Astronomy Without a Telescope
- Three Fingers (summitpost.org)
Three Fingers/Goat Flats/Saddle Lake Trail No. 641 Round Trip Distance: 16 miles Trailhead elevation: 3020 feet Summit elevation: 6,870 feet Cumulative Vertical Gain: 4,000+ feet […] The trail climbs gradually for 2.5 miles to Saddle Lake. There are plenty of mud and roots on this rut of a trail. There is evidence that earlier in the season, this part of the trail may actually be a small stream. Rumor has it that if you plan an earlier season trip, you should expect to get a little wet and mud-covered. There are quite a few minor ups and downs along the way. If the skies are clear, after a mile or so, you will catch the first really good view of Three Fingers off to your left. If your eyes are good (better than mine), you will be able to make out the white lookout house on the summit of the South finger.
- Alioth (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
ALIOTH (Epsilon Ursae Majoris). The graceful curve of handle of the Big Dipper (the Plough in Great Britain), among the most famed of celestial sights, represents the tail of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. Third star in from the end, “Alioth” relates not to a bear, but to a “black horse,” the name corrupted from the original and misassigned to the naked-eye companion of Mizar, which took on the vaguely similar name “Alcor.”
- Alioth (Wikipedia)
Alioth /ˈæliɒθ/, also called Epsilon Ursae Majoris, is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. The designation is Latinised from ε Ursae Majoris and abbreviated Epsilon UMa or ε UMa. Despite being designated “ε” (epsilon), it is the brightest star in the constellation and at magnitude 1.77 is the thirty-third brightest star in the sky.
