knowledge do you need to prepare for stargazing? Let the Ultimate Stargazing National Guide tell you the answer. This is a very suitable guide for beginners. In this book, the author focuses on the selection of observation points, the basic knowledge of astronomy, the composition of more than 50 constellations and legends, the different star maps of the four seasons, how to observe solar and lunar eclipses, and matters needing attention. This necessary knowledge will enable you to observe the stars smoothly, judge what a star is and what a planet is, and how to distinguish constellations through a suitable telescope. To prepare for stargazing, you must first choose a suitable observation point. Zhe wrote in the book "National Geographic Ultimate Star Watching Guide": "The darker the position, the better. Rural or suburban parks are more suitable than light-polluted city streets. If you watch the stars at home, turn off all the lights as much as possible; If you go to the countryside to see the stars, you must find a place where gè faces away from the city and away from light pollution. " If you need to use a flashlight, you can cover the ordinary flashlight with a layer of red cellophane, or directly use a flashlight with a red filter, because the influence of red light on night observation is much smaller than that of white light. Looking up at the night sky, you can see stars, stars, galaxies and fast-moving celestial bodies through a suitable telescope. These beautiful scenes will make people very excited. But besides, there are five coolest things in the sky. Which five? They are: the Big Dipper and the North Star; Venus; Perseid meteor shower, Pleiades star cluster; Andromeda galaxy. The Big Dipper and the North Star are well known, and their advantage is that they can help people find their way. When watching the stars, they can also use the seven stars as a guide to find other targets. Venus, as the closest planet to the earth, is the brightest de, and it will change with the seasons. As for other cool things, it will be clear at a glance after reading the book. Constellation is a topic that many people care about, among which the twelve constellations are the most typical, but other constellations are equally beautiful, especially when observed under the night sky, which has unique charm. In the book, the author not only introduces the constellation diagram of each constellation in detail, but also tells the myths and legends about the constellation. How to find Andlau Moda, the book says: "In ancient Greek mythology, Ethiopian princess Andlau Moda was chained to a stone and sacrificed to God. Andromeda in the sky, Andromeda, is a V-shaped constellation that looks like a head and feet. " The myths and legends about Andromeda are also very touching. When Andlau Meda was about to be sacrificed to God, Poerxiusi turned the sea monster into a stone with the head of Medusa, the gorgon. This constellation introduction and myths and legends are explained in detail in the National Geographic Ultimate Stargazing Guide. This can not only help stargazers find constellations, but also make people understand the corresponding myths and legends and master more constellation knowledge. In the last part of the book, the author also introduces in detail how to choose the telescope as a star-watching device, and teaches how to use the telescope, which is very necessary for star watchers. Stargazing is a pleasant thing. If we can change some necessary common sense in advance, we can avoid unnecessary troubles when watching stars. In the book, the author also advocates taking children to watch the stars together. It will be more meaningful to explain some astronomical knowledge to children when watching stars. The National Geographic Ultimate Stargazing Guide is rich in content, with various color pictures, which clearly tells the basic knowledge of astronomy. For those who really want to see the stars, this is definitely the ultimate guide.

How to pass the stargazing laboratory?

Stargazing Lab is a small game suitable for testing observation and spatial imagination. Here are some tips for going through customs:

1. Familiarize yourself with constellations: First of all, you need to be familiar with some common constellations, such as the Big Dipper, Tian Yan and Swan. You can learn by consulting materials and observing the night sky.

2. Mastering observation skills: In the game, you need to observe the given constellation graphics and starry sky scenes to find out the corresponding constellation. You can observe by adjusting the angle of view, zooming the picture, etc.

3. Li yòng's clue: Some hints and clues will be given in the game, such as the position, shape and brightness of the constellation. We can infer and judge according to these clues, and it is easier to find the target constellation.

4. Practice more: The stargazing laboratory requires high space imagination and observation, and needs more practice. You can try different difficulty levels and modes to gradually improve your ability.

In a word, if you want to pass the test of stargazing laboratory, you need to observe carefully, be familiar with constellations and accumulate experience.