my Indian close friends , Chandrashekar form Pune
    and Sanjay from Madhya Pradesh

    Sharma Hostel , where local interns stay.

    Hajarmachi , Karad






    780 meters elevation
    about 40 minutes hike from the base

    Mahadev Temple at the summit





    Ursa Major ( The Bear ) and Ursa Minor.
    the Big Dipper is a component of Ursa Major

    this is my first time seeing the Polaris & The Big Dipper.
    it's quite difficult to see Polaris back in Malaysia because
    this star is located in the northern hemisphere.
    it's an important star for navigation , because Polaris / Pole Star
    will never change its position at night , and is located
    directly on top of the North Pole of the earth.


    the Jupiter in between the twins / Gemini

    clear cloudless sky we can see most of the major constellations easily

    usually my guide to the night sky is the Orion the Mighty Hunter ,
    easy to find thanks to the prominent row of three stars
    ( the Orion's Belt )and the red Betelgeuse Star at Orion's shoulder.
    upon seeing Orion i can trace other surrounding constellations.
 
    i remember the constellations and their
    relationships with each other with this Greek mythology :

    " Orion the Hunter fell in love with The Seven Sisters ( Pleiades ).
      to protect their daughters from Orion , Atlas & Pleione
      placed Taurus the Bull in between Pleiades & Orion "

    the direction of the shield of Orion is towards west , while Betelgeuse
    points approximately to the north of the earth.
    The Orion will appear at the eastern side of earth early in the night ,
    and will move towards the west from time to time
    ( Orion arises from the east , and sets in the west )
 
    the Pleiades is located towards the right of Orion's shield ,
    thus in the night , Pleiades will set and disappear first ,
    followed by Taurus , then Orion.

   Hence the continuation of the mythology :

   "  Orion and Taurus are eternally fighting up in the night sky ,
      while the Pleiades are hiding behind the Taurus.
      Orion can chase the Pleiades forever,
      but he can’t ever catch them. "

   

    to located The Big Dipper i trace upwards ( towards north )
    along the Betelgeuse star of Orion's right shoulder .
    ( if i see the Orion in front of me , then i'll just turn around
      and see the Big Dipper in sky behind me )
 
    The Big Dipper will then points towards the Polaris.















    night trekking at Hajarmachi , Karad
    near Karad Train Station
    March 2014