Applegater
Fall 2011 7
THE STARRY SIDE
Winter hexagon
BY GreeLeY weLLs
I hope you’ve enjoyed the summer
triangle and its constellations during this
short summer season, and that you can
keep enjoying it as it overlaps into fall and
eventually sinks in the west during winter.
I’ve talked a lot in past columns about
the summer triangle because it’s the main
asterism (a cluster of stars or constellations
that have a name) of summer. There is an
amazing asterism of winter, too, which I
don’t think I’ve talked about yet: the winter
hexagon. This beautifully “perfect” six-
sided polygon is made up of stars in many
winter constellations that you probably
are beginning to know quite well by now.
The winter hexagon is beginning to rise in
the east; by midwinter it will fill
the southern sky. If you wake up
early in the morning, you’ll find
this hexagon just before dawn in
the SSE—it’s a sight to behold.
But hold that image…
Though the winter hexagon is
my theme this season, I’d be
remiss not to explain first what
happens in early fall. The big
deal now is Pegasus the horse,
the huge “square” that’s on its
corner like a diamond early
on, then straightens out as it
moves overhead, but becomes
a diamond again as it sets. Out
of the right corner is an upwards
sweep of stars that connotes the
horse’s head. The upper corner
has two short rows of stars: legs.
But it’s actually half a horse.
The rest is cut off and, instead,
Andromeda comes sweeping
out of the bottom-left side in
two curved lines widening from
each other as they go first down
then up toward Cassiopeia.
Cassiopeia—the “M” when it’s
above the North Star, although
early in the season it’s shaped more like a
lightning bolt—is Andromeda’s mother.
But we’ve discussed all this before so I
will leave it at this for now: last season’s
constellations are all setting in the west as
these new ones are rising in the east.
Now here we go for winter’s hexagon,
which will be fully up in midwinter.
You’re looking for six stars or points of
the hexagon. Our first star, at the center
and top, is Capella—the brightest star in
Auriga. It’s rising in the northeast under
Perseus, which is under the easy-to-find
Cassiopeia—the “M” way up overhead
if you are facing east. Off to the right is
our second star: the bright Aldebaran.
(Aldebaran is part of Taurus the Bull, a
beautiful and distinctive small triangle.)
Stretch your arm out fully in front of you.
With your hand wide open as a measuring
device, the distance between Capella
and Aldebaran is the distance between
the end of your thumb and pinky finger
(approximately 10º). These two make the
top and right side stars of the hexagon.
Keep using your hand as a measuring
device—all five points of the hexagon are
about 10º apart. Next are the Gemini
Twins, Caster and Pollux. Pollux, our
third star, is the slightly brighter of the
two, and the next bright star to the lower
left of Capella. This completes the top
triangle of the hexagon. (Just to confuse
things, Mars is floating below and to the
left of Castor and Pollux.
Below Pollux (about where you’d expect
it) is our fourth star, Procyon—the bright
star of tiny Canus Minor. Across from
him to the right is our fifth star, Rigel, the
foot or knee of the hunter Orion, and also
Orion’s brightest, right-most star. All that’s
left is Serious—ooops, just kidding—
Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, and
the sixth star of the winter hexagon. (Of
course, some planets are brighter, as are the
moon and sun and a few other occasional
spectacles.) Sirius in Canus Major (Orion’s
faithful dog) holds up the bottom of the
winter hexagon and may not rise for you
till late December/early January, but as
the season moves on all will be revealed,
I promise! Here’s an easy trick: the later
you look the farther up they will be. So
if you’re caught out extra late some night,
that’s an excellent time to see it all. Hope
for clear skies.
When they’ve all risen and you’ve
figured all this out, step back and look at
this amazing, very nearly perfect hexagon
of bright stars that shows you the main
constellations of winter. Are you amazed?
THE PLANETS
JUPITER in November gets up earlier
and earlier in the eastern evening and is
that bright planet shining all night long.
December also finds it the dominating
planet—very beautiful.
SATURN is in the dawn with
the slightly dimmer Spica in
Virgo. By the end of November
the rings have opened to 14º and
are worth a telescope look. By
December and January, Saturn
is high in the sky at dawn,
having risen about midnight
with Spica. That also puts it
in a perfect position to observe
with a telescope as the rings have
opened to 15º.
VENUS gets higher in the
dusk as the evening star in
the southwest sunset twilight.
It continues to get higher in
December.
MARS is rising in the east
around midnight, and high
and mighty by dawn to the left
and below the winter hexagon,
which is completely visible by
then. Mars is heading north in
the sky towards Regulus in Leo
the Lion, off to its left.
MERCURY hides in near
the sun at dusk in November.
Mercury is worth a look at
dawn in December because it’s now rising
an hour and a half before the sun in the
southeast.
OF SPECIAL NOTE
There’s a total eclipse of the moon
starting at 4:46 am in the Pacific Northwest
on December 10 for you early risers. This
is when the sun, earth and moon are in
a perfect line together. The earth moves
exactly between the sun and the moon so
the earth’s shadow falls across the moon.
We’ll get almost the full treatment this
time as it’s best seen from the Pacific side of
our continent (perfectly out in the Pacific
WCWC
be watching this closely.
WILLIAMS CREEk RESTORATION PLAN
WCWC also completed another large
project that was part of its West Fork of
Williams Creek Restoration Plan. This
project was funded entirely by our partners
of the Portland-based conservation group,
Ecotrust. WCWC has previously restored
many reaches along the West Fork.
WCWC contacted the landowners about
enhancing the creek on their land for fish
habitat. We were given permission to
restore almost a half mile of stream channel
within a previously cutover logging site.
We started by cutting and transporting
logs donated from another landowner who
wanted them removed from his land. This
Ocean). The
moon enters
the umbra
(shadow)
with
a
subtle, dim
warmth
that slowly
envelops
Greeley Wells
the whole
moon. The
total eclipse is from 6:06 to 6:57 am. As
we head toward dawn, this umbra begins
to slide off the moon and slowly lightens
as day arrives and the moon sets. This is
a sight to see and we’re in a rare position
to see it. But it requires clear weather and
a good visible western horizon…and you
have to get up!
And what is that color on the moon?
Imagine this: you’re the sun, looking out
at earth. Your whole side of earth is in light
(remember, you’re the sun!), and behind
the earth is the moon. Now be the moon
looking back at earth with the sun behind
it. The whole earth is dark (nighttime),
and around the earth from both views is a
continuous sunset and sunrise, all the way
around! That’s what makes the color. It’s
always different and always unpredictable
because of smog or “vog” (volcanic smog),
pollution, clouds, weather, etc., all of
which affect the color.
Don’t forget to change your clocks back
at midnight on Sunday, November 6. “Fall
back” means we gain an hour at 2:00 am
to get back to Standard Time. What was
2:00 am will be 1:00 am. You just added
an hour to your life! But not to worry—
you’ll lose it later.
This season the Milky Way, which was
north/south in summer, swings around to
east/west during our winter.
The winter solstice is December 22.
Since 1702, it has been either the 21st or
22nd and so it will continue to be till 2080
when it will slip to the 20th. Just thought
you’d like to know—celestial mechanics…
go figure.
The first full moons of winter occur on
November 10, December 10 and January
9. November’s moon names are Hunter’s
Moon (English), Frost Moon and Beaver
Moon (Algonquian Indian name from the
time beaver pelts were used for clothing
to get through the long, cold winter).
December’s moons are called the Moon
Before Yule, Cold Moon (Algonquian)
and the Long Night Moon. January’s full
moons are called the Old Moon (English),
Wolf Moon (Algonquian), and Moon After
Yule or the Ice Moon.
Greeley Wells
541-840 -5700
greeley@greeley.me
Continued from page 6
was a big job in itself, but we ended up
with over 50 large key logs and 42 smaller
log sections, which were carefully placed
into the stream system to develop complex
habitat reaches.
The goals of this work were similar to
those at the push-up dam, but on a larger
scale. The concept is that as water rises in
winter it will pour over the logs to scour
deep holes for summer refugia (an area
in which organisms can survive through
a period of unfavorable conditions) and
deposit gravel bars in other areas where
spawning can occur. Log structures
provide shelter for juvenile salmon as well
as depositional areas for gravel.
WCWC is pleased with the work
accomplished this
year. Each year for
the past 14 years, it
has worked to better
wildlife habitat
along the Williams
Creek stream system.
WCWC looks forward
to five significant
stream restoration
projects next year.
Chas E. Rogers
Williams Creek
Watershed Council
541-846-9175
CRogers@
roguecc.edu
Over 90 logs were placed into the West Fork of Williams Creek
to develop complex habitat reaches.
