But in wide, open fields where only the twinkling of the stars is our guide, suddenly, all our senses spring to life. In cities, where most of us live, roads and buildings can feel suffocating at times. There’s just something about all that space: that vast dark sky that stretches out into a horizon you can only imagine, that gives us a sense of smallness. Maybe we’re thinking if maybe we’re the only one. Perhaps it’s that curiosity that makes us turn our eyes skyward towards the stars every night. You’ll soon become familiar with this figure thanks to the red Betelgeuse and the brilliant Rigel stars at opposite corners. Known for his belt made up of three bright stars, the twinkling dot beneath it is in fact, not a star at all – but Orion’s nebula. For example: if you trace a line from the bowl of the Big Dipper past the North Star and see a cluster of stars that form a letter W or M, then you may have just stumbled upon Cassiopeia.ĭuring winter, don’t forget to look for one of the most prominent constellations: Orion the Hunter. Note that this is NOT a constellation! But it will serve as a starting point to help you recognize actual constellations. If you’re learning to stargaze for the first time, one of the first patterns you’ll identify is the Big Dipper. Farmers for instance, used constellations to help them determine planting seasons. Rather, many people back then, particularly farmers and sailors, used imaginary patterns created by the stars to guide them during their activities. This practice originated thousands of years ago, but not necessarily as a hobby for young astronomers. One of the fun activities to do when the stars are out is to go stargazing. The sun in our solar system is at this phase: a stable state of nuclear fusion that converts hydrogen to helium. What comes next is the star’s longest phase, called the main sequence. This happens when the protostar gets smaller but increases its temperature. Millions of years later, the protostar will enter a brief T Tauri phase. As they get bigger and the gravity gets stronger, they begin to collapse from all that pressure that the center begins to form a white-hot core. Inside, the dust and gas can eventually clump together with the help of gravity. Nebulae are not just where stars are born, they could also be remnants of dead stars. Stars are born inside a nebula, a massive cloud made up of dust and gas, mostly hydrogen and helium.
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