By Nancy and Larry Lebofsky
APRIL OBSERVING NEWS
If you want to observe Orion, Gemini, and the other winter constellations, now is your last chance for quite some time. The Winter Hexagon is beginning to set in the west in the early evening. It’s time to start looking for the spring constellations, and soon the constellations we observed over the summer will be back in the night sky. Within a few months we will have seen one yearly cycle of the sky!
NIGHT SKY VIEWING:
To the north, the Big Dipper is high above Polaris. Just below Polaris is Cepheus (the king) , very low to the horizon. Those of you in the north will have a better view.
Looking east, Arcturus will be the brightest star (low on the horizon at 8:30 in Arizona, 9:30 elsewhere) as the evening progresses. Spica will be even lower, moving higher in the sky as the night progresses.
Facing south, you will see the stars of the Winter Hexagon setting in the southwest. You can also see Leo and Saturn high overhead. Remember to poke holes in the bottom of the Dipper and the water will rain down on Leo’s head. At this time, the water would have to travel through your zenith (overhead point) to find Leo in the south/southeast. Since the open edge of the Dipper is no longer upright, some say it will bring April showers as the water spills out!
Facing west, Mars is high in the sky at dusk. Mars is close to Castor on April 1, moves from Castor closer to Pollux on April 16, and has passed completely through Gemini by early May. A waxing crescent Moon passes by Mars on the night of April 11.
On April 8 in the early evening the waxing crescent Moon will pass by the Pleiades. Viewers in the northeast should be able to see the Moon occult (cover up) the stars of the Pleiades. For those of us in the west, this event will occur when the sky is still too bright. For viewers in the southern US, the Moon will pass north of the Pleiades. As always, consult one of the astronomy magazines, their web sites, or a computer planetarium program for more specific information.
TELESCOPE AND BINOCULAR VIEWING:
The Moon and Saturn, and still available for viewing. Mars is also available, but is much fainter than it has been for the past several months.
EARLY MORNING VIEWING:
Looking south at dawn on April 26-27, the waning gibbous Moon moves from a position in the handle of the teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius to a position just below Jupiter. Sagittarius and Scorpius are two of the summer constellations and will be visible in the early evening sky in a few months.
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TWO BIG DIPPER LEGENDS
The first story is our usual sky story for April, describing how the stars came to be in the pattern we know as the Big Dipper. The second story describes the motion of the circumpolar constellations, including Ursa Major whose brightest stars comprise the Big Dipper.
STORY ONE:
There are a number of versions of the legend that credits coyote with arranging the star patterns we see in the night sky. Following is a retelling of the story of Coyote and the Five Wolf Brothers:
At one time, Coyote lived with five Wolf Brothers. Every night the Wolf Brothers would share the meat from their hunt with Coyote. But they had a secret they would not share – a secret about a strange thing they had seen in the sky. Every night as they whispered together, Coyote became more and more curious.
Finally, Coyote just had to know. One day he asked the oldest Wolf Brother, “What is it you saw in the sky?” But the oldest Wolf Brother did not answer.
Coyote asked the second-oldest Wolf Brother, “What is it you talk about every night? What did you see in the sky?” But the second Wolf Brother did not answer.
Coyote asked the third Wolf Brother the same question. No answer. Coyote asked the fourth Wolf Brother. No answer.
But the fourth Wolf Brother gathered his brothers and asked, “Should we tell Coyote what we have been talking about? Should we tell Coyote what we have seen in the sky?”
“Yes, yes,” said the youngest Wolf Brother. “They cannot hurt us or Coyote.”
“True,” agreed the second Wolf Brother. “They are high in the sky. They cannot hurt us or Coyote.”
“We’ll tell him tonight,” said the oldest Wolf Brother.
So that night the Wolf Brothers told Coyote what they had seen: two strange animals, high in the sky, too high for the Wolf Brothers to reach them. Coyote was even more curious now. He wanted to see the creatures for himself. But how would they all get high up into the sky?
Coyote had an idea. He gathered together as many arrows as he could find. One after another, he shot the arrows into the sky. The first arrow stuck to the sky. The second arrow stuck to the first, the third arrow stuck to the second, and so on until Coyote had made a long line of arrows from the sky to the Earth.
Early the next day, Coyote, the five Wolf Brothers, and their dog began to climb the arrows to the sky. For many days and nights they climbed, until at last they reached the sky. There they saw the two strange animals – two huge, fierce grizzly bears!
Now the two youngest Wolf Brothers were curious. They walked toward the two fierce grizzly bears. When nothing happened, the two older Wolf Brothers followed. But the oldest brother and his dog stayed behind. The four brave Wolf Brothers walked even closer. But the grizzly bears just looked at them. The four Wolf Brothers looked back. Finally, the oldest Wolf Brother and his dog joined them.
Coyote admired the beautiful picture they made. He thought the grizzly bears and the Wolf Brothers and their dog should stay in the sky, making a sky story for all time.
Then Coyote had another idea. He climbed back down the line of arrows, breaking off the arrows as he hurried toward the ground. Now the five Wolf Brothers and their dog could not return to Earth. They stayed in the sky and made a beautiful picture story for everyone to see.
We still see Coyote’s picture today, but we call it the Big Dipper. The two bowl stars (Dubhe and Merak) that point to Polaris, the North Star, are the grizzly bears. The two bowl stars opposite (Megrez and Phecda) are the two younger Wolf Brothers. The first and last stars in the handle (Alioth and Alkaid) are the two older Wolf Brothers. The oldest Wolf Brother and his dog stand in the middle place in the handle (Mizar and Alcor).
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STORY TWO:
Throughout history people around the world have looked up at the night sky and imagined stories about the stars. Early cultures used star positions and stories to teach lessons, navigate ships, and mark seasons — especially planting and harvesting times. Even though the stories might not be as accurate as our current scientific knowledge, they can be interesting to share. The stories provide an opportunity not only to discuss the rotation of the Earth on its axis (daily motion) and its revolution around the Sun (yearly motion), but also to enjoy literature from different cultures.
This story has been attributed to two different tribes from eastern Canada, the Micmacs and the Iroquois. The story is about seven bird hunters who track huge bear across the sky every year. As Earth orbits the Sun, most stars appear to move across the sky from east to west at a rate of 1° per night. However, the stars nearest to the North Star, also known as Polaris or the “pole star,” appear to circle counterclockwise around it; these are the circumpolar constellations. The Bear Hunt story follows the yearly apparent motion of three circumpolar constellations: Ursa Major, Bootes, and Corona Borealis.
The Never-Ending Bear Hunt
Many years ago people looked into the night sky and imagined wonderful stories in the stars. One story takes place during the course of an entire year and tells about the adventures of the Great Bear and the Bird Hunters.
When the winter ended the Great Bear left her cave. After her long sleep, she was hungry and anxious to find food. As she hunted for food, other hunters were following her. Seven brave Bird Hunters followed the Great Bear across the Sky. Robin led the hunt, followed closely by Chickadee and his cooking pot and Moosebird. Farther behind were their friends: Saw-whet, Horned Owl, Blue Jay, and Pigeon. The bear looked big and clumsy, but she moved across the sky rapidly. The hunters followed her all summer, but as autumn approached they had still not caught up to the Great Bear.
Some of the hunters became tired and discouraged. Saw-whet, the last hunter in line, left the hunt. Soon Horned Owl also gave up and went to search for Saw-whet. Blue Jay and Pigeon tried to keep up with the leaders, but soon they also left the hunt and flew home.
Only Robin, Chickadee, and Moosebird followed the Great bear into autumn. The bear grew angry and rose up on her hind legs. She growled loudly and clawed the air to scare the hunters. But Robin was a brave hunter. He shot an arrow and hit the Great Bear. Drops of her blood fell on Robin’s feathers, turning his breast bright red. Other drops fell on the autumn leaves coloring them bright red.
When winter came, the dead bear lay on her back up in the sky. But her spirit returned to the cave and entered another bear. In the spring, the bear will leave the cave again to travel across the spring and summer sky, always pursued by the Bird Hunters.
