< Field Guide

Auriga is a constellation made up of Capella (its brightest star), and three "kids" (labelled Epsilon, Zeta, and Eta).

There is a skinny, A-shaped asterism in Andromeda which you can use to find Perseus. At the top of the A is Alpheratz, and Mirach and Almach make up one of the A's sides. If you follow the legs of the A, you'll find Perseus. (Actually, it looks more like a "V". The reason why "A" was chosen was to form the mnemonic "A in Andromeda.") The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is a spiral galaxy within Andromeda.

The constellation Boötes is shaped like a kite.

Aquila (The Eagle): Although it appears that Altair is at the top of this constellation, there is actually one star above it (Tarazed, Gamma Aquilae).

Centaurus: Alpha Centauri is not one star, but a system of three. Proxima Centauri, in this system, is the closest star to our solar system. It is 4.2 light-years away.

Perseus: Algol (Beta Persei) gets its name from the Arabic al Ghul, meaning "Demon Star." It is an eclipsing binary.

This article is issued from Wikibooks. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.