The Constellations

This is a very strange time of year, especially around 11.00pm in the evening. Why, I hear you ask? Well, it’s for the peculiar fact that you can look west and see the summer triangle setting or, you can look south east and see Orion, Taurus, Gemini and Auriga. Somehow, to me anyway, it feels like we are clinging on to our memories of summer; yet we can’t stop the endless progression and the inevitability of the cold winter nights and the resultant crisp morning frosts.

If you look south-south east at about 1.00am in the morning during mid November it’s a wonderful sight. As I sit here, Orion dominates the sky, Sirius is visible, Taurus glides high in the sky with the Pleides, Procyon shines majestically, Castor and Pollux are visible again, Capella climbs ever higher.

This is a good time of year, for those of you just starting out in astronomy, to start to find your way around the sky. There are so many stellar landmarks that act as pointers to other constellations plus the sheer abundance of bright stars make it so much easier to be completely sure you have found what you were looking for.

I’m tempted to get my scope out and view some of the winter wonders, I open the door for a better look and then the harsh reality of winter observing hits me; Boy is it cold, not just cold but very cold.

It is easy to buy things for Astronomers at Christmas: hats, gloves, hip flasks, 70 denier tights! And for the Astronomer who has everything there is always a New Filter or the Annual "Year Book of Astronomy."

A Happy New Year to you All!