In ancient times most of Wyoming was under the surface of what paleontologists refer to as the Sundance Sea. Today, the last vestiges of that vast inland sea can be found in what is modern-day Utah: the Great Salt Lake.

Even though that great sea is essentially gone, we can still observe a sea of another sort from here in Wyoming. During November we can see what astronomers refer to as the Celestial Sea by looking south. This area is populated by a large number of constellations that have a water theme.

Most of the constellations visible in the southern sky during November are faint, and dark skies far from city lights will make finding them much easier.

Beginning in the southwest we find Capricornus, the Sea Goat. Capricornus is depicted as an animal that is half goat, half fish. Capricornus doesn't look much like a goat or a fish; instead, it looks more like a slipper or shoe. Aside from being part of the Zodiac, Capricornus doesn't merit very high on the list of targets for amateur observers.

Slightly above and farther to the south of Capricornus is Aquarius, the Water Bearer. Like Capricornus, Aquarius is part of the Zodiac and is not very bright on the eyes. It contains very few deep-sky objects, most of them faint globular clusters.

Below Aquarius and Capricornus is Pisces Austrinus, the "Southern Fish." Pisces Austrinus is marked by one fairly bright star, Fomalhaut (pronounced fomaloh). Fomalhaut has the distinction of being the only first-magnitude star in this part of the sky. It is also one of the few stars we see in the sky that is similar to our sun, that is a single yellow star. Although Fomalhaut is slightly more luminous than our sun and therefore hotter, it does appear somewhat yellow in the evening sky.

Further to the east is Pisces, the Fish. This constellation represents two characters from mythology: Aphrodite and Eros. During the battle of the Titans, Aphrodite changed herself and her son Eros into fish to hide in the river. To keep from being separated, Aphrodite tied their tails together with a silver ribbon. To our eyes Pisces appears as a wide "V" shape with a circlet of stars at either end.

Directly below Pisces is Cetus, the Sea Monster. Cetus is the chief villain in the tale of Perseus and Andromeda, two constellations that are very bright in the northern sky. However, like most heroic tales, the hero and heroine are given bright, prominent places in the sky while the villain is dim and barely recognizable. Cetus is no exception. The stars of this constellation are almost at the limit of what is visible to the naked eye.

For those interested in something more visible, wait until the end of the month, when Venus and Jupiter will meet in close conjunction in the sunset sky. Keep watching Venus over the month as it creeps closer and closer to Jupiter in the evening sky.

The area of the sky the ancients called the Celestial Sea may seem disappointing to our modern eyes. After all, why put such emphasis on an area of the sky that has so few bright stars? The answer may be in the fact that these stars are dim. The ancients knew that the sea was deep and dark and difficult to fathom. Perhaps they felt that this dark area of the sky, so different from the rest of the universe, should be a reflection of the unfathomable seas here on Earth. They would, in that case, populate it with creatures and objects associated with that life-giving element, water.