Constellations
I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and currently sit on the council. I presented a series of astronomy talks on YouTube called ‘The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Cosmos. I also present lectures on cruise ships all over the world, and to various clubs and societies at home. I have a monthly astronomy feature on BBC Radio York and my own weekly Astronomy Show on a community radio station called Drystone Radio, which can be heard on line. I also write a monthly ‘What’s in the night sky?’ feature for the Craven Herald newspaper which covers the Yorkshire Dales.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 5 minutes
- Episodes
- 89
- Years Active
- 2021
Puppis the Stern
This is the laregest of the four sections into which the ancient constellation of Argo Navis, the ship of the Argonauts was dismembered in the 1750s by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.
00:08:09 |
Thu 11 Mar 2021
Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish
Sometimes also called Piscis Australis, this constellation has been known since ancient times and is often represented as a fish drinking the flow of water from the urn Aquarius.
00:02:51 |
Wed 10 Mar 2021
Pisces the Fishes
An ancient constellation representing a apir of fishes tied by the their tails, the know being marked by the star alpha Piscium.
00:04:29 |
Wed 10 Mar 2021
Pictor the Painter's easel
A faint constellation overshadowed by the neighbouring brilliant star Canopus in Carine to one side, and the Large Magellanic Cloud in Dorado on the other. It was invented by Lacaille in the 1750s.
00:02:15 |
Tue 09 Mar 2021
Phoenix the Phoenix
An inconspicuous constellation lying near the southern end of Eridanus representing the mythological bird that was regularly reborn from its own ashes. It was introduced by Johann Bayer in 1603.
00:02:21 |
Tue 09 Mar 2021
Perseus
Perseus was the hero of Greek mythology who rescued the chained Andromeda from the clutches of the sea monster Cetus. Previously Perseus had slain Medusa the Gorgan, whose head he is pictured holding…
00:07:49 |
Mon 08 Mar 2021
Pegasus the Flying Horse
The winged horse of Greek mythology, born from the blood of Medusa afetr she was slain was Perseus, who lies nearby in the sky.
00:05:01 |
Sun 07 Mar 2021
Pavonis the Peacock
A constellation introduced on the 1603 star map,the Uranometria produced by the German astronomer Johann Bayer. It is one of several celestial birds in this region of the sky.
00:03:44 |
Sat 06 Mar 2021
Orion the Hunter
Without doubt the brightest and grandest constellation in the sky, crammed with objects of interest. Orion's impressiveness stems in large measure from the fact that it is an area of star formation i…
00:15:00 |
Fri 05 Mar 2021
Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder
An ancient constellation, representing a man encoiled by a serpent (the constellation of Serpens)
00:10:26 |
Thu 04 Mar 2021
Octans the Octant
The constellation that contains the south pole star. Despite this privileged position, Octans is faint and unremarkable. There is no southern equivalent of Polaris, the North Pole Star. The nearest s…
00:02:31 |
Wed 03 Mar 2021
Norma the Level
A Superfluous constellation invented in the 1750s by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, who populated the southern skies with several consetllations representing scientific instruments, in this case the surv…
00:02:38 |
Wed 03 Mar 2021
Musca the Fly
A small constellation lying at the foot of the Southern Cross invented by Johann Bayer in 1603. Although it was orginally called Apis the Bee it is known today Musca the Fly.
00:02:26 |
Tue 02 Mar 2021
Monoceros the Unicorn
A faint but fascinating constellation between Orion and Canis Minor. The constellationn was added in the 17th century.
00:05:17 |
Mon 01 Mar 2021
Microscopium the Microscope
Another of the faint and obscure constellations added by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Laaille in the 1750s.
00:01:53 |
Sun 28 Feb 2021
Mensa the Table Mountain
A faint constellation introduced by Lacaille to commemorate the Table Mountain at the Cape of Good Hope, from whixh he surveyed the southern skies in the 1750s.
00:01:48 |
Sun 28 Feb 2021
Lyra the Lyre
A constellation datin g from ancient times, representing the stringed instrument invented by Hermes and given by his half brother Apollo to Orpheus.
00:08:36 |
Sat 27 Feb 2021
Lynx
A decidedly obscure constellation, it was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the late 17th century to fill the gap between Ursa Major and Auriga.
00:02:32 |
Fri 26 Feb 2021
Lupus the Wolf
Lupus is stocked with numerous interesting objects, although it is often overlooked in favour of its more spectacular neighbours Scorpius and Centaurus
00:04:15 |
Fri 26 Feb 2021
Libra the Scales
A small faint constellation of the zodiac, through which the Sun passes in November. The ancient Greeks knew it as the 'Claws of the Scorpion', but the Romans made it into a seperate constellation.
00:02:58 |
Thu 25 Feb 2021
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