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| The star chart this month
shows the whole sky down to the horizon in all directions, about 8:00 PM
around the middle of January. The zenith is at the center of the
chart.
On a map of the earth, north is toward the top of the map, south is toward the bottom, east is to the right, and west is to the left. If we orient a map, holding it so that north on the map also points north on the earth, then all directions on the map will correspond with those direc-tions on the earth. Now a star chart is a map of the heavens. How is it, then, that when north is up on a star chart (as above), east is to the left and west is to the right? In using a map, we look down at the map and down at the surface of the earth. Now a star chart is a map of the heavens, so we need to look up at the star chart as we look up at the sky. Face south, hold the star chart overhead, and orient the chart so that south on the chart points south in the sky. All of the directions on the chart will then correspond with the directions in the sky. Keep the star chart oriented in this way as you look at different regions of the sky. See if you can use the chart in this way to locate some of the brighter stars and constella-tions in relation to Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. With experience, some observers can learn to "flip" the chart mentally without having to turn it upside down physically. Practice makes perfect! |
You can print a copy of this star chart so you can take it outside.
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