Stargazing In St Andrews
By Mehmet Alpaslan
Monday 19th October 2009
Monday 19th October 2009
Finding last night’s hangover a little too tenacious -- or maybe the furor of the first few weeks of term has left your wallet dry? In the unlikely event of the skies being clear, why not head down to West Sands for some stargazing? All you need are some warm clothes and maybe a cup of tea (a pair of binoculars won’t hurt either)!
The best times to stargaze in St. Andrews are after 9 PM. Once you’re down at West Sands, you’ll want to locate due North: just locate the Big Dipper and follow its two end stars upwards to find Polaris – the North Star. You are now looking due North! Either that, or just remember that the sea is to your East and go from there. Speaking of stars, the brightest one in the night sky, Vega, will be visible to the West.
Some other constellations in view will be Cassiopeia (in 1572 home to one of the largest stellar explosions in the Milky Way) to the North-East and almost straight upwards: look for a W shape. Just below that you’ll be able to see Perseus, a strange Y shape.
The gentle giant Jupiter will be visible as a bright white spot over the southern horizon as it gets dark and slowly set around midnight; just in time for Mars to peek up over the North-Eastern horizon (if you’re keen enough to stick around ‘til then).
Finally, Astrosoc hold observing sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays on clear nights – they meet outside the Union at 8PM if you’re interested!
The best times to stargaze in St. Andrews are after 9 PM. Once you’re down at West Sands, you’ll want to locate due North: just locate the Big Dipper and follow its two end stars upwards to find Polaris – the North Star. You are now looking due North! Either that, or just remember that the sea is to your East and go from there. Speaking of stars, the brightest one in the night sky, Vega, will be visible to the West.
Some other constellations in view will be Cassiopeia (in 1572 home to one of the largest stellar explosions in the Milky Way) to the North-East and almost straight upwards: look for a W shape. Just below that you’ll be able to see Perseus, a strange Y shape.
The gentle giant Jupiter will be visible as a bright white spot over the southern horizon as it gets dark and slowly set around midnight; just in time for Mars to peek up over the North-Eastern horizon (if you’re keen enough to stick around ‘til then).
Finally, Astrosoc hold observing sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays on clear nights – they meet outside the Union at 8PM if you’re interested!