October

Constellations

 

Now that the sun sets around 7pm (and with daylight saving ending soon) there’s plenty of time for pre-bedtime star-gazing with your kids. And, with the new moon (Oct 27, 2019) and a couple clear nights in the forecast (before the snow!), now is a perfect opportunity to brush up on fall constellations in view in the Northern hemisphere.

A few of my favorites are viewable around 7pm this time of year: Draco the Dragon, Cygnus the Swan, and Pegasus.

Draco’s long tail snakes across the northern sky, whipping between the big and little dippers. There are many mythological tales based on Draco but the most consistently found version involves Athena flinging the dragon into the sky during the battle between the Olympians and Titans. It is a “circumpolar” constellation which means for many viewers it remains above the horizon year round. Find out more, including the main stars, double stars, and nebulae found in the constellation from Space.com.

Cygnus the Swan’s brightest star, Deneb (the swan’s tail), is a part of the “Summer Triangle” which is still visible this time of year in the early hours of darkness. The story of Cygnus, as told by Chet Raymo in his book “365 Starry Nights,” goes as follows:

The constellation Cygnus has its origins in the story of Phaethon, the child of the sun god Apollo. Phaethon boasted to his friend Cygnus that Apollo was his father. To back up his boast, he took the reins of the chariot in which his father drove the sun each day across the sky. The child was not yet man enough to control the four fiery steeds that pulled the chariot. The results were disastrous. Driving too high or too low, Phaethon wreaked havoc on the earth below. Creatures alternately froze or fried as Phaethon went careening across the heavens. To stop the chaos caused by the impetuous youth, Zeus struck him dead with a bolt from Olympus. Phaethon’s body fell into the river Eridanus. The boy’s companion, Cygnus, dove repeatedly into the river in a vain attempt to retrieve the body of his friend. He looked like a swan diving for food. At last, the exhausted Cygnus died of grief. Taking pity, Zeus transformed the boy into a swan and placed him among the stars.

The swan still dives each night into the western horizon as the evening progresses.

Lastly, Pegasus, the flying horse, was once described to me as a “window” for peering deeper into the universe. Four bright stars – Alpheratz, Scheat, Algenib, and Markab – make up the corners of the “Great Square of Pegasus.” On a typical night in city light, the square will appear empty. But on a clear night and with binoculars, you can sight many stars inside the “window.” And with a sizable telescope you can see beyond the Milky Way to other galaxies, including The Little Sombrero (NGC 7814) and a barred spiral galaxy (NGC 7741) (both of which are 40 million light years away).

Find out more about Pegasus and other galaxies in our view below from HubbleSite.org

Nature Net News Flashback from 2006

Most people refer to meteors as shooting stars.  But meteors are much, much smaller than a star – in fact, most are no larger than a pebble!  Considering their size, and that meteors are made simply of metallic or stony matter, you can imagine there are many more meteors than we actually see.  Only when a meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere and the resulting friction heats the meteor – now called a meteoroid – do we see the resulting glow and shining trail of gases and melted meteoroid particles.  Meteoroids become visible between 40 and 75 miles above Earth.  And most disintegrate from the extreme heat and pressure (they’re flying up to 44 miles per second) at about 30 to 60 miles above earth.  The occasional meteor that does reach the planet, is called a meteorite. 

Upcoming Meteor Showers:

• Orionids – Peak Oct 21-22, 2019
• Northern Taurids – Peak Nov 11-12, 2019
• Leonids – Peak Nov 16-17, 2019
• Geminids – Peak Dec 13-14, 2019

Find out more from the American Meteor Society.

To Do This Month:

• Go visit the MMSD Planetarium for an immersive way to learn about constellations!
• Attend one of the Science Dabblers workshops at the Madison Children’s Museum to encourage your children participate in small science experiments.
• Checkout Brain Pop’s movie and activities about constellations for an interactive way to learn alongside your kids.
• Enjoy the cooler weather as you hike the trails at our Nature Net sites. You can still fill out your Nature Passport, so check the website to see hours for each place.
• Fill your schedule with fun, nature-based and family-friendly events happening this fall by visiting the Nature Net calendar.

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