Have you ever looked upon at the heavens and wondered? What makes these celestial objects twinkle in the sky? Why are they so bright? What makes them so bright? Why do they form constellations?
Those celestial objects you see up in the sky may not be stars at all. They may simply be planets, natural or artificial satellites, or stars. There is way you can distinguish between the two.
Planets are typically brighter than stars. They are spherical in shape and are generally spherical. Stars and planets also move in different celestial patterns. A planet moves by the rules of the moon and the sun. A celestial object that moves in a straight line is most likely a planet. A star moves in a circular planet.
Stars twinkle due to the effect of our atmosphere. When you look overhead, the light from the stars is refracted through the atmosphere. This atmosphere causes it to twinkle, as the density of the atmosphere changes, making the light zigzag even more. You may also see more atmosphere in a different part of the sky.
Stars can appear bright due to the notion of magnitude. The magnitude of a star depends on two factors: the actual location of star * its brightness. Actual magnitude is based solely considers both factors when calculating the magnitude (brightness). Apparent magnitude is based on viewing it from Earth. For example, Polaris' apparent magnitude is high because it is very close to Earth. However, there are still brighter stars which are farther away such as Capella.
The viewing of stars generally depends on your location. Most people use star charts or apps designed as such. Here are, however some tips to get you started:
You can try locating the Little Dipper by looking to the Northern Horizon of the sky.
In an urban environment, viewing for the Moon is ideal in the waxing or waning phase, which reveals the craters cast alight by the shadowed part.
You can use a binocular when starting out, with a red lenses flashlight. You should not buy a telescope if you are an amateur.
To determine the names of the stars in the horizon, you can use either a star chart or one of the many free stargazing apps. A star chart is a chart that determines the location of stars based on your latitude/longitude. I recommend Sky View Lite as a free app.
In the top celestial objects to view, you can start with Polaris. It is easy to locate as it is near the Big Dipper.
In the East, you can locate Vega, which is usually the brightest star in the Eastern horizon.
Other brighter celestial objects may include planets. These planets may include Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, Venus being the evening/morning star.
I have included some resources including:
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