A child counts the stars…

Villa Agnanti is the ideal place to discover the celestial dome and the constellations as it is far from the city and the brightness of its lights. Many constellations are easily visible to the naked eye, but in the villa, you will find a telescope in case you want a special experience.

Constellations have taken their names from Ancient Greek Mythology. One of the most famous constellations that exists at any time of the year and can be very easily spotted looking north is the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper consists of 128 stars. The four of the seven brightest stars form a square, the body of the Dipper, and the other three, in a zigzag line, its tail.

After the discovery of the Big Dipper, if you continue your journey starting from its α and β stars in a straight line to the right and five times the distance from those of α and β on the map of the sky, you will meet a bright star, the Polar Star. The Polar Star is the last star in the queue of the Little Dipper, which has a shape inverted in relation to the Big Dipper.

The Little Dipper constellation is a fundamental constellation in the northern hemisphere because it serves to identify everyone else. The pole star is closest to the north pole of the sky. If you continue the journey to the celestial dome and focus on the last star in the Big Dipper’s tail to the Polar Star and continue for another long distance you will meet five stars forming a Σ or W or 3, this is the constellation of Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is almost always visible and that is why it helps to locate the Little Dipper.

You can find more information very easily on the internet and continue your journey in the sky, depending of course always on the month you will visit us.