Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Wait for a dark night sky. The Andromeda Galaxy is farther away than typical stars and constellations. Moonless nights are the best for viewing distant objects.
Locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky. The Big Dipper is an asterism, or group of stars, located just north of the celestial pole. It is part of the Ursa Major constellation, consisting of its seven brightest stars. The last two stars of the Dipper are called "pointers" and they lead you to the North Star. These stars are the brightest in the Big Dipper, and they are usually visible even when the other five stars are not.
Find the North Star. The North Star, or Polaris, is a central point in the sky that helps astronomers locate constellations. It is the brightest star on the Little Dipper, which is straight across from the Big Dipper. To find it, just imagine a line going from the pointers in the Big Dipper to the brightest star in the Little Dipper.
Locate the Cassiopeia constellation. Cassiopeia is a circumpolar constellation located opposite the Big Dipper and across from the North Star. Circumpolar constellations are great for navigating the night sky because they revolve around the North Pole, so you can see them any time of the night all year long. Cassiopeia is shaped like the letter "W," making it easy to find. The Andromeda Galaxy is located just below the right side of the "W" of Cassiopeia.
Alternatively, locate the star Alpheratz. This star is shared between Andromeda and the Pegasus constellation, which is located just outside the "v" shape of the constellation Piscies. It is also at the head of the Andromeda Galaxy. You can find the galaxy by following the curved line of stars going outside the Pegasus Square. The galaxy is located at approximately the third star outside, counting Apheratz as the first.