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Heavens above: Exploring the wintertime night sky
open to the public. Bechtel hap-
pens to be the largest planetarium
in the state of Washington, and is
open both for fi eld trips and
to the general public.
Reasonably priced
shows are off ered
at diff erent
mes; check
the website
By SUZANNE KENNEDY
In spite of the cold, winter is a
great me to get outside on a clear
night and do some stargazing.
Hint: It helps to pick a
night with li le or no
moonlight.
Of all the
constel-
la ons
visible to us this month, Orion the
Hunter is the easiest one for me
to fi nd. I look for the three stars in
a row that form his belt. He’s got
two feet, one arm holding a club
and the other holding a shield so
you see the side view of it. Harry
Po er fans might be interested
to know that one of his shoulder
stars is named Bellatrix, and one
of the stars in Orion’s dog, Canis
Major, is called Sirius, the dog star.
That’s just below and to the west
of Orion. You might also be able to
fi nd the twins known as Gemini.
Look for their heads fi rst, and then
the s ck fi gure bodies coming out
sideways. Orion and Gemini are
among the few constella ons that
look pre y close to what they are
supposed to represent.
February is also a great month to
view planets in the night sky. Venus
will be at its absolute brightest the
night of Feb. 16. The planet en-
tered our night sky in last June and
will leave it at the end of March
this year. Of course, we can only
see Venus when it is to the side of
the sun, not in front of or behind
it. At most, we can see it about a
quarter illuminated. If you look
carefully, you will also be able to
see Mars at the same me. Follow
the line of stars up Orion’s belt and
to the far right. Mars will be on the
le and Venus on the right. Venus
is bigger and brighter.
Let’s be honest, for the average
person, fi nding specifi c constella-
ons and planets can be diffi cult
and frustra ng. I recommend using
a map that you print off and can
literally hold above your head to
orient yourself. I also did a quick
download of a free app onto my
computer called AstroViewer. You
can input a date and me, or just
click on the ‘now’ bu on to see
what the sky should look like. You
can explore the night sky from the
comfort of your couch! Window-
s2universe.org gives a great expla-
na on of the constella ons and the
stories behind them, and off ers free
printable maps. Don’t forget, Pend-
leton and other Uma lla County
libraries have Astroscan Telescope
kits available for check out, com-
plete with a star and planet locator
instruc on manual.
For more fun, try downloading
one of the Interna onal Space Sta-
on apps. These apps can alert you
when the Space Sta on is directly
overhead, a couple of mes a day,
and when it’s visible tracking across
the sky at night. About 250 miles
above the earth and the size of a
football fi eld, the Space Sta on is
some mes the third brightest ob-
ject in the sky, so not too tough to
spot. Some of the apps even show
you what the Space Sta on is see-
ing on the earth.
Now that the en re family is
jazzed about space, take the next
step. There are two planetariums
near Eastern Oregon: The Clise
Planetarium at Whitman College in
Walla Walla and Bechtel Na onal
Planetarium in Tri-Ci es at Colum-
bia Community College. Clise is
available for fi eld trips, but is not
for show mes and age sugges-
ons. For $10 or less, you can enjoy
shows about astronomy, cells,
climate, the solar system, a reef,
trees, stars, the search for water,
Pluto, the sun, volcanoes, and the
telescope. One p: Sit as far up as
you can, as the seats don’t recline.
And a note to planetarium design-
ers: Who builds these with seats
that don’t recline?
All this astronomy promo on is
to get you prepared for a once in
a century event that’s coming this
summer! Look for more on that
later this spring.
Let’s make 2017 the year we
spend me with our families do-
ing super cool science stuff . It’s
inexpensive, easy, fun, and a really
special opportunity that your kids
will remember forever.
________
Suzanne Kennedy is a former
middle school teacher who lives in
Pendleton with her husband and
three children.