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The Big Dipper is one of the most recognizable stars of the night sky. It is high in the northern sky in the spring, summer and early fall, but now that we are in high season, the ladle sinks quickly. To find it, face the northwest sky between 17:30 and 18:00. The seven bright stars are arranged here spoon-shaped just above the roofs and trees.
We Americans call it the Big Dipper. Other peoples throughout history have imagined these stars very differently. In Central Europe, it is a wagon, while in England it is a plow pulled by a horse. Many Native Americans regarded the four stars of the bowl as bears and the three stars of the hunters' neck. If you look good, their little hunting dog is next to the center star in the handle (in some stories, it's the blood of the bear that changes the color of the leaves to the # 39; fall). Arab astronomers have seen these stars as a funeral procession; the four-slice stars carried the coffin while the stars with three handles were three girls in mourning.
In winter, it is still above the horizon, but it trails along the northern horizon line over the months. To give you an idea of the possible drop, observe the star at the very end of the fretboard. He calls Alkaid and almost touches the horizon in the early evening in December and January.
When you see the Big Dipper ascending into the northeast sky, you'll know that spring is coming.
Saturn, Mars and the Moon
The moon is back in the evening sky and tomorrow you will see its crescent phase near the planet Saturn. Face south-west around 17:30. Look for the ringed planet below and to the right of the moon. Discover Saturn now, because it is also sinking fast. Soon, it will be too low for a good visualization.
The first lunar district crosses Mars on Thursday. Face south in the early evening and look for the red planet above and to the left of the moon. They are visible together until about 10:30.
Kevin D. Conod is the head of the planetarium and the astronomer of Dreyfuss Planetarium of Newark Museum. For updates on the night sky, call Newark Skyline at (973) 596-6529.
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