How can you recognise the castelations each season from any place on earth?

Question

What are the main things one has to know?

Answer 1

I presume you mean constellations rather than castelations.

The way to learn the constellations is to use a star map to start with what you know, possibly the Big Dipper or Orion, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, or the Southern Cross and Orion if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Using those stars as a guide, locate other stars relative to them. For example, if you project Orion's belt stars to the northwest you find Aldebaran, and to the southeast you find Sirius (east and west are reversed in the sky from the way they appear on maps, because we're looking outward from the Earth). Once you find Aldebaran, look around to find the other stars in Taurus. Similarly, once you find Sirius, locate the other stars in Canis Major. Gradually you can add more constellations in this way, first for the current sky, then add more in the East as the Earth moves around the Sun. It takes about a year to learn most of the constellations in your hemisphere, because the Sun blocks your view of many of them. To learn the constellations of the other hemisphere, you will need to travel. For example, I live close to 45° North, so I know just about all of the northern constellations, plus the southern constellations which make it over my horizon. I've travelled to Africa and have learned some of the constellations in the Southern Hemisphere, but don't know all of them. I'd say I probably know 60 of the 88 constellations in the sky.

Answer 2

I guess you mean constellations?
Try the site below. By entering your location, date and time, you can get a map of your sky with constellations outlined. Then take it outside (on a clear night of course!), match it to what you see. Do this over a year and you'll have learned to recognise the main constellations.

Answer 3

Well in the North I would always try to find Polaris or the North Star and in the Southern Hemisphere I would try to find its equivalent in the night sky. Once you find the North Star , the others will come to be known.

Answer 4

Castelations are towers on the top of castles, ramparts or battlements. Is this what you mean?

Answer 5

If you purchase one of the many Astronomy magazines available, they all have a star map in the centre pages.

Answer 6

you can download or buy star chart softwares.. these can show the constellations from where you are and the time are viewing the night sky.. try MyStars.. it;s what i use...