How will you ever find your way around this vast number of stars?\u00a0<\/p>
Fortunately, there\u2019s a tried and tested method, developed over millennia, to turn this bewildering confusion of bright dots into a familiar recreation ground, and which works in bright and dark skies alike. <\/p>
It\u2019s called star-hopping<\/a>.<\/p> What we do is make easily identifiable patterns (called asterisms<\/a>) from the brightest stars and use these as jumping-off points to locate our desired target objects<\/p> And we estimate directions in relation to other stars \u2013 for example, \u201ctowards that bright yellowish star\u201d.<\/p> Estimating distances works in much the same way \u2013 for example \u201ca third of the way from the lower star to the upper one\u201d<\/p> Or a proportion of the field of view of your binoculars or telescope.<\/p> Alternatively, if you stretch out your arm, you can use the distance covered by your fist or handspan to measure out the distance.<\/p> Most of us are more or less similarly proportioned for this purpose.<\/p> Let\u2019s look at four star-hops to help test your skills.<\/p> Polaris is crucial in astronomy, because it marks the position of the North Celestial Pole.<\/p> This is, the point around which the northern sky seems to revolve, and which is above the north point on the horizon \u2013 so that\u2019s where we\u2019ll begin.<\/p> We\u2019ll use \u2018the pointers\u2019, Merak<\/a> and Dubhe<\/a>, in the Plough<\/a> asterism of Ursa Major.<\/p> These point directly to the pole star, Polaris, which is slightly more than a hand-span from Dubhe.<\/p> Or, if you prefer, about five times the distance between Merak and Dubhe.<\/p> Sometimes, during autumn evenings for example, the Plough may be close to the horizon and concealed by trees or buildings.<\/p> In that case, the W-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia<\/a> will be high in the sky and we can use that instead.<\/p> For help with this, use our guide on how to find the North Star<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> Finding Kemble\u2019s Cascade<\/a> in Camelopardalis with binoculars requires a long star-hop, as there are no nearby bright stars.<\/p> Find Caph and Segin at either end of the \u2018W\u2019 shape of Cassiopeia.<\/p> Use the little finger and index finger of one hand to measure the distance between them.<\/p> Then, without changing the distance between your fingers, locate the point in the sky that\u2019s the same distance the other side of Segin in a straight line from Segin and Caph.<\/p> Keeping your eyes fixed on this point, raise your binoculars and you should see a straight line of eighth and ninth-magnitude stars with a bright mag. 5.0 one in the middle.<\/p> On autumn evenings it\u2019s almost vertical, resembling a ribbon waterfall cascading into the \u2018splash-pool\u2019 of the open cluster NGC 1502.<\/p> The easiest way to find the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is a two-part star-hop.<\/p> The first hop locates the star mag. 2.1 Mirach<\/a> in the constellation of Andromeda, from which we do a second hop.<\/p> Locate the \u2019V\u2019 of stars made by Caph, Schedar and Gamma Cassiopeiae.<\/p> Follow the arrow these make to Mirach, around a hand-span away.<\/p> Now locate Mirach in binoculars: it\u2019s distinctly yellow, so is easy to identify.<\/p> Put it near the southeast edge of your field of view (near the bottom during autumn evenings) and look for the white, mag. 3.9 Mu Andromedae near the other side.<\/p> Now put Mu where Mirach was and you\u2019ll see a fuzzy patch where Mu was.<\/p> This is the light that has arrived in your eyes 2.5 million years after it left the Andromeda Galaxy.<\/p> At mag. 8.4 and only 5 arcminutes in diameter, globular cluster<\/a> M56 is a little faint and small for binoculars, so we\u2019ll change to a telescope.<\/p> To find it, first identify mag. 3.1 Albireo<\/a>, the head of Cygnus<\/a>, the Swan, and mag. 3.3 Sulafat in Lyra. M56 lies directly between them, 4.5\u00b0 from Sulafat.\u00a0<\/p>4 easy star-hops<\/strong><\/h2>
Polaris, the North Star<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/09\/star-hop-north-star.jpg\")
![\"8pm,](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2021\/10\/Bonfire-Night-Stargazing-05-91d6b8d.jpg\")
Kemble’s Cascade<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/09\/star-hop-kembles-cascade.jpg?fit=800,665\")
<\/figure>![\"Kemble's](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/02\/NGC-1502-Kembles-Cascade-SMALL-S@N-6d57ac2-e1601296063639.jpg\")
Andromeda Galaxy<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/09\/star-hop-andromeda-galaxy.jpg?fit=800,668\")
<\/figure>![\"You](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/12\/Find-Andromeda-Galaxy-20787e1.jpg\")
Globular cluster M56<\/strong><\/h3>
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/09\/star-hop-m56.jpg?fit=800,509\")
![\"Globular](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/02\/Unknown_14-c1c2169-e1599133319272.jpeg\")