OAS NOVEMBER 20013 ASTRONOMY EZINE VOL 2 | Page 42

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What Is Lurking Around The Plough?
Some of you may have a telescope .
Some may have a set of binoculars
sitting in a draw which need a dusting
off, or you may just wonder in awe at
the delights of a clear night sky. It is
easy to become overwhelmed with the
millions of stars overhead, you may find
it difficult to find an object in the sky. So
to give you your bearings starting this
month we are going to have a look at

constellations to get your bearings.
However to make it easier we are going
to take part of a constellation which is
easy to identify and find. This is called an
‘asterism’. This means a small formation
of stars which is recognisable, but is part
of a larger constellation.
The image below left shows the
constellation Ursa Major or the Great
Bear.

The Plough which is part of Ursa Majo
is part of the night sky which most
people find easy to find and pick out.
Finding the plough helps you find you

bearings and you coordinates. The plough shape is quite distinctive in the sky and
once found you can find North or the pole star Po