Nightskywatching
by
Kamal Lodaya

BOX
Every issue, JM has a map of some stars seen during the month, with a small explanation. Take this map to a place where the sky when you face East is dark and there are no lights in that direction. East is where the Sun rises in the morning.
The map shows stars seen at 9 pm on April 1st, or at 8 pm on April 15th, or at 7 pm on April 30th. Take a few minutes to let your eyes get adjusted to the darkness. Then you will start seeing stars. Use a small torch (maybe from your phone) covered with red paper to give a soft red light to the map. Red light interferes least with your ability to see things in the dark.
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The bright yellowish star (vinmeen) that you see in front of you, twinkling above the Eastern horizon, is called Swati in India and Arcturus in English. To its left and higher, if you turn towards the North, you will find a large constellation with four stars forming a quadrilateral, and then a curving arc of three stars. Following that curve towards the East brings you to Swati.
Those seven stars have names: in order, Kratu, Pulaha, Pulasya, Atri, Angira, Vasishtha and Marichi, seven rishis, and the constellation is called Saptarshi. In English it is called the Great Bear, with the quadrilateral forming its body and the three stars in the curve a tail. (Do bears have tails?) It is one of the best known constellations; you might even find someone who knows it and can show it to you.
Following the curve you come to Swati. Follow the curve some more and you come to Chitra, a bright white star. Chitra is in the constellation Kanya or the Young Girl. Follow the curve a bit more and you reach the little constellation of Hasta, known as the Crow in English.
If you follow the line Atri-Pulasya for a long distance, you will have to crane your neck overhead to find Magha or Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Simha or the Lion. With the help of the map, see if you can trace its shape. To the left of Magha is the head of the lion, and its body is in the direction of Kanya. Two stars marked on the map are Uttara Phalguni and Poorva Phalguni.
Did you get all of that? 
We constructed a large pattern of stars going from the North of the sky to the East and even a bit further.

Do You Know?
In many Indian languages, the word nakshatra is used for stars. But some stars are special, and they were called nakshatras in our history. Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Poorva Phalguni, the little Hasta, Chitra and Swati are nakshatras. The other stars (such as those of the Saptarshi) are not nakshatras. What is special about these nakshatras?
Some constellations are called rashis. Simha and Kanya are rashis. Saptarshi is not a rashi. What is special about these rashis?

BOX Activity: 
On 1st April you can see a half Moon. If you face East on 1st April, it should be high up above you.
In the next few days, as the phase of the Moon becomes bigger, it will come into the Eastern sky, lower and lower. On 7th February is Purnima. The Moon will rise above the Eastern horizon below Swati.
If you can recognize the stars we talked about, mark the position of the Moon on the map every day. You will then find out for yourself the answers to the questions we asked.
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BOX: Can you recognize the Western sky?
If you look at the Western sky, can you recognize the hexagon we outlined in the Jan-Feb issue of {Jantar Mantar}? The three stars forming the belt of Orion (Mriga), with orangish Betelgeuse (Tiruvadirai) and white Rigel (Rajanya) on two sides of it?
If you follow the belt to the left you reach Sirius (Vyadha). If you follow the belt to the right you reach the yellowish Aldebaran (Rohini) in Taurus (Vrishabha).
But what is this bright star dominating the scene in Taurus, brighter even than Sirius?
This is not a star, it is the planet Venus (Shukra, Velli). It is at its highest after sunset at the end of March. It is at its brightest at the end of April.
If you have kept your star map from the previous issue, you can mark the position of Venus once a week. The word ``planet'' means a wanderer, and you will be surprised to see that Venus moves very slowly through Taurus (Vrishabha).
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Questions:
Please send questions and experiences about your night sky watching to JM.