十二星座

　　　Aquarius 水瓶 Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

　　Aquarius the Water Bearer is an Summer constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of September.
The Constellation AquariusThe-Water Bearer

　　The four constellations of Aquila, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Delphinus lie relatively close to each other in a region of the sky which is almost devoid of bright showpiece deep sky objects. Aquarius and Capricornus lie away from the main body of the Milky Way, and mostly contain faint galaxies with only a few star clusters and nebulae. Aquila and Delphinus, on the other hand, lie right along the Milky Way and contain some fine examples of planetary and dark nebulae. Even though there are only four Messier objects in this entire region, there are still enough deep sky targets to keep an astronomer busy on a summer night.

　　　Pisces 双鱼 Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

　　Pisces the Fishes in an Autumn constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of October.

The Constellation Pisces - The Fishes

　　Pisces is the twelfth of the zodiacal constellations, and can be easily seen during early Autumn for Northern Hemisphere observers. Riding directly along the ecliptic, this constellation is now the location of the First Point of Aries, the point which the sun crosses the equator on its way north, thus marking the Vernal Equinox or the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to precession, the First Point of Aries has moved west into Pisces since it was first established in Ancient Times.



　　Pisces contains few bright stars, and only one important object, the face on spiral galaxy M74. However, even though somewhat indistinct, this constellation can be easily made out with a bit of practice, as it is located to the south west of Andromeda and directly below the Great Square of Pegasus. First locate the "Circlet" on the western end of the constellation. From there, follow the line of stars marking the Western Fish to Alpha Piscium. Then move up and to the right along the line of stars marking the Eastern Fish.



　　Pisces, the Fishes, is a very old constellation, and is one of the original Zodiacal Constellations recognized in Ancient Times. In Greek and Roman mythology, this constellation represents the goddess Venus and her son Cupid, who transformed themselves into a pair of fish and jumped into the Nile River to escape from the monster Typhon. The images that concealed them were placed in the zodiac, where they are now known as Pisces, a lengthy double constellation occupying the region south of Andromeda and Pegasus and northwest of Cetus. Pisces acquired the title "Leaders of the Celestial Host" after precession brought the vernal equinox to a point south of the star Omega in the southwestern fish.

　　In very ancient times, Pisces was known by the Babylonians as Nunu, or fish, and symbolized the Syrian goddess Derke as well as Atargatis, who was important to many ancient nations and depicted as a huge fish with a woman"s head.

　　Pisces was also significant to the early Christians, as it represented to them the "Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes" by which Jesus fed the multitudes.

　　　Aries 牡羊 Mar. 21 - April 19

　　Aries the Ram is an Autumn constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of November.
The Constellation Aries-The Ram



　　Aries, the ram, is the first of the 12 Zodiacal Constellations, and marks the Vernal Equinox, or the beginning of Spring. This location, where the sun crosses the celestial equator, is called the First Point of Aries, and was determined in mythological times. Now, however, due to the precession or wobble of the Earth"s orbit, this point has moved into western Pisces. As for all zodiacal constellations, it is possible to view this constellation in the sky only in the opposite season of the year, in this case Autumn. This constellation dates from Greek and Roman times, and depicts the Golden Ram that was sacrificed by Phrixus to bring fertility to his homeland in Thessaly. The Golden Fleece of the sacrificed ram was given to Jason and the Argonauts to return it home.

　　Aries is devoid of prominent deep sky objects, and has only a few stars of interest, notably the triangle made up of the principal stars in the constellation. The ecliptic runs through Aries, so planets can often be seen in this area of the sky.

　　　Taurus 金牛 April 20 - May 20

　　Taurus the Bull is an Autumn constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of December.
The Constellation Taurus-The Bull



　　The constellations of Taurus and Auriga lie along the winter Milky Way, and therefore contain many objects (primarily open clusters) of interest to the amateur astronomer. Some are large enough to be seen easily with the naked eye, while others need moderate telescopic apertures to appreciate. There"s something for everybody!



Mythology: Taurus - The Bull

　　The delightful daughter of Agenor, Europa, was so beautiful that Zeus immediately fell in love with her. Determined to win Europa"s heart, Zeus assumed the form of a milky white bull, whose horns were crowned with flowers, and mingled with the herds of Agenor. Europa was enchanted with the sight of this splendid creature, and climbed upon its back. Taking advantage of his good fortune, Zeus carried the fair maiden away from her homeland, across the seas to the island of Crete. Here, Europa gave birth to Minos, father of the creature Minotaur, who was half bull and half man. Zeus celebrated his love for Europa by having the continent Europe named after her, and created the constellation Taurus, to be seen in the sky for eternity, the symbol of fertility and power．

　　　Gemini 双子 May 21 - June 21

　　Gemini the Twins is a Winter constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of January.
The Constellation Gemini-The Twin Brothers

　　With spring approaching, deep sky observers can look forward in anticipation (or dread) to the tangles of galaxies in Virgo, Coma Berenices, and Ursa Major. However, in Gemini, we will be taking a look at a region of the Milky Way rich in open clusters and planetary nebulae. Gemini lies right along the Milky Way, and the ecliptic (the region in which the Sun and planets are constrained) passes through it. Cancer lies further away from the Milky Way, and in it can be seen many faint galaxies as well as bright open clusters.



　　After Zeus, disguised as a graceful swan, visited Queen Leda of Sparta, she gave birth to twin sons, castor and Pollux. The two were devoted and loving brothers who later became as different in nature as they appeared alike as twins. The mortal castor developed into a master horseman, while the immortal Pollux became a famous boxer. Together, The Twins grew to become skillful warriors. When castor was killed in battle, Pollux, who was so very attached to his brother, could not bear to continue on without him. Stricken with great sorrow, Pollux asked of their father, Zeus, to bring castor back to life. Zeus, touched by this display of devoted brotherly love, arranged for The Twins to stay endlessly side by side among the stars as the brilliant constellation Gemini.

　　　Cancer 巨蟹 June 22 - July 22

　　Cancer the Crab is a Winter Constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of February.
Constellation Cancer - The Crab



　　With spring approaching, deep sky observers can look forward in anticipation (or dread) to the tangles of galaxies in Virgo, Coma Berenices, and Ursa Major. However, in Gemini, we will be taking a look at a region of the Milky Way rich in open clusters and planetary nebulae. Gemini lies right along the Milky Way, and the ecliptic (the region in which the Sun and planets are constrained) passes through it. Cancer lies further away from the Milky Way, and in it can be seen many faint galaxies as well as bright open clusters, and many double and multiple stars.

　　Cancer is a small but important zodiacal constellation. It was the fourth constellation of the ancient zodiac, east of Aries, Taurus and Gemini, but is now fifth, since the first point of Aries, the point of the astrological Spring Equinox, has moved west into Pisces.



　　 As Hercules struggled to defeat the hideous nine-headed Hydra, Queen Hera, his immortal enemy, ordered Cancer, The Crab to go and harass The Hero. The Crab snapped at Hercules" ankles as he bravely fought with Hydra. Unbothered by Cancers" efforts, The Hero easily crushed the crab to pieces under the heel of his foot and went on to successfully destroy the monstrous snake. In gratitude for The Crab"s courageous attempt to fulfill her angry wrath, Hera gifted Cancer with a place among the stars as a constellation. Located between Gemini and Leo, The Crab remains eternally perched just above Hydra, which is the longest constellation, eagerly awaiting an opportunity to seize the monster in its vise-like claws.

　　　Leo 狮子 July 23 - Aug. 22

　　Leo the Lion is a Winter constellation, and can be best viewed in the night during the month of March.
The Constellation Leo-The Lion

　　Leo lies far enough away from the Milky Way to let us peer into extragalactic space. As such, we are no longer looking at objects that are "merely" a few hundred or thousand light years away. Instead, the distance to the galaxies of Leo is on the order of twenty to thirty MILLION light years. Thus, these objects in general are not flashy and splashy, but rather yield their detail in subtle ways. Besides adequate dark adaptation of one"s eyes, the most useful technique for coaxing details out of galaxies is averted vision. By looking slightly away from your target while keeping your attention on it, features such as spiral arms and subtle mottling can become apparent where none was seen before. Galaxies force you to make observations the old fashioned way: you EARN them!



　　The fist labor imposed on The Hero, Hercules, by mighty Zeus was to slay Leo, the frightful lion which roamed the forest of Nemaea. Hercules accomplished this task with the utmost of ease, simply strangling the fierce beast with his bare hands. From this point on, the courageous hero wore the lion"s skin over his shoulders, assuring him eternal protection from harm. In memory of this dreadful battle, Zeus placed the proud and passionate lion in the heavens to eternally symbolize the challenges of kingship. The constellation of Leo contains the enormously bright star, Regulus, known as "the star of the king," perhaps referring to Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, who, during his lifetime, ruled the entire known world, and who was born during the Lion month.

　　　Virgo 处女 Aug. 23 - Sept. 22

　　Virgo the Virgin is a Spring constellation, and can be best viewed during the month of April.
The Constellation Virgo-The Virgin

　　The constellation of Virgo is the center of the closest large cluster of galaxies, and can easily take up several evenings of observing time. While the galaxies in Ursa Major are 10-40 million light years away, the galaxies of Virgo are about twice as distant at about 70 million light years. As such, these galaxies show a lot less detail. But what they lack in quality, they make up in quantity. In some areas, it is difficult to move a whole telescopic field of view without seeing one or more galaxies. A good star atlas is a must in this region for identifying all the galaxies visible in a telescope of moderate aperture. While I"m only going to be describing some of the brighter members here, I encourage all to try navigating this area. It would be hard not to improve your observing skills by meeting this challenge head-on.

　　　Libra 天秤 Sept. 23 - Oct. 23
　　Libra the Scales is a Spring constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of May.
The Constellation Libra-The Scales

　　During the Golden Age, the legendary first period of human existence, Astraea, the Roman Goddess of justice, lived on the earth, mingling among the many mortal beings. In the pans of her great golden scales, she heavily weighed the good and evil deeds of men and women, thereby deciding their many different fates. As Astraea became increasingly offended by the wickedness of her citizens, she decided to flee from the corrupt civilization, and returned to the heavens, joining Demeter as the constellation of the Virgin Goddess. Astraea abandoned civilization so hurriedly that she left behind her golden scales of justice. The Romans, in fear of her judgment, created the constellation of Libra from the ancient Scorpion"s claws so that The Scales would always be nearby in the sky.

　　Scorpio 天蝎 Oct. 24 - Nov. 21
　　Scorpio the Scorpion is a Spring constellation with an astronomical name of Scorpius, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of June.
The Constellation Scorpius-The Scorpion

　　Scorpius is a large and sprawling constellation which lies near the Milky Way, and thus holds many bright open and globular star clusters: a welcome change after hunting down the faint and distant galaxies of the Virgo-Coma galaxy cluster in the Spring. Both faint reflection nebulae and opaque dark nebulae also abound in this region, particularly in the region between Antares and Rho Ophiuci. This is due to the fact that we are looking in the direction close to the center of our galaxy. There are many gems in this area, and it is unfortunate for northern hemisphere observers that the observing season for this constellation is cut short both by the brief summer evenings, and by the constellation"s southerly declination.



　　As the giant hunter, Orion, sets each spring in the west, his mortal enemy, The Scorpion, rises in the eastern sky. Scorpius gained eternal fame when, upon command of the gods, he spring from the earth to surprise Orion, and sent the able hunter to his final resting place. Even the God of Healing, Asclepius, was unable to reverse the fatal effects of The Scorpion's sharp sting. Scorpius is also remembered for his disastrous intervention when the mortal man, Phaeton, attempted to drive the chariot of Apollo, God of the Sun. Here, Scorpius but pricked Apollo"s horses with his lethal sting, causing the creatures to bolt and driving the sun-bearing chariot recklessly through the heavens, drying up many rivers and scorching the earth below.

　　Scorpius is a large and sprawling constellation which lies near the Milky Way, and thus holds many bright open and globular star clusters: a welcome change after hunting down the faint and distant galaxies of the Virgo-Coma galaxy cluster in the Spring. Both faint reflection nebulae and opaque dark nebulae also abound in this region, particularly in the region between Antares and Rho Ophiuci. This is due to the fact that we are looking in the direction close to the center of our galaxy. There are many gems in this area, and it is unfortunate for northern hemisphere observers that the observing season for this constellation is cut short both by the brief summer evenings, and by the constellation"s southerly declination.

　　　Sagittarius 射手 Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

　　Sagittarius the Archer is a Summer constellation, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month July.
The Constellation Sagittarius-The Archer



　　Sagittarius is a summer constellation. For Northern Hemisphere observers, it can be seen floating above the southern horizon during the summer months from June through August and into early September. However, by September, it is beginning to set by sunset. 　　Sagittarius is commonly called "the teapot" because the shape of the stars seems to look like a teapot to modern observers. However, the ancient Greeks and Romans, who named the constellation, thought it looked like a centaur shooting a bow and arrow into the heart of Scorpius, the scorpion. Sagittarius mean Archer.

　　And easy way to find Sagittarius would be to find the Milky Way overhead in summer. Follow it to the southern horizon, and you should find Sagittarius.

　　As with all constellations, Sagittarius is best seen in a dark sky outside the city. However, because its stars are relatively bright, you should be able to make out the basic shape even when the moon is up.

　　Sagittarius is the happy hunting ground of the summer observer. Within it lies the very heart of the Milky Way itself, providing vistas which are unparalleled in grandeur and diversity. Observers at a southerly latitude are provided with views unattainable by their more northerly brethren, for whom this constellation lies just along the southern horizon. Southern Hemisphere observers have the best view, since Sagittarius flies straight overhead when viewed from Australia, South America, and southern Africa.

　　Diffuse nebulae abound in this region, along with their associated open star clusters. As globular clusters orbit around the center of our galaxy, many of this beautiful class of objects are also found within its boundaries.

　　The August 1993 issue of ASTRONOMY magazine highlighted planetary nebulae in this region, and I highly recommend consulting that article. Here, I will only be able to highlight objects which I found to be particularly fascinating, and will almost assuredly leave out somebody"s favorite object. The truth is, this constellation is worthy of several night"s observing, and not just for Messier objects. Many beautiful non-Messier objects can be found by examining a star chart and pointing a telescope.



　　While Cronus, father of Zeus, was courting the mortal woman Philyra, he assumed the form of a stallion to avoid the fury of his jealous wife, Rhea. From this union was born Chiron, the most famous of centaurs and a skillful archer. Although centaurs, creatures who are part man and part horse, were generally savage and cruel, Chiron was wise, gentle and good. As the teacher of several famous heroes, he educated the boys about the mysteries of life. One fated day, Chiron was mistakenly slain by his student, Hercules. Realizing the wound was incurable, Chiron begged Zeus not to deprive him of immortality. Pitying his half-brother"s predicament, Zeus granted the request and located Chiron in the sky as the constellation Sagittarius, where The Archer stands with bow and arrow for all time.

　　Capricorn 摩羯 Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

　　Capricorn the Sea Goat is a Summer constellation with an astronomical name of Capricornus, and can be best viewed in the night sky during the month of August.
The Constellation Capricornus-The Sea Goat
　　The four constellations of Aquila, Aquarius, Capricornus, and Delphinus lie relatively close to each other in a region of the sky which is almost devoid of bright showpiece deep sky objects. Aquarius and Capricornus lie away from the main body of the Milky Way, and mostly contain faint galaxies with only a few star clusters and nebulae. Aquila and Delphinus, on the other hand, lie right along the Milky Way and contain some fine examples of planetary and dark nebulae. Even though there are only four Messier objects in this entire region, there are still enough deep sky targets to keep an astronomer busy on a summer night.