Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CCXXXI · Topic 37: The stars
231. The bright stars of summer
Goal: Your child can find Arcturus, Spica, Regulus, Vega, Deneb, Altair and Antares by star-hopping, and can name the Summer Triangle.
You'll need
- Clear evenings from late May to July
- A blanket to lie on
- A red-covered flashlight
- A planisphere or a star chart (a free star-chart app works too)
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
An introduction to the stars of summer comes first, with a chart. The lesson then gives a leading thought, a method, and directions with a short description of each star: Regulus and the Sickle, Arcturus and the Crown, Spica, Vega, Antares, Deneb and the Northern Cross, and Altair and the Dolphin.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
From the middle of May through July. Summer nights come late, so go out about an hour after sunset (around 9:30 or 10 p.m. with daylight saving time). The book suggests lying on your back on the grass, with a star map and an "intermittently lighted candle"; we use a red flashlight instead. Stargaze with an adult, in a dark spot away from roads, such as a back yard or a field you have permission to use. Dress warmly, bring a blanket, and cover a flashlight with red cellophane or a red balloon so your eyes stay used to the dark.
The leading thought
The stars which we see shining during summer evenings are not the same ones that we see during the winter evenings, except those in the polar constellations.
Arcturus and Spica
Extend the handle of the Big Dipper following its own curve for about twice its length and it will end in a beautiful, yellow star, the only very bright one in that region.
That is Arcturus. Keep curving on to a white star low in the south: Spica. (A rhyme: "Arc to Arcturus, speed on to Spica.")
Regulus and the Sickle
Run the line through the Dipper's pointers backward, away from the Pole-star, into the western sky. There is a backward question mark of stars, the Sickle, with Regulus at the bottom of the handle. It sets early, so look in late May.
Vega and the Summer Triangle
Vega is the most brilliant summer star that we see in the northern hemisphere.
Look high in the east for bright blue-white Vega. Then find Deneb, at the head of the Northern Cross, and Altair, with a small star on each side of it. The book points out:
Altair, Deneb and Vega form a triangle with the most acute angle at Altair.
Antares
Low in the south in late June and July is a glowing red star, Antares, in the Scorpion. Compare its color with Vega's.
What we know now
Distances are much better measured now. The book says light takes 29 years to reach us from Vega (today: about 25), 100 from Arcturus (about 37), 160 from Regulus (about 79) and 15 from Altair (about 17). Spica, which the book says was never measured, is about 250 light-years away, and Deneb is so far away (well over a thousand light-years) that it must be one of the brightest stars we can see. The meteor shower from the Lion that the book mentions for November 13 now comes around November 17. And Antares' "bright green" companion is really a hot blue-white star that only looks green beside the red one.
Nature notebook
Draw the Summer Triangle and the curve from the Dipper's handle to Arcturus and Spica. Write the date and time beside each star the first night you find it.
Afterwards
Learn one or two stars a night over several evenings, as the book does, rather than all at once.
Tip
The book teaches the stars by imaginary lines drawn from one star to another. Have your child point along each line with an outstretched arm.