Stars: A Month-by-Month Tour of the Constellations

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Mike Lynch is a native Minnesotan who grew up in Richfield, Minnesota, in the 1960s. He attended Saint Peter’s Catholic School and Holy Angels High School. After two years at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Madison and earned his B.S. degree in Meteorology in 1979. Shortly afterward, he was hired as a broadcast meteorologist at WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and has been there for over 30 years. Mike has covered all kinds of weather, from deadly tornadoes to record cold snaps. In fact, on February 2, 1996, he broadcast from Tower, Minnesota, when the temperature dropped down to 60 degrees below zero, an all-time record low for the state of Minnesota. Since he was a teenager, Mike’s other passion has been astronomy. He built his first telescope when he was 15 years old. For over 40 years, Mike has been teaching classes and hosting star parties with community education groups, nature centers, and other entities throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. His goal is to help people make the stars their old friends. From 2004 to 2007, Mike wrote astronomy/stargazing books for Voyageur Press. He wrote state-specific books for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New England, New Jersey, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana and Southern Canada. In 2007, Mike Lynch also wrote “Mike Lynch’s Minnesota WeatherWatch,” which was a finalist in the recent Minnesota Book Awards.On top of that, Mike also writes a weekly Starwatch column for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. His column is syndicated in more than two dozen other newspapers across the United States. Mike lives in Eagan, Minnesota, with his wife Kathy and their two children, Angie and Shaun.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Orion The Hunter

Background/Mythology: In my opinion, Orion is the best constellation! It’s the centerpiece of the wonderful group of winter constellations that I call “Orion and his Gang.” According to Greek mythology, Orion is a mighty nocturnal hunter. He was killed in a battle with a scorpion on steroids that was sent by Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus wanted to stop Orion from rendezvousing with his daughter Artemis, the goddess of the moon.

Observation Notes: The three stars that make up Orion’s belt are the constellation’s hallmark. Rigel is the constellation’s brightest star, and marks Orion’s left knee. Orion’s second-brightest star, Betelgeuse, represents the armpit of the mighty hunter. Betelgeuse is a supergiant star that regularly swells out to nearly a billion miles in diameter. Below Orion’s belt are three more stars in a row that make up the Hunter’s sheath. The middle “star” is fuzzy to the naked eye because it’s actually a huge cloud of hydrogen gas where stars are being born, called a nebula. Technically referred to as M42, it’s a must-see with a small telescope; you’ll see four newborn stars arranged in a trapezoid. These stars are so bright that they light up the surrounding hydrogen gas like a neon light.

Lepus The Rabbit

Background/Mythology: There are many mythological stories about Lepus. The one I like best is the story about how Lepus is not only elusive but constantly harasses and plays dirty tricks on Orion, the Hunter. It’s very much the relationship between Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.

Observation Notes: It’s pronounced Lee-pus―what a great name for a celestial rabbit leaping at Orion’s feet. Now I have to admit that Lepus certainly won’t blow you away with its brilliance. It’s small and it’s not all that bright, especially compared with how massive and brilliant Orion is. The truth is, most constellations really don’t look all that much like what they’re supposed to be. Ancient civilizations used them as rough visual aids to help tell their stories. Back then, stories were told by word of mouth, and without any light pollution you could really see the stars, making it a little easier to stretch the imagination enough to spot constellations like this somewhat random arrangement of stars. Next door, to the left of Lepus, is the constellation Canis Major, Orion’s big hunting dog. It really resembles what it’s supposed to, and you can see the big Canine in hot pursuit of Lepus, even though you can’t see Lepus all that well.