Help me choose a constellation

[Jo]

My partner is a keen astronomer and I want to name a star after him for a present. On the application form I need to nominate the constellation I want the star in. I'm not an astronomer so I would be grateful if forum members could let me know which constellation they would choose. We live in Sydney and ideally I'd like a constellation that can easily be viewed by a telescope. The choices are:

Ara (Altar), Canis Major (Big Dog), Carina (Keel), Centaurus (Centaur), Columba (Dove), Corona Australis (Southern Crown), Crux (Southern Cross), Dorado (Goldfish), Norma (Carpenter's Square), Orion (Hunter), Phoenix (Firebird), Piscis Austrinus (Southern Fish), Puppis (Ship's Stern), Pyxis (Ship’s Compass), Vela (Sail).

[gary]

Hi Jo,

Before spending any money, you might want to read this link first -
http://www.iau.org/public/buying_star_names/

Though it is nice to be able to give a gift to someone you care for,
the reality is that the star naming registries are simply scams.

May I suggest some other gift, such as some warm outdoor clothing?
Others on the forum may also have some suggestions for a thoughtful gift.

[ngcles]

Hi Jo,

First up, I wonder if you could tell us when his birthday is (assuming it is a birthday star)? You can then look at which of these constellations is high and easy to see in the early evening on his birthday.

Perhaps also suggest that you research the list of constellations (Wiki will do) to see if there is something there in the nature of the person/animal/object represented by the constellation(s) that reflects something of him. Bear in mind that Carina, Vela and Puppis are all dismembered parts of the old "super-constellation" of Argo Navis -- Jason's ship that is perhaps the richest in mythology.

I assume you are doing this via the Sydney Observatory "Adopt-a-star" programme. I'd also ask for a star that is as close as possible to a reasonably prominent naked eye star (if possible) that will make it easier (though not necessarily easy -- reading star maps is a skill that takes a while to learn well) for you and him to at least find the approximate spot where your star resides naked-eye.

The following are all "Milky Way" constellations (ie the background-glow of out home galaxy crosses them) where there are generally a larger number of both brighter and faint stars to navigate by: Ara (Altar), Carina (Keel), Crux (Southern Cross), Norma (Carpenter's Square), Orion (Hunter), Puppis (Ship's Stern), Vela (Sail).

The others: Columba (Dove), Corona Australis (Southern Crown),Dorado (Goldfish), Phoenix (Firebird), Piscis Austrinus (Southern Fish), Pyxis (Ship’s Compass) are off the Milky Way and correspondingly have a fewer number of bright and faint stars to navigate by.

Centaurus (Centaur), and Canis Major (Big Dog) are half/half cases.

Hope this helps a bit.


Best,

Les D
P.S I work at Sydney Observatory as a guide