Notes from Natural History Museum Presentation

Students should be familiar with the night sky for the time of the year for the competition as well as the seasonal skies.

The top of the Starlab cylinder faces north, so this is important information to help orient the search for certain constellations.  Also, the dial panel of the projector is on the north side of the sky in the Starlab.  Students should be aware of this in order to choose the place to sit or know where to start looking.

Useful websites from this presentation and other sources:

• http://heavens-above.com
• View from Indianapolis - Astronomy for Kids at http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/
• Excellent!!!   Stargazer - set your latitude and date. Click on stars to see the names and click and drag to see the different directions with the horizon as a reference. http://www.oras.org/stargazer/applet.html
• 
  

It was suggested that students find the Big Dipper to help orient self and find other constellations in relation to it.

Know what phase the moon is in on the day of tournament.  Big round circle in Starlab is full moon

Past students stated that accuracy with the laser pointer was important.

The Orion Sky is what is visible in March.  The clusters around Orion make a large oval.

• Orion is high in sky
  
• Know the names of the bright stars in Orion : Sirius, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel
• To the west of Orion is Procyon, and just north of that is Gemini
• The astronomer mentioned a connection between Capella and Castor (in Gemini) and Pollux (in Gemini) and Procyon
• Know which planets are visible in each sky
  

The Big Dipper Sky is visible in Spring:

• Jupiter and Saturn are visible near Virgo
• Follow the handle of the Big Dipper to find Arcturus and Regulus in Leo

Summer Triangle Sky:

• Three bright stars overhead with very little inside: Vega in center, Altair and Deneb off to the east
  
• Antares in Scorpius
• Cygnus the Swan
• Virgo is to the west with the bright star named Spica
  
• Square of Pegasus to east

Cassiopeia Sky is Fall sky:

• Cassiopeia is high in sky
• Pegasus is south, then Pisces and Aquarius south of that
• Big Dipper is low in north
  

Circumpolar Constellations include:

• Big Dipper (Ursa Major) in Northeast Sky
• Little Dipper (Ursa Minor)
  
• Curled around Ursa Minor is Draco
  
• Cassiopeia
• Cepheus: the house shape
• Perseus
• the Pleiades
• Aries