Alphard's in the constellation of Hydra, the water snake. When I was on an astronomy kick as a teen my cousin and I used to make fun of it, like "Ha, ha, Al f*arted!" That is the mnemonic trick by which I remember it. 

This is a very interesting video from the 1970’s (I think that was the time it was made) featuring Carl Sagan:

https://youtu.be/yhv5V_8RPiI?si=EvLHwZkA7UU_cPFB

It is about the exploration of Mars. I think it was made not long after the landing of the Viking spacecrafts. I always loved old movies about the space program. They are the records that we have of the space pioneers.

Last night's spectacular display of Northern Lights is likely the best I've seen from the Twin Cities in the 49 years I have lived here (I've seen more glorious displays from dark sky locations like Northern Minnesota).

I first went out around 8pm; my first view was to the Summer Triangle in the west. For an instant I thought it was hazy around Vega as the whole north end of the Triangle was covered in white, but I quickly realized I was seeing the aurora. 

Even through the light pollution from 3.5 million of my closest friends ( 😉 ) the view soon proved spectacular. The brightest region was in the west-northwest, below the Triangle, which soon blazed in a deep but vibrant red color. There was another bright column in the east that was usually green. There were pillars in the north that often reached the zenith with their pulsing green and white.

Activity and intensity were constantly changing; at one point there was a beautiful red corona formation at the zenith; it connected with the red in the northwest and extended into the southeast - nearly horizon to horizon. Even when the activity was slow, nearly the entire sky was filled (the lowest 30 degrees or so to the south was least impressive, since that is the direction of the Minneapolis light dome).  

The activity subsided slightly by 9pm. Back inside I saw how Facebook and the internet were bursting with pictures people had taken, even from the heart of the Twin Cities (Bortle class 8 or 9, the most severe light pollution).

I checked again around 11pm and 1am Wednesday morning (general sky glow with green dominant), but when I went out around 4.30 am today, the reddish area in the northwest was back and there were shimmering, moving pillars in the north that again approached the zenith. This was despite the half-moon shining high in the east-southeast.

Spaceweather.com reports that auroras were seen as far south as latitude 13N. That is astounding. The photo gallery on that site is full of aurora pictures from Minnesota.

Be sure to watch the skies tonight for a possible encore performance!

Was anyone here introduced to astronomy by this book? 

https://www.amazon.com/Stars-New-Way-See-Them/dp/0544763440/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TYGHU0EIQCN6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5pQvC8xcmznlqde_tqG0Vp9o6O1D9J-L_5sxgi0i9XE84GjQTHE2VpIEvC5cc5n8mM7C6hjTS4CQbN7z0N6gDFSG5bLMxh4R--Rcyzw1aQ2EIIH1-wXZ45HAC_4aN6a6VXlDGhWwc_jK3W5BrUZxFhkmAb6xvuh881zc7OqTHyNoJ_XMSew5snnXysQEIZe9zWkvnVYUqVE_B2WO0E9g4odPJTWeiGtTzRyjjMKE9uY.CjhvlNbdF60tIi3hM78rIYbyi7FQBkLDBSa8TMKYK5s&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+stars+ha+rey&qid=1763135270&sprefix=The+stars+ha%2Caps%2C503&sr=8-1

H. A. Rey’s simplified drawings of the constellations have made the stars very accessible to many people. His informal writing style is very appealing especially to children. This book, first published in 1952, has been reprinted in many editions.  I just bought a new copy of it recently.  I would recommend it very highly to both adults and children. 🙂

Posted by: @narnian78

H. A. Rey’s simplified drawings of the constellations have made the stars very accessible to many people. His informal writing style is very appealing especially to children. This book, first published in 1952, has been reprinted in many editions.

Well, now, that's interesting. I think I have this same book, only it's called Find the Constellations (1966), but is otherwise as you've described. I happen to have it at the house right now, as I'm in the process of boxing up my library, bringing a section at a time to sort and pack.  There's also one by Fred Hoyle, Astronomy, which looks more in-depth and weighty, as well as a few others on the subject.

@aileth 

I also have Find the Constellations, which I think is a simpler version of The Stars since it has fewer pages. It may have been intended for a younger audience. Both books have excellent artwork, and I would recommend them to both adults and children. They make astronomy appealing and easy to understand. The book by Fred Hoyle I am not familiar with, although I have heard of the author.

I've looked at Rey's book (a friend has it), but I learned the constellations from the old Stars Golden Guide and an old-fashioned planisphere (before I'd heard of this book).

Uranus is particularly well-placed for viewing now, so here is a good chance to see the elusive seventh planet. With dark skies and good vision, you may catch it without optical aid, but you'll need a finder chart to be sure which of those little dots is the right one. For the rest of us, binoculars should suffice.

It is opposite the sun November 21 and thus in the sky all night and at its best for the year. It's still faint, nothing like Jupiter blazing in nearby Gemini.

It's in the same binocular field as the easy-to-find Pleiades (aka M45). I haven't spotted it yet this year but hope to look for it soon. 

More details and a finder chart here: Spot Uranus at Opposition - Sky & Telescope

Do any of you have astronomy ornaments on your Christmas tree? I have ornaments of Jupiter and Saturn, one showing the constellations, an ornament of MacDonald Observatory, one of the Solar System, a small pewter ornament showing the Magi,  and a lighted star on the tree top. Hopefully someone else here also has interesting ornaments.  🙂