Meade 4504 instruction manual A Roadmap to the Stars, Star Locator

A Roadmap to the Stars

The night sky is filled with wonder and intrigue. You too can enjoy exploring the universe simply by following a few pointers on a roadmap to the stars.

First, find the Big Dipper which is part of the constellation Ursa Major. The Big Dipper is usually easy to locate year round in North America.

Extending directly out from the far side of the Big Dipper’s cup is the constellation Orion. One of the most exquisite areas of the winter sky, Orion is distinguished by Orion’s belt, which is marked by three stars in a row. The Orion Nebula is located South of the belt and is one of the most observed deep-sky objects by amateur astronomers.

Rigel

			Orion
			Betelgeuse
Andromeda
			Gemini
			Pollux
			Castor
Pegasus		Polaris	“Sickle”
Deneb			Regulus
			Leo
“Summer	Cygnus
Triangle”			“Big Dipper”
	Vega		Boötes
Altair	Lyra
			Arcturus

Aquila

Virgo

Spica

Antares

Scorpius

Fig. 37: Roadmap to the stars.

Extending from the “pointer stars” of the

Big Dipper’s cup is Polaris, the North Star. Extending from Polaris is the Great Square shared by the constellations Pegasus and Andromeda.

The Summer Triangle is a notable region in the sky to the left of the handle of the Big Dipper. The triangle is made up of three very bright stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

By drawing an imaginary line outward from the handle of the Big Dipper, you reach the southern constellation “Scorpius.” Scorpius curves to the left like the tail of a scorpion in the sky, or like letter “J.”

Amateur astronomers commonly use the phrase “Arc to Arcturus and spike to Spica” to refer to the area directly off the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper. Follow the arc to Arcturus, the second brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, then spike down to Spica, the 16th brightest star in the sky.

Star Locator

The chart below lists bright stars with their R.A. and Dec coordinates, along with the Northern Hemisphere season when these stars are prominent in the night sky. This list aids the observer to find alignment stars at various times of the year. For example, if it is a midsummer evening in the Northern Hemisphere, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus would be an excellent alignment star, while Betelgeuse could not be used because it is in the winter constellation Orion and thus, below the horizon.

Season	Star Name	Constellation	R.A.	Dec
Spring	Arcturus	Bootes	14h16m	19° 11"
Spring	Regulus	Leo	10h09m	11° 58"
Spring	Spica	Virgo	13h25m	-11° 10"
Summer	Vega	Lyra	18h37m	38° 47"
Summer	Deneb	Cygnus	20h41m	45° 17"
Summer	Altair	Aquila	19h51m	08° 52"
Summer	Antares	Scorpius	16h30m	-26° 26"
Fall	Markab	Pegasus	23h05m	15° 12"
Fall	Fomalhaut	Pisces Austrinus	s22h58m	-29° 38"
Fall	Mira	Cetus	02h19m	-02° 58"
Winter	Rigel	Orion	05h15m	-08° 12"
Winter	Betelgeuse	Orion	05h55m	07° 25"
Winter	Sirius	Canis Major	06h45m	-16° 43"
Winter	Aldebaran	Taurus	04h35m	16° 31"

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