We’ll get back to the Cosmic Clock shortly. With the position of the Little Dipper firmly in mind-perhaps after making a simple sketch-spend the next hour or so enjoying the other celestial sights. If you think of Polaris as the center of a clock face, then the bowl is pointing straight up, like the hour hand of a clock set to 12:00. Note how the bowl is located directly above Polaris. You’ve just traced the handle and bowl of the Little Dipper, which appears to be standing on end. Look above Polaris to follow a curving line of three dim stars until you reach a small starry rectangle. Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to become adapted to the dark and then look due north to find Polaris, the North Star, less than halfway up the sky.
FREE STAR CHART FULL
Be prepared to stay up late and to devote at least 2 full hours to stargazing. the June sky isn’t fully dark until then. You’ll need a nice, dark location away from bright city lights. June is a lovely month, weatherwise, to watch the Cosmic Clock in the night sky. Nowhere is this clocklike behavior more evident than in the northern sky. The discovery that nearly all of this apparent motion is caused by Earth rotating on its axis is one of humankind’s greatest scientific achievements. Like clockwork, every celestial object marches across the sky from east to west and in 24 hours returns to its starting point.
Less obviously, the stars and constellations also rise and set each day. The Sun and Moon rise in the east and set in the west. Objects in the sky always appear to be moving. Advertisement Just click here or on the image below to open the printable map-then bring outside!
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