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Learning About the Night Sky

© Lisa Hawkins

Learning About the Night Sky

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Last week I promised a unit on our night sky. This article will be the first of the series, giving you something to go outside and look for. This might just turn into a family hobby you will all enjoy!

As I said last week meteor showers happen at regular times of the year. This is when debris left behind by a come crosses our Earth‘s orbit. Check out the listing below for the dates to be looking upward.

Name of Meteor Shower	Where to look	Dates to look
Quadrantid Lyrids Aquarids Orionids Leonids Geminids	Between Bootes and Draco Between Hercules and Vega SW of Pegasus Between Orion and Gemini Leo Gemini	January 2-4 April 20-22 May 4-6 October 18-22 November 16-18 December 11-14

Now this last display (Leonids) was terrific, but there has been many a disappointing night when I have gotten up at 4Am to discover that the clouds have rolled in and the chance of seeing the light show are nil. If this happens to you, don’t be too disappointed, there will be other chances. Every time the Leonid shower comes around the news media says it’s “the show of a lifetime”. Personally, I am thrilled each time I see that streak of light flash across the night sky. Granted, it’s a really big thrill to see so many, but the kids will enjoy even seeing just one.

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Types of stars

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Are all stars alike? Nope!

There are many types of stars. Not all stars are made up of the same chemical materials. Some stars burn brighter than others and to some degree this depends on their chemical make-up. The hotter the star, the brighter it will shine.

Stars come in different colors. The heat and chemical make-up of a star also determine what color the star is. The hottest stars are blue or white. The coolest stars are red and the yellow and orange stars are in between. There is a red star in the constellation Orion. Some stars actually change in color. These stars are called variable stars. They change color as they are changing in size and temperature. Some stars go through this change on a regular cycle. Some stars go through this change, and may even change in size as they near the end of their life cycle. The star Mira in the constellation Cetus changes over an 11 month period from bright to so faint it can only be seen by binoculars.

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