Constellation Notes

Constellations Day 1

Objective: • You will use critical

thinking skills in order to differentiate between astronomy and astrology.

• You will use the apparent motion of the earth in order to explain the changing view of our night sky.

Warm-Up• What is astrology?• Are you familiar with your

zodiac sign?

Find Your Sign!

Astronomy vs. Astrology

• ASTRONOMY: the scientific study of the stars, planets, comets, etc.

• ASTROLOGY: the belief that the stars can predict the future and determine a person’s personality

Astrology vs. Astronomy

What “real” science is astrology based

upon?

What makes astrology a

pseudoscience (fake science)?

Apparent (not your mom or dad)• APPARENT MOTION: rotation of the earth on it’s axis and revolution around the sun makes the stars appear to move in the night sky

Apparent (not your mom or dad)

What does the word “apparent” mean

again? How it _________

Appears to move

Apparent (not your mom or dad)• NORTH STAR: star around which all other stars appear to revolve; currently Polaris, located in Ursa Minor (Little Dipper)

History of Astronomy 9

History of Astronomy 10

Time Elapsed Photo

Apparent (not your mom or dad)

Why do you think that Polaris doesn’t

appear to move?

Apparent (not your mom or dad)• CONSTELLATIONS: apparent patterns of stars (there’s that word apparent again!)

• 88 total Constellations–Name the night sky

History of Astronomy 13

What do you see in this picture? Can you find

Orion?

History of Astronomy 14

Stars in the same constellation are not the same distance from us. They are spread out in space.

Apparent (not your mom or dad)

Explain why constellations are called “apparent”

patterns. (use Orion as an

example)

Apparent (not your mom or dad)• ECLIPTIC: apparent path of the sun, moon, and planets through the sky

Zodiac Constellations (Circle of Animals)• Zodiac constellations are constellations the sun appears to travel through

What is that path called again?Ecliptic

Zodiac Constellations

• Your zodiac “sign” is the constellation the sun was supposedly “in” when you were born

• 13 Zodiac Constellations

History of Astronomy 19

Zodiac Constellations

Take a minute to see if you know the

animal?

Can you identify what they all are?

History of Astronomy 21

History of Astronomy 22

History of Astronomy 23

History of Astronomy 24

History of Astronomy 25

History of Astronomy 26

History of Astronomy 27

History of Astronomy 28

History of Astronomy 29

History of Astronomy 30

History of Astronomy 31

Cenataur32

History of Astronomy 33

History of Astronomy 34Where the heck did this guy come from?

Precession

• PRECESSION: wobble of the earth on it’s axis changing our perspective of the stars (how they ___)

• North star changes over time (a lot of time!)

Precession

History of Astronomy 36

History of Astronomy 37

Precession

• Positions of zodiac in night sky shifted

• Aries originally began with the vernal (spring) equinox which now occurs in Pisces

History of Astronomy 39

Did you learn some stuff?

Differentiate between astrology and

astronomy.

Give two specific reasons why one is

considered a pseudoscience.

Sun’s Length

Objective• You will compare

astronomical and astrological time using the calculations of the time the sun appears in each constellation in order to analyze the zodiac constellations defined by astrology.

Warm-Up• What are constellations?

• How many constellations there?

• What is their purpose?

Measuring the Ecliptic

Find the ECLIPTIC : Point to itWhat is the ecliptic?

The apparent path the sun takes through the sky

Measuring the Ecliptic

History of Astronomy 43

You will be

measuring along

the ecliptic!

For Leo You would measure from The orange arrow to the red arrow. Lets try it!

Closure

• Do the astrological dates for the zodiac align with the astronomical dates? Explain

 

3-13-13

Objective• You will use constellation

coordinates (know) in order to identify the constellations.(do)

• You will use a celestial sphere (a scientific model) (know) in order to locate stars and constellations (do).

Warm-Up• What is a scientific

model? • What information would

you need to identify a certain constellation or a star?

Celestial Coordinate System• Celestial Poles: point in space directly over the North and South Poles

Celestial Coordinate System

What is currently located at the North Celestial

Pole?

Polaris the North Star

Celestial Coordinate System• Right Ascension (RA): celestial (sky) longitude

• Right ascension unit: hours, min (0-23 beginning at the vernal equinox moving westward)

Celestial Coordinate System

How can you remember it?

• It moves from RIGHT to left

• There are 24 divisions and there are 24 _____ in a day

Celestial Coordinate System

Let’s Try It! • Look at your star chart and name 2

constellations that are found at 3 hours

RA.• Sometimes it’s

easier if you use a ruler!

Celestial Coordinate System• Declination (DEC): celestial (sky) latitude (“ladder”tude)

• Declination unit: degrees

How can you remember it?

• Declination and Degrees both start with ____.

Celestial Coordinate System

Let’s Try It! • Look at your star chart and name 2

constellations that are found at -100 DEC• Use the ruler again

to help!

Celestial Coordinate System• Celestial equator: imaginary line in space directly above earth’s equator

Celestial Coordinate System• If the celestial equator is at 00 declination, degrees above zero would be _________ and below zero would be __________ (think about a thermometer)

Positive

Negative

Celestial Coordinate System

At what latitude is the earth’s equator? _____0

Guess what declination is the celestial equator? _____0

Celestial Sphere

Declination

Right Ascension

Celesti

al

Equato

r

Celestial Coordinate System• Vernal (spring) Equinox: point in space where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator

• 0 hours right ascension (celestial Prime Meridian)

Celestial Coordinate System

How can you remember it?

• But it used to be at the beginning of Aries and now it’s in Pisces

• Can you come up with something?Where the ecliptic and celestial equator meet! Meet in spring

History of Astronomy 59

History of Astronomy 60

Make a labeled sketch of the coordinate system shown

Celestial Coordinate System

Let’s Try It! • Find the

constellations at the given coordinates.

• Remember that the numbers proceed

from RIGHT to left, be careful!

History of Astronomy 62

Closure

• 3 things you learned; • 2 questions • 1 surprise

• How did you like this style of notes?

History of Astronomy 63

Constellations

Objective• You will apply knowledge

of constellations and coordinates in order to complete constellation quest.

• You will research stellar information and the constellation legend in order to identify the constllations origins

Warm-Up• When is your birthday?

From your birthday what is your horoscope?

History of Astronomy 64

Find Your Sign!

Permission Slip: DUE 3-20

History of Astronomy 66

Closure

• what are the two you choose?

• What two pieces of information would you need in order to locate Hercules?

History of Astronomy 67