The mid- to late-fall early evening sky can be unrecognizable because it contains few bright stars to use as markers. But, luckily for the stargazer, it does offer an unusual stellar configuration—the Great Square.
Have you looked at the jumble of stars seen on a clear night from a dark location and wondered “How on Earth do I find my way around the heavens?” The best practice is to start with what you know or what you can easily find.
The mid- to late-fall early evening sky can be unrecognizable because it contains few bright stars to use as markers. But, luckily for the stargazer, it does offer an unusual stellar configuration—the Great Square. While not a true square, its four corner stars come close. They are about as bright as the more well known stars of the Big Dipper. The pattern, somewhat larger than the Big Dipper, lies high in the south in the early evening this time of year.
Once you have found the Great Square, use it as a guide to other stars. Start by drawing an imaginary line southward from the two westernmost stars of the Square. It lands on a bright, solitary star, Fomalhaut.
Next draw a line to the west along the bottom two stars. It lands on Altair, the southern member of the “Summer Triangle.” The two easternmost stars of the Square point south to a moderately bright star, Deneb Kaitos, which represents to the tail of the constellation Cetus the whale.
Head north, instead of south, and the line intersects the westernmost star of the “W” shape of Cassiopeia. Continue that line until it bumps into Polaris, the North Star.
As a bonus this year, the lower two stars direct you eastward on the celestial dome to the bright, unmistakable Jupiter.
The story above first appeared in our November / December 2023 issue.
