Stars and Constellations

What are Stars?

At night, the sky is filled with tiny points of light. These are stars. Stars are huge balls of hot gases that shine with their own light. Some stars are bright, while others are dim. Although they look small, they are actually massive; they appear small only because they are very far away from us.

Constellations

Long ago, our ancestors noticed that groups of stars formed patterns that looked like familiar objects, animals, or characters. These groups of stars are called constellations.

• Definition: A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern.
• Official Count: The International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially lists 88 constellations.
• Indian Astronomy: In India, these patterns or regions are often referred to as Nakshatras.

Major Constellations

1. Ursa Major (The Great Bear) / Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is a distinct pattern of seven stars found within the constellation Ursa Major. In India, it is known as Saptaṛiṣhi (Seven Sages). It looks like a large ladle or a question mark.

2. Ursa Minor (The Little Bear) / Little Dipper

This constellation also looks like a ladle but is smaller and less bright than the Big Dipper. The Pole Star (Polaris) is located at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.

3. Orion (The Hunter)

Orion is one of the most magnificent constellations, visible during winter. It looks like a hunter with a belt, sword, and shield.

• The Belt: Three bright stars in a straight line in the middle.
• Betelgeuse: A reddish star at the hunter’s shoulder (called Ārdrā in India).
• Rigel: A bright bluish star at the hunter’s foot.

Finding the Pole Star (Dhruva Tārā)

The Pole Star (Polaris) is special because it appears stationary in the North direction. While other stars rise and set due to Earth’s rotation, the Pole Star remains fixed because it lies almost directly above the Earth’s North Pole.

How to find it:

1. Locate the Big Dipper.
2. Find the two stars at the outer edge of the ladle’s bowl (often called “pointer stars”).
3. Draw an imaginary line extending from these two stars towards the North.
4. This line points directly to a not-very-bright star: the Pole Star.

Sirius: The Brightest Star

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. It is located in the constellation Canis Major (The Great Dog).

How to find it:

1. Locate Orion.
2. Find the three stars in Orion’s belt.
3. Imagine a straight line passing through these three stars stretching towards the East.
4. This line will lead you to a very bright star: Sirius.