{"id":25172,"date":"2021-10-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=25172"},"modified":"2021-10-21T12:30:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T12:30:08","slug":"sparklers-and-sparkling-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2021\/10\/21\/sparklers-and-sparkling-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparklers and sparkling stars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stargazing on Bonfire Night<\/h4>\n\n

Follow Stuart Atkinson\u2019s naked-eye tour and take in an extra stellar show while you watch the fireworks<\/p>\n\n

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Bonfire Night brings many potential stargazers out of the comfort of their homes to gaze skywards <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

There\u2019s one night every year when it\u2019s guaranteed that people will be lured away from their TVs and out into the darkness, and that\u2019s 5 November Bonfire Night. As darkness falls some families head into their gardens to light a handful of fireworks, while others join the crowds in parks or sports grounds to bask in the glow of a bonfire and watch a large display. This year might be different due to COVID-19, but not<\/span> even a global pandemic will stop us standing in a field for an hour or so and \u201coohing\u201d and \u201caahing\u201d at the sight of rockets exploding in cascades of colour.<\/p>\n\n

But watching fireworks is seeing only half of the display available because, as we\u2019ll show here, if the sky is clear on Bonfire Night there are many other beautiful things to see in the night sky too, and during lulls in the action you just have to raise your eyes to enjoy seeing some celestial wonders. Here\u2019s what to watch out for as the evening progresses. <\/p>\n\n

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6pm: Jupiter, Saturn and Venus<\/h3>\n\n
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While the gas giants will appear close together in the south, a view to the southwest will add Venus as well<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

As the evening news programmes begin on TV it will be a sign that it\u2019s time to pull on your jacket, gloves and bobble hats and head outside. With the first fireworks of the evening crackling up into the sky, you\u2019ll see two bright stars shining close together low in the south. These are actually the planets Jupiter and Saturn, currently appearing close together in the sky, but actually separated in space \u2013 and from us \u2013 by enormous distances. Jupiter, on the left and the brighter of the two, is the largest world in our Solar System, a bloated ball of gases and liquids so huge it could swallow 1,000 Earths with room to spare. NASA\u2019s Juno space probe<\/p>\n\n

is sending back breathtaking images of Jupiter\u2019s swirling cloud belts and psychedelic-looking storm systems, all of which are available to view online for free (visit nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/juno\/images<\/a>). <\/strong>Looking like a yellow-hued star to blue-white Jupiter\u2019s lower right, fainter Saturn is, of course, famous for its rings, but these can only be seen through a telescope.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

If you have a clear view to the southwest you might be able to see another planet. Venus will be shining very low in the sky in that direction, a Bonfire Night \u2018Evening Star\u2019,<\/span> but just be aware that any trees or houses on your skyline in that direction will hide it from your view.<\/p>\n\n

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With binoculars you can see Jupiter and its four Galilean moons<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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7pm: The Summer Triangle, Cassiopeia, the Andromeda<\/span> Galaxy and the Milky Way<\/h3>\n\n
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From the Summer Triangle, look high to the southeast to find the \u2018W\u2019 of Cassiopeia, which can be used as a pointer to locate the Andromeda Galaxy, M31<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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Look for the Summer Triangle, and the trail of the Milky Way as it arches overhead<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

By now your eyes will have \u2018dark adapted\u2019 enough that even with the red glare of rockets bursting in the air above your head you\u2019ll be able to see more things in the night sky. One of the first you\u2019ll notice is a striking triangle of three bright bluewhite stars almost directly above Jupiter and Saturn. This isn\u2019t a constellation, it\u2019s an asterism \u2013 an obvious pattern of stars \u2013 called the Summer Triangle, still visible even though it\u2019s November. Its three stars are Deneb (Alpha (\u03b1) Cygni), Vega (Alpha (\u03b1) Lyrae) and Altair (Alpha (\u03b1) Aquilae), the brightest stars in the constellations of Cygnus, the Swan, Lyra, the Lyre and Aquila, the Eagle, respectively. Having found the Summer Triangle, look high to the southeast and you\u2019ll spot a \u2018W\u2019 of stars. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia, the Queen, and you can use it as a pointer to help you locate something very special indeed \u2013 M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

M31 is a group of billions and billions of stars, so far away their faint light has taken more than two million years to reach us. Long exposure photos taken through telescopes reveal M31 to be a lens-shaped cloud of glittering stars streaked with dark dust lanes, but to the naked eye it looks<\/span> like a small smudge. In fact, if your Bonfire Night sky is smoky you might need a pair of binoculars to see it, but as with many astronomical objects it\u2019s knowing what that smudge is that makes seeing it so exciting.<\/p>\n\n

If your sky is clear, and if you aren\u2019t surrounded by light pollution, you might also glimpse the misty trail of the Milky Way rising up from the western horizon. Arching overhead, this is the combined light of billions of stars within our own Galaxy, seen from within, and as you look at it you might even be reminded of smoke rising from a distant bonfire\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n\n

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LEFT The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is always a fantastic target RIGHT The \u2018W\u2019 shape of Cassiopeia should be easy to spot<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n\n

7.30pm: Taurus charging \u2013 the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters<\/span><\/h3>\n\n
\"\"
The Pleiades and Hyades star clusters are distinctive features in Taurus, the Bull <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

By mid-evening the constellation of Taurus, the Bull will be rising in the east. It\u2019s easy to spot because it is dominated by two striking star clusters that are both obvious to the naked eye. The most noticeable is the Pleiades star cluster. Look to the east mid-evening and you\u2019ll see a small knot of ice-blue stars shining low in the eastern sky, perhaps the size of your thumbnail held out at arm\u2019s length \u2013 that\u2019s the Pleiades. This celestial celebrity of a cluster contains hundreds of stars, but it\u2019s known widely across the world as \u2018The Seven Sisters\u2019 because its seven brightest members can be seen with the naked eye, looking like a tiny, squashed-up version of the Plough. If you look halfway between the eastern horizon and the Pleiades<\/span> you\u2019ll see a strikingly orange star. This is Aldebaran (Alpha (\u03b1) Tauri), the \u2018Eye of the Bull\u2019, and if your sky is dark enough you\u2019ll see that it marks the end of one side of a \u2018V\u2019 of stars lying on its side. This arrowhead is the Hyades star cluster, a favourite of many observers. Much larger than the neighbouring Pleiades, the Hyades represents the horns of Taurus.<\/p>\n\n

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8pm: The Plough, Mizar and Alcor,<\/span> and Polaris<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"
Among the Plough\u2019s best-known stars are the double star (Mizar and Alcor) and \u2018The Pointers\u2019 (Merak and Dubhe) which help to locate Polaris<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

By now the Bonfire Night festivities will be well underway and if you look to the north as the sparkly trails of rockets swoosh up into the sky, you\u2019ll see the stars of the Plough (or Big Dipper) shining above the horizon. November is a great time of year to see this asterism \u2013 which is part of the larger constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear \u2013 because during the evening its orientation means it looks exactly like the famous \u2018Saucepan\u2019 many people affectionately call it.<\/p>\n\n

If you have good eyesight you will be able to see that the star in the middle of the Plough\u2019s handle is actually two stars close together. This famous double star consists of Mizar (Zeta (\u03b6) Ursae Majoris) and Alcor (80 Ursae Majoris).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Plough isn\u2019t just an attractive asterism though; it can be used to find the most famous star in the sky. Its two right-hand stars known as \u2018The Pointers\u2019 point directly towards Polaris (Alpha (\u03b1) Ursae Minoris), the Pole Star. Many people grow up believing that the Pole Star is the brightest star in the sky, but it\u2019s actually only the 48th brightest! Its fame comes from the fact that it just happens to lie directly in line with Earth\u2019s polar axis, so it remains still through the night while every other star, planet and object in the sky appears to whirl around it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

10pm: Noticing the sky has changed, and Orion rising<\/h3>\n\n
\"\"
End your Bonfire Night with a seasonal highlight \u2013 the rise of Orion, the Hunter <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

By late evening the firework displays will be drawing to a close, but before heading back indoors take a last look at the sky. You will notice \u2013 perhaps for the first time \u2013 that it has changed since you came out: Jupiter and Saturn have dropped behind the horizon, and the Summer Triangle is lower too. The Plough isn\u2019t parallel to<\/span> the skyline any more, but has pitched up slightly so it\u2019s balancing on the end of its handle. The Pleiades and Hyades clusters will be higher in the sky too.<\/p>\n\n

Finally, as the smoke of dozens of bonfires begins to clear you\u2019ll see a striking pattern of stars rising in the east: Orion, the Hunter, with red Betelgeuse (Alpha (\u03b1) Orionis) shining at his right shoulder and his famous Belt of three blue-white ice-chip stars pulled across his waist.<\/span> Seeing Orion climbing up from behind the eastern horizon late on a chilly autumn night is a sure sign that winter is coming.<\/p>\n\n

Keep observing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Bonfire Night is popular with many people, because it gives them an opportunity to see coloured lights in the sky, but you may be standing there unaware that Nature is putting on an even more beautiful display of celestial lights \u2013 one that takes place every night. For amateur astronomers who can look up and see not just rockets but stars exploding \u2013 with misty-armed galaxies turning like Catherine wheels, and shooting stars leaving trails of sparks across the heavens \u2013 every night is a cosmic Bonfire Night!<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Fireworks and fiery stars<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

How do they each get their beautiful colours?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The colours of the stars are dictated by their hot surface temperatures. Red stars, like Betelgeuse are around 3,500\u00b0C, and these are cooler than yellow stars like our Sun (6,000\u00b0C), which in turn are cooler than white or blue stars, like Rigel (10,000\u00b0C). The colours of fireworks are caused by burning different chemicals. For example, reds are produced by strontium, hot oranges by calcium, yellows by sodium and cerulean blues by copper. And because all these things were created during the birth of the Sun, they are directly connected to astronomy!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

Stargazing on Bonfire Night<\/h4>\n\n

Follow our easy top tips to get a great view of the real stars of 5 November<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A bonfire can keep you warm while you enjoy looking up at the night sky<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

What will you need to stargaze on Bonfire Night? First of all you\u2019ll need to dress appropriately \u2013 and by that we mean warmly, in a jacket, hat and gloves, not like Guy Fawkes in buckled shoes, a pointed hat and a ruff collar! Take your copy of this magazine out with you, so you can use the star charts to help you find all the targets. Although all the targets we\u2019ve suggested observing here are visible to the naked eye, it\u2019s a good idea to take a pair of binoculars with you if you have them; they\u2019ll make the bright objects even clearer, enhance their colours, and help you find the fainter objects if it\u2019s very hazy.<\/p>\n\n

And if you\u2019re worried about even trying to stargaze on a night when there\u2019s even more smoke and murk around than usual, don\u2019t be: it\u2019s always good to get out under the stars, and clear nights are so rare you should use every one you can. There\u2019s also something special about stargazing on Bonfire Night, as childhood memories tap you on the shoulder. I had my first sighting of Halley\u2019s Comet on Bonfire Night in 1985 \u2013 peering into my binoculars with more smoke swirling around me than on a battlefield \u2013 when it was little more than an out-of-focus star close to the Hyades.<\/p>\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart Atkinson is a lifelong amateur astronomer and author of 11 books on astronomy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Photos: BRIGHTSTARS\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, MJ_PROTOTYPE\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, CHARTS BY PETE LAWRENCE, CLAUDIODIVIZIA\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, RAMI SALLE\/EYEEML\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, CHARLES BADEN\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, DAVIDHAJNAL\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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