Welcome, my name is Janine and in this video we're going to learn about the constellation
known as Centaurus. This one is a relatively new constellation that I've identified in the
past few years but it has a really important star in it called Alpha Centauri which is the closest
star system to us. So let's get to it. Centaurus is represented as a Centaur and it's classified
as an ancient constellation. The Babylonians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans, and Polynesian cultures
and probably many other cultures throughout the world at least identified some version of this
star pattern, but the earliest records date back to the Babylonian star catalogues, and there it
was identified as a bison man. The name Centaurus is derived from centaur in Greek mythology which
is a half human half horse. Centaurus takes up a good amount of real estate in the night
sky. It's the ninth largest constellation, and one thing I found really interesting
was that at the dawn of civilization this was an equatorial constellation but due to the wobble of
the Earth's axis, which we call the procession of the equinoxes this is no longer the case.
So when can you see it? The best times to see it is in the month of may however if you live in
the northern hemisphere you need to be in the tropical latitudes in order to see it.
So this includes being at 25 degrees or lower latitude, but if you live in the southern
hemisphere you should be able to see this at any latitude. You can also use the Southern Cross to
help you locate this constellation. That's how I found Centaurus. I knew where the Southern
Cross was and then I was like "you know I don't know what these two stars are," so I looked it up.
I was on a field trip with my astronomy students and I looked it up on my phone I'm like what are
those two stars right next to the Southern Cross that are really bright, and here it was
Alpha Centauri and I've known about Alpha Centauri since a kid. I was always really fascinated and
and knew that was like the star that's four light years away, but what's interesting is
this is actually a triple star system as is this one. I've got a video comparing these two stars
so be sure to go see that video, I have the link listed below, but that's how I found it
was using the Southern Cross and then wondering what the heck these two were they're so bright,
and then from there I try to point out the rest of the constellation, but I admit it is
difficult to point out the whole thing. I can't say I've done it confidently, also there is a
visible star cluster it's called the omega star, and this is a globular cluster that is thought
to once been a dwarf galaxy. So it's really cool to look at this. It looks like a star but it's a star
cluster. Now we'll take a look at the star pattern and come up with some strategies
on how to find this constellation. So here you can see this stellar map for Centaurus
and it's good to observe this because then you can see all the constellations that surround it.
The first thing you should notice are these two really bright stars and that's Alpha Centauri
and Beta Centauri, and for me these are the only two stars that really stand out and you can see
that on this map with the magnitude scale here but the rest of these are fairly faint
they're if third and fourth magnitude even some of fifth magnitude. So it's important to seek out dark
skies if you do live in an area that has a lot of light pollution. You can also see that there are
some other objects in here, this is a globular cluster, there's a planetary nebula down here,
and there's actually galaxies littered throughout this constellation which we'll take a look at at
a different map later on in this video, but you can see how it could resemble a centaur, you know
you have the legs here, you have the body of the horse, and then this would be the human portion of
the centaur. So let's get some practice with how to find it. So as you're looking at this picture
you probably notice the beautiful Milky Way galaxy all throughout this photo, and then we come to here.
This is where the Southern Cross is so use the Southern Cross to kind of guide you towards Alpha
and Beta Centauri. So from there I start to work my way up and try to look for like a triangle
shape which even I am trying and maybe it's right here, and then I can tell because the
omega star, which is really a globular cluster is right there.So let's point some stuff out
here just to give us a little assistance with how to find it. So there we have the Southern
Cross, and then if I were to point out the other constellations here we go. So right here
this is where centaur is and you can see that these two stars are really the only bright ones
there and then for me when I'm looking for this in the sky I try to look for this triangle pattern
knowing that this bright star is not really part of the pattern, and then this right here this is
Lupus. I hopefully will have another video coming on that soon, but here is another picture we have.
So start to orient yourself. Can you find the Southern Cross? Then use the Southern Cross to find
Alpha and Beta Centauri, and then kind of work your way up the legs. Can you find the triangle body
of the horse? Notice the omega star okay, and then are you able to point out the rest of the pattern?
For me I struggle with this a little bit because really the only parts of the pattern I see are
the Alpha and Beta Centauri and then this portion, but the rest of the head pattern I struggle with
that a little bit and that's okay. So here's what the constellation star pattern looks like,
and there are some other things to see in here as well. We've got the Southern Cross and I actually
need a little bit of help because I'm not super familiar with the with the southern hemisphere
constellation since I live in the northern hemisphere, but here we have Centaurus in green,
we have Lupus in yellow, I definitely am very familiar with Scorpius it's one of my favorite
constellations I've got a video on it go see it, you can see a portion of Libra, you have Norma,
this one right Circinus I'm not even sure how to say that, and then we have the Southern Cross.
So even though I have a whole channel about the constellations there's still a lot I need to learn,
and that starts with journeying to the southern skies which is hopefully in my five-year plan.
So here we go, here's another constellation picture. Can you find the Southern Cross? From there go find
Alpha and Beta Centauri. Those two should be easy to see because they're the brightest stars in this
picture, and then as you move upwards from Alpha, Beta Centauri point out to that triangle body,
and here we go, here it is. So we're only kind of seeing a portion of it or most of it, but some
of it is cut off here as well. You can see the head and the arms are other arms should go off here, and
here's that triangle body. So I hope these pictures are helpful for you to at least get a start with
how to find this constellation, and maybe you may not be able to point out the whole thing but you
may be able to point out portions of it such as Alpha and Beta Centauri, as well as the omega star.
Alpha and Beta Centauri can also be used to find the South Celestial Pole, and the way you can do
that is by using the Southern Cross as well as the Southern Pointers. If you draw an imaginary line
through this portion of the Southern Cross and then you have Alpha and Beta Centauri right here,
which are sometimes called the Southern Pointers you draw an imaginary line between those two
it connects at this portion of the sky. Well the South Pole, South Celestial Pole is near that arena.
So here we also have the Magellanic Clouds here. So let's get some practice finding this. So as
you're looking at this this picture hopefully you can find the Southern Cross, and then you
can find the Southern pointers. So you draw an imaginary line down here, an imaginary line
down this way and where they connect is very close to the South Celestial Pole. So it's a great
little navigational trick that you can use if you happen to live in the southern hemisphere.
You can use this trick to help you find the South Celestial Pole.
Let's examine some of the legends behind Centaurus. It is often the stories of the
stars that we can connect to in some way which can help us remember the constellation.
So we'll start with the Babylonian star catalogs. This was the earliest documentation
we have of Centaurus and this document overall is very important because it helped with the
timing of agricultural activities. Many of the constellations in the Babylonian star catalogs
were the predecessors of the zodiac constellations, but the figure of Centaurus can be traced back
to the 'Bison-man' and this is the Babylonian term for that, and it was depicted in different forms.
First it had a four-legged bison with the human head, and then it also had a man's head with a
torso attached to the rear legs. So it was also closely associated with the Sun God at that time,
which I listed the name here I'm a little nervous to pronounce that so I'll just point it out to you,
but the Babylonian star catalogues were essential for humans to time their agricultural activities.
Now you can't acknowledge Centaurus without looking at Greek mythology, and this is where
things start to get a little confusing for me as a scientist. I struggle with learning
about the mythologies because there's so many stories, but what I've learned over the course of
doing these videos is that there really is no one correct mythology there's just a variety of them.
So in Greek mythology Centaurus is represented by Chiron, who is the leader of the centaurs and
this is a race of mythological creatures who are both half man and half horse. Chiron stood out from
the rest of the creatures because he was very wise and he was very scholarly and it's possible
that this is because he was born from Philyra, a sea nymph, and Cronus the king of the Titans,
but you can also connect Centaurus possibly to the education of Achilles. So here we have a Chiron,
right here, and on the back you have Achilles, and Achilles was instructed by Chiron but however
there's a lot of varying myths about Chiron and whether or not he was really the inspiration for
Centaurus or is he the inspiration for Sagittarius. It's not really clear to me
because we have two figures in the sky that is represented by half man half horse,
one is Sagittarius and one is Centaurus. So it's difficult to understand, but at least you can
make that connection of the centaur. So there's also something else I wanted to share I came
across the Hawaiian star names for these so this right here is Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri.
So I was able to discover that the Hawaiian star name for Alpha Centauri is Melemele.
I've also had it or discovered it could be called Ka Maile-hope, and then Beta Centauri
is known as Polapola or Ka Malie-mua. So just some different background there. I don't have stories
connected to these, but whenever I find something in the Hawaiian culture is something that I'm very
fascinated with and I love to learn and study so I thought it'd be great to include that here, but
you have to remember that the mythologies of the stars vary according to time place and culture.
There really is no one true mythology for any constellation there's simply a variety of them.
We've come to the end of our video about Centaurus the centaur. So let's review
everything we've learned so far. It's best seen in the springtime and if you're in the northern
hemisphere you need to be in the tropics in order to see this constellation at all.
If you're in the southern hemisphere it shouldn't matter which latitude you're at you still should
be able to see Centaurus. It's classified as a seasonal constellation and the best way to
find it is to look for Crux or the Southern Cross, and then use Alpha and Beta Centauri to help you
get started with tracing out the rest of the constellation. There are some really cool celestial
objects. One which is Omega Centauri, this globular star cluster here, and the Running Chicken Nebula,
which is not quite pictured here but it's down in this arena. So something to look for as well. As
always I'm going to encourage you to seek out dark skies in order to view the constellations, because
the the viewing is much better away from light pollution. So hopefully you can find
an opportunity to be away from that. So I hope this video was helpful for you in
discovering Centaurus. This is one that I really discovered late in my stargazing journey and I
was really surprised that I didn't find it earlier simply because of Alpha Centauri. I thought you
know I probably should have learned where that was earlier in the sky than only just a few years back,
but now I know and I'm so excited when I am able to see that star system. So
I wish you clear skies as you go out. Remember it takes time patience and practice to find these
constellations. So I'm wishing you clear skies keep going outside and as always keep looking up!