Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What you may see
What you see in the night sky will of course depend
upon where in the world you are looking from. Some
stars, and planets such as Mars, Venus, Saturn, and
Jupiter, will be visible from north and south of the
equator, but both the northern and southern
hemispheres have their own constellations, particularly
around the poles.
Finding the North Star
In the northern hemisphere, knowing the location of
the North Star is the first step in orientating yourself.
It's less than one degree off the north pole, and
although it's not the brightest star, it stays put over the
Earth's axis. Find the constellation of Ursa Major, find
its two pointers, and extend the distance between
them five times to arrive near the North Star, the
brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor (aka
Little Dipper).
Finding the Southern Celestial Pole
In the southern sky, although the famous Southern
Cross is not the most striking feature, its regular,
diamond-like shape is easy to identify, and acts as a
pointer to the celestial pole. Extend the long axis of the
Cross fivefold to reach the southern pole, an area
bereft of any stars of note. As a further rough guide,
the south celestial pole forms a triangle with the bright
stars Canopus and Achernar.
The two stars at the end of
Ursa Major will point you to
the North Star.
