How often do you take the time to look up at the sky at night? Most of us would say rarely.
But did you know that stargazing has fabulous health benefits such as inspiring your
imagination, calming the mind, combating stress and increasing happiness?
City light and clouds make it hard to spot stars for many people. Luckily, Bawah has little of
either. Whilst we do have a telescope, which is great for moon gazing, we actually prefer to
view the stars with the naked eye and the help of a great app called SkyView Free, available
in most app stores.
Simply grab your phone, point it at the stars and look for constellations. Here are five of our
favourites:
Identified by three bright stars in a row, the most obvious part of the
Orion constellation.
Part of the Taurus constellation that is nearest to planet Earth therefore brighter and easier to see with the naked eye. To find it, locate Orion’s Belt and draw a line upward past his bow. The first bright star is Aldebaran, the eye of the bull Taurus (in Arabic, Aldebaran means "follower" since it follows Pleiades across the sky). The cluster itself is located just past Aldebaran and resembles a small dipper of stars.
Often the brightest star in the sky! Also known as the Dog Star, Sirius comes
from the Greek word that means “glowing” and is said to be over 25 times more
luminous than the sun. Look below Orion’s Belt to spot this one.
The next two brightest stars after Sirius, Canopus is part of
the Carina constellation and is the second-brightest star in the night sky despite its
distance from Earth. Wezen is the third brightest star and is 15 times bigger than the
sun. Both are located just below Sirius.
Look out for Aquarius, Pisces, Leo and Gemini which can be
seen from Bawah at various times of the year. Check out this guide for a better
understanding of these constellations.
The activities team at Bawah Reserve hold nightly stargazing sessions on the beach and the
jetty. It’s a great way to end the day. But if you can’t get to Bawah you may be able to spot
these constellations and stars at home too. Have fun!