"""Constellation catalog for Nova Scotia / eastern Canada skies. Phase 5 — Targets tab data source. Keyed as a list so order is preserved; use CONSTELLATIONS_BY_NAME for lookups. """ CONSTELLATIONS = [ { "name": "Orion", "season": "Winter", "best_months": [11, 12, 1, 2, 3], "description": "The Hunter, one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Visible from every inhabited continent.", "mythology": "In Greek myth, Orion was a giant hunter placed among the stars by Zeus. Hera sent a scorpion to kill him — which is why Orion and Scorpius are never in the sky at the same time.", "how_to_find": [ "Face south around 9–11 pm in winter.", "Find three diagonal stars in a row — that's Orion's Belt (Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka).", "Above the Belt is reddish Betelgeuse (shoulder); below is blue-white Rigel (foot).", "Look below the Belt for a faint fuzzy 'star' — that's the Orion Nebula (M42).", ], "deep_sky": ["Orion Nebula (M42)", "Horsehead Nebula", "Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)", "Running Man Nebula"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, { "name": "Ursa Major", "season": "Year-round", "best_months": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12], "description": "The Great Bear, home to the famous Big Dipper asterism. Circumpolar from Nova Scotia — never sets below the horizon.", "mythology": "Zeus transformed Callisto into a bear to protect her from Hera's jealousy, then placed her in the sky. Her son Arcas became Ursa Minor nearby.", "how_to_find": [ "Locate the Big Dipper — a ladle shape of seven bright stars high in the northern sky.", "The two outer stars of the bowl (Dubhe & Merak) are the 'pointer stars' — they point directly to Polaris.", "Follow the arc of the handle to 'Arc to Arcturus' in spring and summer.", ], "deep_sky": ["Bode's Galaxy (M81)", "Cigar Galaxy (M82)", "Owl Nebula (M97)", "Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, { "name": "Cassiopeia", "season": "Year-round", "best_months": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12], "description": "The Queen — a distinctive W or M shape of five bright stars circumpolar from Nova Scotia. Sits opposite the Big Dipper across Polaris.", "mythology": "Cassiopeia was the vain queen of Ethiopia who boasted she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs (Nereids), angering Poseidon.", "how_to_find": [ "Look north for a bright W (or M, depending on time of year) shape.", "It lies directly across Polaris from the Big Dipper.", "The middle star of the W points roughly toward the Andromeda Galaxy.", ], "deep_sky": ["Pacman Nebula (NGC 281)", "Owl Cluster (NGC 457)", "Heart Nebula (IC 1805)", "Soul Nebula (IC 1848)"], "bortle_needed": 3, }, { "name": "Andromeda", "season": "Fall", "best_months": [8, 9, 10, 11, 12], "description": "The Chained Maiden, famous for hosting M31 — the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest large galactic neighbor at 2.5 million light-years.", "mythology": "Princess Andromeda was chained to a rock as sacrifice to Cetus the sea monster. Perseus slew the monster and rescued her.", "how_to_find": [ "Find the Great Square of Pegasus high in the southern sky in autumn.", "From the top-left star of the Square (Alpheratz), hop two stars northeast.", "Look for a faint elongated smudge — binoculars reveal M31's oval glow.", "Averted vision (looking slightly to the side) shows the galaxy's full extent.", ], "deep_sky": ["Andromeda Galaxy (M31)", "M32 (satellite galaxy)", "M110 (satellite galaxy)", "Blue Snowball Nebula (NGC 7662)"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, { "name": "Cygnus", "season": "Summer", "best_months": [6, 7, 8, 9, 10], "description": "The Swan, featuring the Northern Cross asterism. Deneb marks its tail and anchors the Summer Triangle. The Milky Way runs right through it.", "mythology": "Often identified as Zeus disguised as a swan to court Leda; also the transformed Orpheus placed in the sky after his death.", "how_to_find": [ "In summer, look nearly overhead for the bright bluish-white star Deneb.", "Trace a large cross shape — the Northern Cross — with Deneb at the top.", "The Milky Way flows through Cygnus; scan slowly with binoculars for star clouds.", ], "deep_sky": ["North America Nebula (NGC 7000)", "Veil Nebula (NGC 6992)", "Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)", "Blinking Planetary (NGC 6826)"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, { "name": "Lyra", "season": "Summer", "best_months": [6, 7, 8, 9], "description": "The Lyre, a small but brilliant constellation anchored by Vega — the 5th-brightest star in the night sky and part of the Summer Triangle.", "mythology": "Represents the lyre of Orpheus, the legendary musician whose music could charm gods, beasts, and rivers.", "how_to_find": [ "Find the brilliant bluish-white star Vega — it's nearly overhead in summer.", "Just east of Vega is a small parallelogram of four fainter stars — the body of the lyre.", "Between two of those stars sits the Ring Nebula — visible in a 4-inch scope.", ], "deep_sky": ["Ring Nebula (M57)", "Globular Cluster M56", "Double-double star Epsilon Lyrae"], "bortle_needed": 5, }, { "name": "Sagittarius", "season": "Summer", "best_months": [6, 7, 8, 9], "description": "The Archer, pointing toward the densest part of the Milky Way and the galactic center. Rich in nebulae and star clusters.", "mythology": "Often identified as the centaur Chiron or the satyr Crotus, a skilled hunter who invented archery.", "how_to_find": [ "Look low in the south-southwest in summer after dark — it never gets very high from Nova Scotia.", "Find the 'Teapot' asterism: a kettle-shaped group of eight stars.", "The steam rising from the Teapot's spout is the Milky Way itself — aim binoculars there.", ], "deep_sky": ["Lagoon Nebula (M8)", "Trifid Nebula (M20)", "Omega Nebula (M17)", "Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24)"], "bortle_needed": 5, }, { "name": "Scorpius", "season": "Summer", "best_months": [6, 7, 8], "description": "The Scorpion — a long, curving constellation with the bright red star Antares at its heart. Skims low on the southern horizon from Nova Scotia.", "mythology": "The scorpion sent by Gaia to slay Orion the Hunter. Zeus placed both in the sky on opposite sides so they never meet.", "how_to_find": [ "Look very low in the south in July–August, just after dusk.", "Antares — a distinctly reddish-orange supergiant — marks the heart.", "The tail curves to the left ending in two stars (Shaula & Lesath) forming the stinger.", ], "deep_sky": ["Butterfly Cluster (M6)", "Ptolemy Cluster (M7)", "Cat's Paw Nebula (NGC 6334)"], "bortle_needed": 5, }, { "name": "Pegasus", "season": "Fall", "best_months": [8, 9, 10, 11], "description": "The Winged Horse, dominating the autumn sky. Its most famous feature is the Great Square, a large nearly empty box of four stars.", "mythology": "Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus beheaded her. The winged horse was later tamed by the hero Bellerophon.", "how_to_find": [ "In autumn, look high in the south for four medium-bright stars forming a large square.", "The Great Square of Pegasus is surprisingly empty inside — count the stars within it to gauge sky darkness.", "One corner star (Alpheratz) is actually shared with Andromeda.", ], "deep_sky": ["Great Pegasus Cluster (M15)", "Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317 group)"], "bortle_needed": 5, }, { "name": "Gemini", "season": "Winter", "best_months": [12, 1, 2, 3, 4], "description": "The Twins, marked by the two bright stars Castor and Pollux — easy to spot as a pair high above Orion in winter.", "mythology": "Castor and Pollux were twin half-brothers: Pollux was immortal (son of Zeus) and Castor mortal. When Castor died, Pollux shared his immortality.", "how_to_find": [ "Look above and to the left of Orion for two bright stars side by side.", "The slightly brighter, yellower star (Pollux) is on the right; whiter Castor is to the left.", "Trace two lines of stars extending south from each twin toward Orion.", ], "deep_sky": ["Shoe-Buckle Cluster (M35)", "Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)", "Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, { "name": "Taurus", "season": "Winter", "best_months": [11, 12, 1, 2, 3], "description": "The Bull, containing two of the sky's finest naked-eye clusters: the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) and the Hyades.", "mythology": "Zeus transformed himself into a magnificent white bull to abduct Europa, princess of Phoenicia, and carry her to Crete.", "how_to_find": [ "Follow Orion's Belt stars to the upper-right — they point straight to reddish Aldebaran, the Bull's eye.", "The V-shaped Hyades cluster forms the Bull's face around Aldebaran.", "Continue further upper-right for the compact blue Pleiades cluster.", ], "deep_sky": ["Pleiades (M45)", "Crab Nebula (M1)", "Hyades Cluster"], "bortle_needed": 3, }, { "name": "Leo", "season": "Spring", "best_months": [2, 3, 4, 5, 6], "description": "The Lion, a prominent spring constellation with the bright star Regulus at its heart. Easy to find thanks to its distinctive sickle shape.", "mythology": "The Nemean Lion, killed by Heracles (Hercules) as the first of his Twelve Labors. Its hide was impervious to weapons.", "how_to_find": [ "In spring, face south around 10 pm and look for a backward question-mark shape (the Sickle) — this is Leo's head and mane.", "Regulus, a blue-white star, sits at the bottom of the Sickle.", "A right-angled triangle of stars to the left marks the Lion's hindquarters.", ], "deep_sky": ["Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC 3628)", "M95", "M96"], "bortle_needed": 5, }, { "name": "Boötes", "season": "Spring", "best_months": [3, 4, 5, 6, 7], "description": "The Herdsman, containing Arcturus — the 4th-brightest star in the entire night sky and the brightest in the northern hemisphere.", "mythology": "Boötes is often identified as Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto, who almost hunted his own mother (transformed into Ursa Major) before Zeus intervened.", "how_to_find": [ "Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle outward — 'Arc to Arcturus'.", "Arcturus is an unmistakable golden-orange star, the first very bright star you reach.", "Boötes forms a kite or ice-cream-cone shape of stars north of Arcturus.", ], "deep_sky": ["Arcturus (closest giant star to Earth)", "NGC 5466 globular cluster"], "bortle_needed": 4, }, ] # Fast lookup by name CONSTELLATIONS_BY_NAME = {c["name"]: c for c in CONSTELLATIONS}