Observing the Cosmic Ladder - Constellations and the Deep Sky
When we look up at the sky from our home planet, we have no useful sense of depth perception for celestial objects. It’s for this reason that our next step might seem surprising. Moving out from the Solar System, the next things we encounter are the stars, specifically the stars close enough to be individually resolvable that form the constellations.
Take a look at the accompanying graphic to get a sense for the scale, the stars we see as individual points such as the Big Dipper or Orion must be close enough to stand out against the fainter, dense background of stars in the Milky Way.
Our closest neighboring stars are seen from Earth as constellations
Beyond these close neighboring stars, we find all sorts of fascinating interstellar structures, such as globular clusters and nebulae. There are several examples of these deep sky objects that can be seen with the unaided eye, though because of the local smoke these are essentially washed out for the time being. We’ll discuss some of these at our live program tonight if you’d like to learn more about viewing these objects!
Tomorrow, we’ll consider our galaxy as a whole and talk about how best to view the Milky Way.
Join us Wednesday 8/26 @ 6:00 PM for a full program on the Cosmic Ladder! Email LBmartin@cityofwestminster.us to register for this free virtual program.
Check back each weekday @ 5:00 pm for more observing guides and science news!
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Stay well, and clear skies!