A Sky of First-Times

November 07, 2021

A Sky of First-Times

This past weekend had a lot of first-times in my stargazing. Firstly, it was the first time seeing clear skies after long rainy days. Secondly, I saw many new constellations that I hadn't seen before. I also saw a familiar constellation for the first time from Thailand.

Friday night, I saw the Chained Maiden, aka Andromeda, for the first time. I'd seen Andromeda on my Sky Map app many times before but I could never scope it out due to its neck-bending position. On Friday night, I walked over to the desolate side of the deck, a walk that involves intense focus on the barely visible objects lining the path because of the darkness. After looking around and seeing many constellations, I realized that the night sky wasn't as it was months ago when I had first began stargazing. The sky had shifted.

I took the dark and narrow path back to the main side of the deck where the entrance to the house is. I went inside and walked through the dark living room to another room where I had left my phone after turning it off. I try to avoid using electronic devices one hour before going to bed and for one hour after waking up. I turned it back on and went back out to go to the dark side of the deck, this time using the phone's screen to light the path. And that's when I started plotting out the body and limbs of Andromeda.

She lies right next to Pegasus. In fact, she seems to be touching Pegasus. On the other side is Perseus the Hero, reaching out to her. Cassiopeia and Cepheus are both in the neighbourhood too. Andromeda is a sprawling giant, one that stretches out wider than most constellations I've seen so far. Other giant constellations, such as Hercules, were also visible on the Sky Map a few months back. Hercules was also one of those dim giants that sprawls across the sky. I haven't even seen Hercules on the Map recently.

Oppositely to these giants that aren't so pronounced in the night sky, I saw Orion hanging like a lamp in the sky - probably the most visible and distinct constellation in the sky. This was another first time. I'd seen Orion night after night back in Windsor. It's not that I saw Orion for the first time but it was the first time I saw Orion so clearly from this part of the world. I had seen Orion behind the trees before but never as fully as I saw it last night. It was such a distinct part of the night sky, like a picture put there by the hands of the universe. Also, I had never seen Orion's arms before. In Windsor, the arms weren't really visible. Orion's arms are a bit dimmer than the rest of the constellation.

Orion's belt points to the Pleiades. I used to spot Orion first before following the belt line to find the smaller and less distinct Pleiades. What I never saw until I came to Chiang Mai was that between Orion and the Pleiades lies Taurus. In fact, I found out that the Pleiades is a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus. Taurus wasn't at all visible from Windsor. I saw Taurus for the first time from here about a month ago. Taurus is actually very easy to find. You just need to be in an environment without light pollution to spot it.

Also on Friday night, I saw two constellations on either side of Orion. One was Gemini and the other was Canis Major. Gemini's alpha and beta stars Castor and Pollux are very easy to spot. The rest of Gemini is visible but it takes a moment to trace the connections. Looking back and forth between the sky and Sky Map, I finally got the full picture until I didn't need the app. My first thoughts about Gemini was that it truly resembled two people arm in arm, just like the Twins are supposed to. It's just that so many constellations make me wonder how they got their names. Pegasus and Aquarius are good examples of this. How exactly did they resemble a horse and a water-bearer, respectively, to the stargazers of ancient civilizations?

As for Canis Major, it was the first time I laid eyes on it too. Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the night sky, is also in this constellation. Commonly known as Sirius, this star demarcates the chest of the Great Dog. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the triangular head of the canine due to obstruction from trees. I'm hoping that I will be able to see it in a few weeks since the Earth's rotation around the Sun makes the night sky seem like it's shifting. Also, at this rate I'll eventually be able to see Cancer too.

Apart from the first-time experiences looking at the night sky I had this weekend, I've also been tuned into some new constellations since last month as well. I mentioned Aquarius earlier and I was pretty happy to spot this beautiful constellation. Aquarius has a diamond for a head and another diamond as his vase. The Water-Bearer isn't highly visible. It takes a moment or two to get attuned to its stars.

I also mentioned Pegasus earlier and Pegasus has been at such a convenient spot in the night sky for the past month or so. Before this, I had a hard time observing Pegasus because I had to bend my neck all the way up and still have it be partially blocked by the roof of the house. However, these days it's much easier to spot because of its location and because it's quite an easy shape to get accustomed to. Its body is basically a rectangle, demarcated by four stars that are bright enough to see it on most clear nights.

I also saw Grus the Crane about a month ago. It was very close to the mountainous horizon and actually I haven't seen it again recently. I think it may have dipped below the horizon already. Together with Pavo, Phoenix, and Tucana, they make up the Southern Birds. I've only seen parts of Phoenix so I don't consider myself having fully seen it just yet. And I haven't seen the other Southern Birds either but I will keep an eye out for them.

I really love that the light pollution isn't that high in our village in Chiang Mai. It could definitely be better but this is the most stars I've seen in a very long time. And this is definitely the most constellations I've been able to see all my life. I'd love to see more. I really appreciate the "nightlife" here. Looking up at the stars brings a certain kind of joy and peace that I'd want more people to be aware of. The more people are aware of this joy, the more they'll turn the lights off at night. The more they turn the lights off, the less light pollution we'll have, and the more stars we'll be able to see.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronomer for a little while. Whenever adults would ask me what I wanted to be, I'd say astronomer. Due to my quiet voice, a lot of people thought I said astronaut. I didn't want to be an astronomer throughout my childhood. It was more of a minor childhood dream that stuck with me for a short time until I shifted my focus towards other things.

This has been my second post about constellations. Check out the first post if you wish. Again, I link to the International Astronomical Union where all of the images come from. All of the new constellations I saw are listed below in alphabetical order. I hope you'll look to the sky and find inspiration too.