Orion's distinctive pattern makes it the jewel constellation of the winter sky

Orion is considered by many to be their favorite constellation, mostly because it contains many bright stars in an easy-to-recognize pattern, especially with its three belt stars. But its notoriety comes from other factors as well. It may have been known as a “mighty hunter” to both the Greeks and Romans, but many other cultures had special interpretations for this group going back thousands of years.

Its bright reddish shoulder star is sometimes called “Beetlejuice” (like the movie), because it’s true name is “Betelgeuse” (an ancient Arabic word). And, Orion’s sword contains one of the most famous nebulas in the sky – The Orion Nebula, a massive cloud of dust and gas giving birth to hundreds of new stars.

The middle star in Orion's sword looks fuzzy, even to the naked eye. In binoculars, you can already make it out as the famous "Orion Nebula"

We’ll provide some special features of this constellation that you can’t get on any computer screen or movie, but we’ll also show how the pattern of Orion itself can make for one of the best guideposts to the Winter sky. Selected stars in this constellation can act like “pointers” to other major stars and deep sky wonders, many visible to the naked eye or binoculars.

Get ready for a myriad of astronomical treats! From Orion to the “Dog Star,” Taurus to “The Seven Sisters,” this is the season for celestial riches!

]]> http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/next-%e2%80%9cgateway-to-the-stars%e2%80%9d-orion/feed 0 http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/special-gateway-to-the-stars-on-jan-8 http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/special-gateway-to-the-stars-on-jan-8#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:29:53 +0000 Mike Murray http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/?p=2764 “Greetings fellow star gazers!” as the late Jack Horkheimer would say. Jack was the host of the TV show “Star Gazer” for over 30 years, based out of Miami until recently passing away. One of the reasons I wanted to start with that phrase was not only to pay tribute to his wonderfully theatrical and entertaining way of exciting people about stargazing, but also to note that his shows sometimes included some skylore about the stars. And so, for my next installment of “Gateway to the Stars” (Saturday, January 8 at 6:45 p.m.), I will include a little story about one of the most famous star clusters in the winter sky – the Pleiades. Sometimes called “The Seven Sisters” from Greek Mythology, it has stories about it from cultures all over the world. One of my favorites comes from the Chippewa People, called “The Seven Dancing Brothers,” which I will present during the next show.

This map highlights a common 'star hop' that we will illustrate in the show, from the Pleiades star cluster, to the Hyades cluster in Taurus and on to Orion

Normally “Gateway to the Stars” is given on the first Saturday of every month.  You might notice that the first Saturday of January is the 1st, so we’ve decided to push it out to the 8th (plenty of time for everyone to recover from their “holiday cheer”!).  Even though this may be the darkest and coldest time of the year, it’s also the time to celebrate some of most beautiful constellations and deep sky sights!  We’ll show you how to find them quickly and comfortably.  I hope you’ll join me for a special January edition of “Gateway to the Stars“!

Tickets for this presentation are $1 at the ticket window or $2 online.

Kepler was launched on March 7, 2009 to monitor over 145,000 stars in the constellation Cygnus. Analysis of fluctuations the brightness of these stars will help identify extrasolar planets and determine how many Earth-sized planets are in or near the habitable zone of their star.

Dr. Steffen will discuss the technology and science of the Kepler mission and explain how the mission helps to address questions about how our Earth fits among the population of planets in our galaxy. He will also explain how Kepler’s findings will pave the way for future research missions to look for signs of life on other planets. Following his presentation, audiences will see Extreme Planets, an original Clark Planetarium production, featuring the composition and significance of extrasolar planets to the field of astronomy.

Dr. Steffen currently resides in Illinois, but has lived in Utah. He graduated from Weber State University in 2000 and returns to the area for visits. “Since I have a connection to the Wasatch Front, I’m glad to have the 
opportunity to present this information to the residents of Salt Lake 
City. Most of the scientific community that studies exoplanets is located 
on the coasts and near major observatories.  This will be an 
opportunity for residents to hear what is happening in an important field that has fewer direct ties to Utah,” he said.

“The discovery of other Earth-like planets in our galaxy is a fascinating topic of discussion,” said Clark Planetarium Director, Seth Jarvis. “We’re delighted to offer the public an opportunity to learn about Kepler’s findings first-hand from someone who is directly involved at the cutting edge of this research.”

Clark Planetarium’s mission is to create and present stimulating educational programs that effectively share astronomy and space exploration information with Salt Lake County residents, Utah students, educators and families and visitors from around the country and the world. Additional information on this event can be found on the Clark Planetarium website.

Tickets are $1 at the planetarium’s ticket desk or $2 online.

Due to the technical nature of this presentation, it is not recommended that children under 8 years of age attend.

Date: Feb. 8, 2010

Time: 7 – 9 p.m.

Location: Hansen Dome Theatre