Look to the stars

Because sight is our dominant sense we are most comfortable moving around in the daylight hours. Indeed, our vision is a great gift, allowing us to appreciate stunning vistas, delve deeply into miniscule details and track movement with depth perception. But because of our dominant eyesight we tend to be creatures of the light, neglecting half of our time spent on earth, the time of night.

As darkness comes we move indoors, turn on manufactured lights and shut out the gloom. This is especially true in winter when nights are long and days are short.

But if we were to give our eyes and the night a chance we would find that there are amazing stories being shared in the velvet blackness, particularly if we cast our eyes to the stars.

Stories in the night

Although we know more about the universe and space now than at any other time in human history, we seem to be further removed from our personal connection to the stars. This may be due to light pollution or the invention of movies and television.

Yet for millennia humans cast their eyes upward and found relationships with the stars, stories in which they saw their own cultural histories played out.

For that is what a constellation is- a pattern of seemingly close stars that form pictures reminiscent of gods/goddesses, heroes, animals and daily life. Although apparently static, constellations are a reflection of a society's mores as well as their physical location on the earth.

There are two categories of constellations: circumpolar and seasonal. Circumpolar constellations are star formations that neither set nor rise and can be seen all year long. Circumpolar constellations for the northern hemisphere are Cassiopeia (the queen), Cepheus (the king), Draco (the dragon), Ursa Minor (little bear or little dipper) and Ursa Major (great bear or big dipper).

Seen all over the northern hemisphere, Ursa Major has had many names and associations. While recognized as a bear in many cultures it is also known as the dipper, the plough, the wagon and the wain.

Seasonal constellations are constellations that are only able to be viewed in a particular season. Some of the best known winter constellations in the northern hemisphere are Orion, Gemini, Taurus and Canis Major.

As with many of our constellations, these winter stars are associated with Greek and Roman mythology, each sharing a magnificent tale of courage, history, daily life and the supernatural.

Setting your sights

To view these constellations in February it is best to stargaze between 7 and 10 p.m. First, orient yourself with the cardinal directions: north, east, south and west. An excellent way to do this is to find the Big Dipper. Traveling from the handle of the Big Dipper down to the pot, draw an imaginary line through the last two stars of the pot northward and you will find Polaris, the North Star. Polaris also marks the first star in the handle of the Little Dipper.

Now that you have oriented yourself to north, turn to the south and look for three prominent stars in a straight line. These stars will mark the belt of Orion the hunter. You may see a fuzzy patch hanging from the belt of Orion; this is the Orion Nebula, a sort of birthplace for stars. Orion's right and left shoulders are formed by the stars Bellatrix and Betelgeuse respectively. Betelgeuse is a large reddish star.

Looking northeast from Betelgeuse, you will see two prominent stars which are Castor and Pollux. These two stars represent the twins of Gemini. In Roman lore, these stars are Romulus and Remus. Gemini, being part of the zodiac, is found on the ecliptic (the line of travel of the sun, moon and other planets). It is also situated between the zodiac constellations of Cancer and Taurus.

Taurus the bull can be sighted by drawing an imaginary line northwest through Orion's belt until you meet Aldebaran, a giant orange star 40 times the size of our sun. Aldebaran forms the eye of Taurus. Situated on the shoulder of Taurus are the Pleiades or The Seven Sisters.

Lastly, returning to Orion's belt draw a straight line southeast. This will lead you to Sirius which is the Dog Star and the nose of Canis Major, the largest of Orion's hunting companions. The body of this dog extends to the southeast while its front leg lies to the west of Sirius. Sirius is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, surpassed only by the moon, Jupiter, Mars and Venus.

With each starlit picture comes an extraordinary story, with as much drama as any movie I have ever seen. Even more alluring is the intertwining of these tales, weaving a rich tapestry as profound as the stories our eyes play out in the daylight.