Got a shining star toy as a present...can't find the star using the constellations!!!?

Question

Me and my husband got a shining star plush toy for christmas from my mother-in-law for our unborn son, Ayden. We named the star and did everything. We have the constellation but i have no clue how to find it in the sky!!!
every site i have went to says the constellation does not exist!!
HELP!!
if you can find the constellation or help me i will be very greatful i have till april to find this dang star so i know where it is before Ayden is born.
The constellation is Hercules 18h 36m 59.39s 15 13' 38.56"
thanks!!!

Answer 1

My original answer got ridiculously long, so here’s an abbreviated version.

The location of this star in Hercules is above the horizon about 14 hours a day in the mid-northern latitudes, but this is the worst time of year to see it. If you wait until late January, it will be getting higher in the sky as dawn approaches; and it rises earlier each day. By late May, it will be well above the horizon by 11 PM. The location you referred to is in Hercules, but it lies between the primary parts of the constellations Hercules and Aquila (which is easily recognized by the bright star Deneb); so find a web site with star maps, find Hercules and Aquila, and the object is located in-between. You can find star maps at
http://www.skyandtelescope.com

The toy you have is made by Russ Berrie, which makes nice stuffed toys, but they get their star coordinates from the International Star Registry (ISR), which is not so nice. The stellar coordinate system is always shifting because the earth wobbles on its axis with a period of 26000 years. Star coordinates don’t mean anything unless they are accompanied by an “equinox” year – that is, the year in which the coordinates are correct. The ISR doesn’t specify the equinox, and it’s crazy to give a super-precise coordinate without this. In recent years, star catalogs have been based on equinox 2000, so I’ll assume that this is the case for your coordinates.

The problem is that there is no star at the position you specified. Adolph K thought he found one (GSC 157000125), but the GSC catalog contains about 50 stars closer to your position than his (and some of these are brighter, such as GSC 157000250). It contains no stars at your position, however, to within the precision of stellar coordinates. This catalog is online at
http://www-gsss.stsci.edu/Catalogs/GSC/GSC1/GSC1.htm

There is a wonderful web site called the STScI Digital Sky Survey that contains deep-sky images of the entire sky. I used it to generate the following image centered on the coordinate you gave. Please take a look at it:
http://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_search?v=quickv&r=18+36+59.39&d=15+13+38.56&e=J2000&h=4&w=4&f=gif&c=none&fov=NONE&v3=

This image is 4 arc minutes across (1/15 degree). You can see the problem – there are lots of stars, but none at the center. The star found by Adolph K lies well beyond the edge of the image.

Here's another image centered on your coordinates, but with a bigger field (12.8 arc minutes).
http://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_search?v=quickv&r=18+36+59.39&d=15+13+38.56&e=J2000&h=12.8&w=12.8&f=gif&c=none&fov=NONE&v3=

The star picked by Adolph K lies barely inside the picture -- the irregular blob at the center of the right edge. It's clearly not a good match to your coordinates, but there aren't any other good matches either.

In other words, not only does the ISR name stars without having any more right to do so than the average Joe, but they even specify phony coordinates that don’t correspond to a real star. I’m not the first one to notice this. Here’s a quotation from the following site:
http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=22493
“Harvard astronomer Bob Marsden has looked at some of the maps and found that 'there is no star' where the maps claim.” (They got his name wrong; there’s a very well known astronomer at Harvard named Brian Marsden.)

In short, there is no star at this location, but you can locate the constellations Hercules and Aquila in the coming months. Ayden can enjoy playing with his plush toy, blissfully unaware of the shenanigans of the International Star Registry.

Answer 2

Hi Jessica!

Hercules is not difficult to locate. You could do it this evening, if you look before 6:30 p.m., or even better this very morning after 5 a.m. (Add a few minutes to these times if you happen to be in a state that is located very far west in its time zone, for example Michigan.)

This morning, if it's clear, find the Big Dipper. Locate the second and third stars of the Dipper's handle, Mizar and Alioth. (Not the very end star at the tip of the handle.)

Follow the line of the second and third stars back, away from the Dipper.

Now, in the morning only, the line you've drawn will intersect another imaginary line, connecting the two brightest stars in this part of the sky. Their names are Arcturus on the right and Vega on the left. You can't miss them, if you're looking in the proper direction, northeast.

The point where the line from the second and third star of the Dipper's handle intersects the line joining the two brightest stars in the northeastern sky happens to be right in the middle of Hercules!

The "head" of Hercules is known as the Keystone, and when you spot it you'll see why. For best results, you should get a star map, because Hercules is a large constellation with a lot of dim stars. With these simple instructions, however, you should have no trouble finding the location of Hercules.

If you look in the evening (and you'll only have a short time after it gets dark before Hercules sets for the night), Arcturus has already set. You'll still be able to use the second and third stars of the Dipper's handle plus Vega, however. Once you've found Vega, Hercules (the parts of it that have not already set for the evening) is at the "5-o'clock" position from Vega.

These only help if you're in the north temperate zone, by the way. If you're in the tropics, Vega will not be up before sunrise, and if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, like Tom, it is impossible to see Hercules at this season of the year.

Answer 3

Using "the Sky6 Pro" Planetarium software, I believe I have found your star.
It is listed in the GSC Catalog as 1570:125.
It is a star of Magnitude 12.5.!
A short explanation: the higher the magnitude number, the dimmer the star. The dimmest stars visible in a good dark location are usually of Magnitude 6. A difference of 5 magnitudes is equal to a ratio of 1:100. A difference of 6.5 magnitudes is roughly equal to a ratio of 1:250+. In other words, the star is over 250 times dimmer than what you can see with the naked eye.
It is located in the far southeast corner of Hercules, below the constellation Lyra.
I wish I could post a screenshot here to show you the exact location in the sky.
I am not very good at this computer stuff, but if you can send me a message, I can e-mail it to you. I'll understand if you don't want to do this.
Unfortunately most of the free Planetarium programs do not display stars down to this magnitude. but you can certainly find the area of the sky where the star is located. A free program called "Stellarium" will get the job done for you. The program will show the cursor's coordinates on the screen, you just move the cursor until the display matches your coordinates. But with objects this dim, it will be a bit of a challenge. Give it a try. we just have to find a way to show where your baby's star is!!

Adolph

Answer 4

Hercules is more of a summer constellation, though you can catch it now in the early morning. Here's a map that shows the sky, with constellations marked, as it appears about 5:00 am now:
http://www.stargazing.net/David/constel/skymaps/aprnames.html
Notice Hercules in the NE (near the left edge, above center).

The numbers give the precise coordinates of the star. You'll need a telescope and either a detailed star atlas or computer control to locate the star. If you have a catalog number for the star (SAO or Tycho, for example) it will be easier to locate.

Answer 5

I also have aimed a virtual telescope at those coordinates and can see no star exactly there, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. Hercules will be visible from late northern Spring until early Autumn (I think; I'm in Australia. I assume you're in the US).

If you want, sign on to this sky chart and set it for your nearest city. Set the date to June 1 2008 and the time to 10.00pm Daylight Saving. If you move the pointer over the groups of stars, you'll see the names light up. One to the left of centre is Hercules. I won't bother explaining exactly where those coordinates are, but that's the area. When the time comes, you can use the chart to find Hercules in the sky.

http://skychart.skytonight.com/observing/skychart/

I have no idea why a website would say that Hercules doesn't exist! And good luck and congratulations on your parenthood-to-be.

Answer 6

Here is the constellation Hercules:
http://www.utahskies.org/deepsky/constellations/maps/hercules.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Hercules_constellation_map.png

Here is a list of the stars in Hercules:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stars_in_Hercules

Answer 7

constallations move. that one may not be visible directly over your heads for some time.

download google earth and turn it on.

there will be a litle icon at the top menu bar for "inverting the sky"

you will then only have to type in that constellation in the search box, and an appropriate time of the year and location will be given to you.