A Guide to Astronomy 

Astronomy is the study of celestial space. Objects, phenomena and origins come into play when you are studying astronomy. This is one of the oldest sciences and has been researched since the prehistoric ages. Today’s study of astronomy depends on many theories. In past studies, astronomy was something that you could simply choose to study and many people have made reputations for themselves by using the stars for things such as telling the season and sailing. Columbus used astronomy to navigate his ships across the ocean.

Scientists, researchers and individuals have for years looked to the stars and attempted to make sense from their patterns. All cultures have been associating constellations with many myths and legends throughout time. A constellation is a group of stars which form together and make a specific pattern. There are twelve constellations associated with the signs of the zodiac. These are located along the ecliptic plane. The ecliptic plane is the imaginary path that the Sun and Moon make across the sky. It is the same path that the planets in our solar system make, which makes them easy to see from earth.

The planets in our solar system can be viewed through telescopes, binoculars or simply by looking with your eyes. Of course there are many planets which are too far away to be seen by the human eye and those which tend to hide either in front of or behind the Sun. Planets outside the ecliptic plane tend to be less viewable as well. There are times however, when the planets line up along the ecliptic plane during daylight hours, and are very viewable from earth. This may happen several times throughout the year and depending on where you are, you may be able to view the planets at different times.

When studying astronomy, astronomers identify the different constellation stars by giving them Greek letters. Each star in each constellation is assigned a letter, beginning with alpha for the brightest and going down. This is called a star chart. You can make your own star chart to give you a better understanding of how they work and what lessons are learned using them.
Beginning with the north celestial pole, you can aim the largest star rotating the constellation in a counter-clockwise circle. As it circles the celestial pole, the star will turn sideways, upside down and then back right side up. No matter which way it turns it will always be aimed at the North Pole.

You can do the same star chart with the South Pole and gain the same results. This is the same method that astronomers have used for centuries to study the stars and planets and learn more about our solar system. The study of astronomy is an ongoing process that is likely to forever be filled with new facts and new theories. Understanding the makeup and purpose of our stars and planets is like trying to figure out the meaning of life. You know that they are there, they are beautiful to look at, but their reasoning brings on many questions. stronomy content coming.