Autumn Night Sky

Astronomy
Common Core State Standard

CT Science Standards: 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.3
Common Core Standards: RI (Reading Standards for Informational Text): grades 3-5(1,2,3,5,7) and RF (Reading Standards for Foundational Skills): grades 2-5(4)
The Autumn Night Sky: Shapes to Find!

Written by Noreen Grice, Travelers Science Dome Planetarium
The refreshing autumn air welcomes sky watchers to a season of transition. Did you know that you can see star patterns
of both summer and fall? Let’s take a look at the early evening skies in October through November and check
out those star patterns.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to figure out in which direction you are looking. Time to make a human com-
pass! Extend your arms from your sides and turn your body so that your right arm points in the direction where
the sun set; this should be approximately west. When your right arm is pointing west, your left arm will be point-
ing east. You are now facing south and north is behind you.
Look toward the southwest for three bright stars forming the shape of a triangle. This asterism is called the Sum-
mer Triangle. An asterism is a pattern of stars that is not a constellation but part of one (or more). In this case,
these three stars are in three separate constellations.
The Triangle’s top right corner star is called Vega, and it is the brightest star in the constellation called Lyra the
Harp. Look for a small parallelogram with a curved handle above that outlines this musical instrument. The top
left corner star of the Triangle is called Deneb, and it is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.
Some people also call this star pattern the “northern cross” because it looks like a long line with an intersecting
shorter line. The Triangle’s third, lowest corner, star is Altair—the eye of Aquila the Eagle. Can you imagine an
eagle sitting on a branch?
Now that we have a Summer Triangle, let’s find an Autumn Square. Look high toward the southeast for the stars of the Great Square of Pegasus. According to Greek
legend, Pegasus was a winged horse. From our perspective, Pegasus is flying upside down. The two lower corner stars outline his back and connect (to the right) to
his long curved head. The two upper corner stars form his chest. To the right of these stars are the stars that form his galloping front legs. The stars to the left form his
galloping back legs.
If a flying horse is too complicated to image, try this. Picture a baseball diamond with one star for each base plus home plate. It’s a popular game because all the
stars have come out to watch!
Here’s one more pattern. Find the area midway between the Summer Triangle and the Autumn Square. Now scan down toward the Southern horizon and stop when
you find a pattern that looks like a baby’s diaper. This is Capricornus the sea goat, but it really looks more like a diaper! This is a chal-
lenging pattern to find because it is much lower in the sky. You might not be able to see it if there is a house in the way. So, think of
Capricornus as your big challenge this season!
Did You Know Fun Things To Do

Go outside and check out the sky with an empty paper towel tube. Count stars in differ-
All the stars you see at night are part of our ent directions. Did you find the same amount of stars visible everywhere?
Milky Way Galaxy. Galaxies are like “star
cities” in the universe because they are col-
lections of hundreds of millions or billions
of stars. It’s hard to know exactly how many
Special Event!
stars make up the Weather permitting; get up early to see the total lunar eclipse on the morning of Oct 8th. For
Milky Way, but observers in New England, totality (when the Full Moon completely enters the Earth’s shadow)
astronomers have begins about twenty minutes before sunrise. The Moon will be very low and near setting, so try
to watch this event from a location with a clear view of the western horizon.
estimated there are
between 200 bil- Visit the New Children’s Museum in West Hartford!
lion and 400 billion
stars. Our Sun is one • Journey beyond Connecticut in the Traveler’s Science Dome.
of those stars. • Check out photographs of the night sky along the Museum’s pendulum stairway.

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Astronomy

Common Core State Standard

The Autumn Night Sky: Shapes to Find!

Did You Know Fun Things To Do

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