Well, I like Perseus, but only because I have a professional interest in it.
I think that most people like Orion because it is instantly recognizable and has a synmmetric shape. There IS a myth of Orion, but there’s not much to it. (Check out “The New Patterns in the Sky” by Staal, or “Greek Myths” by Robert Graves. Take both woth a grain of salt. For accuracy, look up Timothy Ganz’ book “Early Greek Myth”.) Actually, I think there’s a lot more to the myth of Orion, and it is going to be the topic of my next book. I’ve got a lot of info on it already.
Yup. Apparently you’re far from alone. And I’m going with Orion too.
And, what the hell is your Da talking about? In the history of the world the apperance of various stars at various time has CERTAINLY been taken note of (they wouldn’t really be constellations if people hadn’t been watching them and bothering to name them would they? You might want to show Da the astrology section of any given newspaper.)
And speaking of Orion, I heard a pretty compelling case made for the pyramids in Egypt being a representation of Orion (well they didn’t call him Orion). The main pyramid are laid out like his belt. They theorize that additional pyramids, or other sacred spots were intended for the rest of his body (but may not have been completed). Maybe, maybe not, but it’s a cool idea.
I like Orion a lot, too, and I always look forward to it coming out in the fall/winter.
The Pleiades are also one of my favorites. I’m especially liking the Saturn/Jupiter/Pleiades thing we’re seeing lately.
When I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing some southern hemisphere constellations. I forget the “real” name, but I saw the Crane, and I think the Phoenix. Pretty cool.
But… my favorite constellation of all isn’t really a constellation. It’s a group of stars commonly referred to as Brocchi’s Cluster or the Coathanger. It’s close to Lyra, and only observable through binoculars. I like it because it’s the first thing that I found all by myself with binoculars. I picked it out of the book, and spent about an hour lying in my backyard until I could pick it out.
BTW, I’ve always wondered if there’s a Southern Hemisphere equivalent to the Big Dipper. As in, a constellation that just about anybody can pick out. Does anyone know?
But if you’re interested in a WAG, I would say the Southern Cross. The Australians and New Zealanders both have Crux on their flags; surely that must make it recognizable to a lot of them.
Do I have to pick just one? OK, OK, Canis Major. Not just because he’s a doggie, but because he’s a happy doggie. Can’t you see the way he’s jumping around in the sky? Most of the other constellations look so… businesslike.
And by the way, Ursa Major looks a lot more like a skunk than a bear. Just look at that pointy face, and the long, upraised tail.
Athena, the southern equivalent of the Big Dipper would have to be the Southern Cross. Several nations put it on their flags, like Alaska does with the Dipper. I saw the Cross when I was in Puerto Rico, but it was very low and therefore unspectacular.
D’oh! Danimal, what are you doing, posting before I can press “Submit”? Now I look like a copycat, monkey-see-monkey-do loser.
Anyway, the constellation that really stood out was Corvus. It’s certainly viewable from here in New England, but it really stands out in the tropics when it’s directly overhead.
And by the way, the official name for the Crane is Grus and Phoenix is, of course, the Phoenix.
I think the old Coathanger was one of the first things I looked for when I had binoculars, too. I saw it in Astronomy or Sky & Telescope and went out to see it for myself. Binocular astronomy is the funnest – I’ve got to get myself a new pair and a tripod.
You know, I always thought I was a bit weird for having a favorite constellation. But to my surprise I open this thread and what I find? And not only do I find out that I am not alone in having a favorite constellation but that the majority of the people hear have my favorite, Orion, as their favorite too. I have at last found a home where I belong, and SDMB be thy name.
Orion’s my favorite too… that’s partially where I got my username from.
There’s a Metallica song called Orion too. That’s also why I have this username. And I’m another one that looks for it… I’m glad it’s out now. And the Orion nebula is awesome, from what I’ve seen in books. I’ve been trying to see it with my telescope but it’s too bright where I live
The only objects that are “directly overhead” at all times are the tail star of Ursa Minor (Polaris) and the Magellanic Clouds, and only if you live on the North or South Geographic Pole.
You let your Da know that you aren’t the only person to say that in the history of the world. I say that almost every year. Orion is my favourite constellation as well, for two reasons. One, it was the very first one I was able to pick out. Two, I love the story of Orion, it’s one of my favourite myths (I love Greek Mythology).
The Whale is what I look for, and if your can see that, the skies are good for star gazing.
I saw a few meteorites a couple weeks ago. It’s been to cloudy to see anything for a week and a half now. I wanted to see the space station and the solar panels. I hope this Christmas I get to see the solar eclipse, I have not seen one for over twenty years.
My best night was during the summer when I just walked outside. Meteorites came down for almost a half a hour, at about three a minute. I’ll probaly never see a sight like that again.
When I was a kid, I thought Scorpius was cool. Dangerous creature, giant red star Antares. Our family would drive from Chicago to Florida every summer to see my mom’s parents, and it was clearly higher in the sky there.
Maybe I should have been more specific:
It passes almost directly overhead during the winter months.
I work nights in Austin, Texas (lattitude: 30[sup]o[/sup], give or take a few minutes.) As of last week, I could go out for lunch and look up and Orion would be there.
Currently tied between Scorpius and Sagittarius. I spent a lot of dark nights this summer looking through binoculars at that area, since it was the darkest part of the sky where I was.
And Athena, I came across the Coathanger by accident while searching the great triangle. I had to go look it up, having never heard of it before. Beautiful! Looks kind of like a jeweled brooch or pin. For the uninitiated, it’s regt close by Sagitta (the arrow).
