How the Sky Moves Evening Classes Week One Presented by Oisín Creaner.
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Transcript of How the Sky Moves Evening Classes Week One Presented by Oisín Creaner.
How the Sky Moves
Evening Classes
Week One
Presented by Oisín Creaner
Course Outline
Week 1: The Sky
Week 2: The Planets
Week 3: The Stars
Week 4: History of Astronomy
Week 5: Telescopes
Week 6: Deep Sky Objects
– Week 7: Cosmology
Week 8: Alien Worlds
Basic Equipment
•Your eyes!
•Binoculars
•Books
•Planisphere
What can I see?
•Stars & Constellations
•The Planets (W2)
•Galaxies & Nebulae (W6)
•The Moon and Sun (CAREFUL!)
The night sky is like an up-turned bowl above theastronomer’s head.
a: Zenith
b: Meridian
c: Horizon
We can pretend thenight sky is a sphere,because all its starsare so far away fromus, they don’t appearto move at all.
The Celestial Sphere
The Celestial Sphere appears to spinbecause we see it from the surfaceof the spinning Earth.
Stars appear fixed on the Celestial Sphere.
The Plough
Polaris
Orion
Note the positions of –
•The Plough
•Polaris
•Orion
Celestial Coordinates
Declination is equivalent to latitiude and is measured in degrees.
Right Ascension is equivalent to longitude and is measured in hours, minutes and seconds.
Special Observation Locations
The View from Athlone - 53° North
Polaris stays in the same place –always directly North, 53° above the horizon.
Where you are on the Earth’s surface determineswhat constellations you can see, and how often.
Declination ofstars seen from Athlone
Circumpolar –90° N to 37° N
Seen sometimes –37°N - 37°S
Never seen – 37°S - 90°S
The ecliptic is where the Sun is seen againstthe Celestial Sphere.
The zodiac is a 16º wide band of sky wherethe planets are seen.
Ecliptic
γCel. Equator
The Sun crosses the celestial equator at the firstpoint of Aires, in the constellation Pisces.
This is the zero-point of the RA axis (0h 0m)
The Sun’s movement above & belowthe Celestial Equator
The track of the Sun across the Celestial Sphereis known as the Ecliptic.
Precession ofthe Equinoxes
The spinningEarth wobbles on its axis once every 26,000 years.
Using A Planisphere
PolarisTime
Date
Match the timewith the date
The Sky Window
Autumn Sky- October 10 p.m.
Since there are 12 months in the year, and 24 hours in the day, every month, an object will rise 2 hours earlier
Autumn Sky- Andromeda
Autumn Sky- Andromeda
Autumn Sky- Cygnus ‘The Swan’
Autumn Sky- Sagittarius ‘The Teapot’
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Gemini
Auriga
Taurus
Orion as a signpost
Thank You
www.astronomy.ie/handoutswww.stellarium.org
Useful websites