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Brian Jones: secrets of The Plough

Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences and people have been gazing at the night sky since before recorded history. But it’s only relatively recently that we have had something more than the unaided eye to help us. When Galileo first turned his telescope to the night sky in the early 17th century he witnessed sights for the first time that, up to then, had been hidden from human view.
Yet although telescopes can indeed reveal many wonders in the night sky, we can spend hours of star gazing with nothing more than the unaided eye to help us. On a clear and moonless night we can usually see up to 3,000 or so stars without optical aid. Unfortunately, due to street lighting and other forms of light pollution, many of us need to travel outside the cities and towns in order to witness a truly dark sky. Thankfully, walkers often find themselves located well away from city lights and so are able to witness dark skies as they are meant to be seen.
If you take a little time to look around the night sky you’ll notice that, amongst what at first appears to be a jumble of stars, patterns seem to emerge and the sky takes on a semblance of order. Many of these star patterns were described and charted by astronomers thousands of years ago and the star charts and maps of today contain many of the constellations devised by the ancients.
One of the most famous and easily-recognisable star patterns is the Plough, which is easily located lying low in the northern sky during November and December evenings. Shaped rather like a gigantic heavenly spoon the Plough is actually one part of a much larger constellation called Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, although the other stars in the Great Bear are all comparatively faint. The Plough itself, however – which marks the hind quarters and tail of the bear – stands out quite well.
While you’re looking at the Plough, check out the star in the middle of the Plough ‘handle’. You will see that this is actually a pair of stars comprising Mizar – the brighter of the two – and a nearby companion star, Alcor. Both Alcor and Mizar can be made out individually if you have keen eyesight and the sky is really dark and clear, but binoculars may be needed to bring the pair out well. If you have powerful binoculars, or a small telescope, you may see another, much fainter, star, forming a triangle with Alcor and Mizar. This star bears the somewhat-clumsy name of Sidus Ludovicianum and was named by the eccentric German astronomer Johann Georg Liebknecht in 1723. Spotting the star in his telescope and thinking he had discovered a new planet, he named it after his sovereign and patron the Landgrave Ludwig of Hessen-Darmstadt. The discovery was erroneous, but the name stuck!
The winter evenings are fairly chilly, but why not brave the elements and venture outside to seek out the celestial Plough? Happy stargazing!

Brian

Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences and people have been gazing at the night sky since before recorded history – but it’s only relatively recently that we have had something more than the unaided eye to help us. When Galileo first turned his telescope to the night sky in the early 17th century he witnessed sights for the first time that, up to then, had been hidden from human view.

Yet although telescopes can indeed reveal many wonders in the night sky, we can spend hours stargazing with nothing more than the unaided eye to help us. On a clear and moonless night we can usually see up to 3,000 or so stars without optical aid. Unfortunately, due to street lighting and other forms of light pollution, many of us need to travel outside the cities and towns in order to witness a truly dark sky. Thankfully, walkers often find themselves located well away from city lights and so are able to witness dark skies as they are meant to be seen.

If you take a little time to look around the night sky you’ll notice that, amongst what at first appears to be a jumble of stars, patterns seem to emerge and the sky takes on a semblance of order. Many of these star patterns were described and charted by astronomers thousands of years ago and the star charts and maps of today contain many of the constellations devised by the ancients.

Plough on the HorizonOne of the most famous and easily-recognisable star patterns is the Plough, which is easily located lying low in the northern sky during November and December evenings. Shaped rather like a gigantic heavenly spoon the Plough is actually one part of a much larger constellation called Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, although the other stars in the Great Bear are all comparatively faint. The Plough itself, however – which marks the hind quarters and tail of the bear – stands out quite well.

While you’re looking at the Plough, check out the star in the middle of the Plough ‘handle’. You will see that this is actually a pair of stars comprising Mizar – the brighter of the two – and a nearby companion star, Alcor. Both Alcor and Mizar can be made out individually if you have keen eyesight and the sky is really dark and clear, but binoculars may be needed to bring the pair out well. If you have powerful binoculars, or a small telescope, you may see another, much fainter, star, forming a triangle with Alcor and Mizar. This star bears the somewhat-clumsy name of Sidus Ludovicianum and was named by the eccentric German astronomer Johann Georg Liebknecht in 1723. Spotting the star in his telescope and thinking he had discovered a new planet, he named it after his sovereign and patron the Landgrave Ludwig of Hessen-Darmstadt. The discovery was erroneous, but the name stuck!

The winter evenings are fairly chilly, but why not brave the elements and venture outside to seek out the celestial Plough? Happy stargazing!

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