Design

I am going to observe and make detailed drawings of three different constellations. The magnitudes and Colour will be noted for further analysing and comparison.

As far as observation plans are concerned, I have picked out a number of locations that are advantageous to my needs as an astronomer. My first viewing location will be Overbury Hill. This is probably my prime viewing location, as there is next to no light pollution as streetlamps are sparsely distributed. Also, the hill is vacant of trees and so constellations can be seen easily and clearly

Most of my observing will be done in February, due to the fact that it get darks quite early. it is preferable to observe at the new moon, as then the moon wont contribute to light pollution and obscure my observations

I will be using the Sky Map app on my iPad to easily locate certain constellations and find out the latitude and longitude of my position. Also, I will have more than one viewing session so that I can get the observations from different points around the area. I plan to do host all of my observing sessions on the weekends, as so have devised a viewing timetable Date of viewing period 2-3rd February 9-10th February 16-17th February 23-24th February 2-3rd March Weather forecast Clear skies, no rain Cloudy, chance of rain Cloudy, light rain Clear skies, no rain Clear skies, no rain

Gazing planner
Date: 2/2/13 Start time: 20:30 Finish time: 21: 45 Duration: 1 hour 15 minuets Phase of moon: Last quarter Location: Overbury hill Weather forecast: 4 degrees, clear skies Equipment needed: Pen, Paper and astronomy book Risk assessment: bring a torch, as there are no street lamps around the area.

Gazing planner (2)

Date: 23/2/13 Start time: 20:30 Finish time: 21: 45 Duration: 1 hour 15 minuets Phase of moon: Full moon Location: Four pools public field Weather forecast: -3 degrees, clear skies Equipment needed: Pen, Paper and astronomy book Risk assessment: Temperature will be below freezing, so bring warm clothes. Also, it is not ideal as the full moon will interfere with clarity

Constellations
From doing some research and from using the Sky Map application, I have come up with several possible choices of constellations for observing;

Orion: It is in the North celestial hemisphere and is composed of lots of bright stars in the sky, thus
making easily distractible and therefore easy to plot

Ursa Major: also located in Northern celestial hemisphere making it possible to observe. It has a easily
recognisable shape which means it can be used as a landmark to find other constellations

Cancer: Also is in the northern celestial hemisphere so It would be apparent in the sky, has bright stars
so easy to map

Gemini: located in the northern celestial hemisphere, meaning i can observe it and locate it using the
constellations of Cancer and Orion

Canis Minor: found in the northern celestial hemisphere and also is located close to Orion, making it
easy to locate. Also, it also includes Polaris, which makes it more detectable in the sky making it easy to find

Orion: The Hunter

Named The Hunter from Greek mythology, Orions Greek title is contrary to its nature. Hunters are usually stealthy, however ironically Orion is anything but hidden. it is one of the most recognisable and prominent constellations in the night sky. It is most clearly visible between the months of November and February, which is one of the reasons why I chose to plot it

Mythology; There are several versions of the myth of Orion, but one of the more common versions is
that Orion boasted to be the greatest hunter in the world, much to the enragement of Hera, the wife of Zeus. She had a scorpion kill him, and Zeus put Orion into the sky as consolation. In another version, The Hunter is blinded for raping Merope, a granddaughter of the god Dionysis. He has to travel to seek the sun's rays to recover his sight.

I used Betelgeuse as my reference star for Orion

Main Stars in the Orion constellation

Star name , Rigel

Type of star Blue supergiant

Distance from earth 860 Light-years

Apparent magnitude 0.18

Colour (BV) of 0.03 (lightly blue-white)

, Betelgeuse

Red supergiant

643 Light-years

0.12 - 1.2

(B-V) of +1.84 (distinct red colour)

, Alnilam

Bright blue supergiant

1,300 Light-years

1.70

(B-V) of -0.19 (bluewhite)

, Saiph

Blue supergiant

720 Light-years

2.06

(B-V) of -0.18 (bluewhite)

Ursa Minor; the Little Dipper

Ursa Minor literally means the little bear in accordance with its brother Ursa Major Big Bear the tail of Ursa Minor can also be seen as a handle of a saucepan, hence the name Little Dipper. As far as constellations go, it is smaller and more simplistic than others. Thus making it a friendly, recognisable figure in the sky.

Mythology; Ursa Minor was considered just seven close stars, mythologically seen as sisters. In Greek
mythology, the seven stars of the Little Dipper were the Hesperides. Together with the nearby constellations of Botes, Ursa Major, and Draco, it is believed to have formed the origin of the myth of the apples of the Hesperides, which forms part of the fabled Labours of Hercules

I used Polaris as my reference star for Ursa Minor

Main Stars in the Ursa Minor constellation

Star name
, Polaris

Type of star
Yellow-white supergiant

Distance from earth

434 Light-years

Apparent magnitude
1.985

Colour

(B-V) of +0.60 (predominantly white)

, Kochab

Giant star

130.9 Light-years

2.08

(B-V) of +1.47 (very brightly white)

, Yildun , Pherkad

Main sequence star A-type star

183 Light-years 480 Light-years

4.35 3.05

(B-V) of +0.02 (white) (B-V) of +0.9 (white)

Gemini; From the Zodiac

This constellation is named after the twins Castor and Pollux from Greek mythology. The two brightest stars (also named after Castor and Pollux) represent the heads of the twins, while fainter stars outline the two bodies. However, Gemini is probably more famous for its association with the Zodiac. Traditionally, those born under the sign of Gemini are believed to be more thoughtful, talkative and social.

Mythology; In Greek mythology, Gemini was associated with the myth of Castor and Pollux. Pollux was
the son of Zeus. Castor and Pollux were also mythologically associated with St. Elmo's fire in their role as the protectors of sailors. When Castor died, because he was mortal, Pollux begged his father Zeus to give Castor immortality, and he did, by uniting them together in the heavens. I used the star Castor as my reference point for the Gemini constellation

Main Stars in the Gemini constellation

Star name
, Castor , Pollux

Type of star
Visual binary Evolved orange giant

Distance from earth

468 Light-years 33.78 Light-years

Apparent magnitude
1.54 1.14

Colour
(B-V) +0.04 (white) (B-V) +1.0 (yellow/orange)

, Alhena

White sub-giant star Supergiant

109 Light-years 840 Light-years

1.915 3.06

(B-V) +0.005 (White) (B-V) +1.40 (white/yellowish)

, Mebsuta

Analysis: I took a reference star from each constellation and found out its actual visual magnitude.
From this I estimated the magnitudes of three other stars in the constellation. Then I found out the actual apparent magnitude and worked out the difference to find a degree of accuracy

Orion
Name of star
, Betelgeuse

Estimated magnitude

Actual magnitude
0.12 - 1.2

Difference

, Rigel

0.60 2 1.60

0.18 1.70

0.42 0.30 0.46

, Alnilam
, Saiph

2.06

Ursa Minor
Name of star
, Polaris

Estimated magnitude

Actual magnitude
1.985

Difference

, Kochab

2.50 3.70 2.70

2.08

0.42 0.65 0.35

, Yildun , Pherkad

4.35 3.05

Gemini
Name of star
, Castor

Estimated magnitude

Actual magnitude
1.54

Difference

, Pollux

0.40 0.90 2.10

1.14

0.74 1.015 0.96

, Alhena

1.915

, Mebsuta

3.06

Evaluation
Now for the time where I evaluate my findings, estimations and observations. Firstly I would say that I planned my observing sessions relatively well and chose two different locations to include some variation in terms of longitude and latitude. However the only problem was that Four pools field is in the middle of a housing estate so, even though distant from my location, light from streetlamps could have obscured my observations. In terms of the accuracy of my estimations, I believe them to be fairly accurate to the actual magnitudes of the star in question. However, I did spot some anomalies and one systematic error. This would be concerning the estimations of the stars in Gemini, in which I observed from Four pools housing estate on the night of 23rd February. I believe the light pollution from the streetlamps could have alienated my observations, and not to mention the light pollution from the shining full moon would have also alienated my estimations, but this was the only night on when there were clear skies apart from my first observation session. However despite this, I find that overall the difference between estimated and actual magnitudes was not too great. Concerning the actual drawings of the constellations, I believed that they are both accurate and in proportion to one another. I even plotted the size of the dot depending on its magnitude as to get an idea of the scale of the size of the stars in relation to each other on paper. However the only place I think accuracy may have been lost is from the translation from note form to final form. By this I mean that I plotted the constellations while observing in a note pad, then when at home I replicated the drawings on an A4 piece of paper. It is possible that during this transition accuracy and proportionality could have been lost, although I think that these effects have been somewhat un-noticeable and not affected my final drawing. In conclusion, I think that this was a successful project with little marginal error. However if I were to repeat this again I would make sure that I was observing from a location devoid of all streetlamps and on a night that was not on a full moon. Also, I would make my drawings on the observation site as oppose to from notes, in this way I am guaranteed the maximum amount of accuracy and proportionality.