Greek Alphabet

Greek Alphabet

a

There are 88 recognised constellations today. Various civilisations throughout history have made patterns in the sky by joining imaginary lines between the stars and giving the pattern a name. The constellation names in use today are based on Greek mythology.

The main stars in the constellations are labeled with a letter from the Greek alphabet, usually the star with the brightest magnitude is assigned a (alpha) though not always and the next brightest is assigned b (beta) and so on. You'll see this on any star chart you look at.

To get the most out of astronomy you need to be able to find your way around the sky. I've used the maps from monthly magazines, downloaded software from the internet and borrowed the Phillips Star Chart from a friend. Using these aids it's relatively easy to identify the constellations. Start with the brighter well know constellations and use them as a guide to the others. Once you can do this you need to know what to look for in that particular area of the sky.

n

b

g

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Star charts and software programs all show deep sky objects such as clusters, nebulae, galaxies and so on. You need to locate them by first finding the constellation the object is in and then locating the nearest main sequence star to the object. Now comes the tricky bit - you need to use the star chart to help guide you towards the object your looking for. This technique is usually referred to as star hoping. It takes a bit of practice to get it right but its worth persevering with. Below is an example of a constellation and how it's represented on a star chart.

Pegasus

Orion