h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why did you select those stars for your title?

Wonders if this will be the time that curiosity finally kills *this* ...

Largely because I like their names... The words please me.

I saw Capella for the first time on Tuesday evening, ZZ Aur is the one I get to study this term... I saw Betelgeuse, too, it looks cool but that doesn't have as nice a name. Saturn and Jupiter were good, but not as good as they will be when its darker... I was amazed by how much you can see in a bright sky!

Altair is a good word too, and its just made it into my essay for being an arabic word: al-tair - 'the flyer'. I'd have more stars in the title but I don't want it to spread onto two lines... I'd add Altair and Antares, I think.
I guess at some point this term I should get a look at all the stars in my page title, if I can...

Antares is cool because it's easy for my daughter to spot in the summer.

But you *must* check out Alberio in Cygnus if you get the chance - it's one of the nicest doubles in the sky.

I'm a big fan of that whole constellation. Have you ever heard the Rush song 'Cygnus X-1' about the black hole there? It's the last track on their 'Farewell to Kings' album.

I've not heard that song...

I shall be checking with Earth Centred Universe and Cybersky to see if I can get a look at Alberio this term... This whole, Right Asenction, Declination, and "what sidereal time would it be here at midnight on the 21st of June" thing is confusing the hell out of me...

I'm hoping its going to be clear later this week. I'm starting to pay an unhealthy amount of attention to the weather forecast...

One thing that's guaranteed, every night there is a meteor shower, it'll be good and cloudy.

If you list Deneb up there, you'll have the whole summer triangle.

Dr Lucey pointed in a vague direction and claimed that Deneb was there, the other day. I couldn't work out which star he was referring to, and I may be mistaken anyways cuz its definitely not summer! I'd go and check but I've not been able to do any observing for a week, cuz its literally blowing a gale!
The problem with Deneb is I don't like the word...

Are you getting out a lot then?

Winter skies are nice and crisp, but I like the summer constellations better.

Not a vast amount... the weather here is generally really, really bad.

I want my own telescope! And dome, and CCD, and dark place to put it...
Mind you, Didsbury, where I live, has an astronomical society; I might join...