ACTIVITY 17.5STARS AND THE SOLAR

SYSTEM

TAKE AN UMBRELLA AND OPEN IT. MAKE ABOUT 10-15 STARS OUT OF WHITE PAPER. PASTE ONE STAR AT THE POSITION OF THE CENTRAL ROD OF THE UMBRELLAAND OTHERS AT DIFFERENT PLACES ON THE CLOTH NEAR THE END OF EACH SPOKE

ACTIVIT

Y 17.5

(FIG. 17.9).NOW ROTATE THE UMBRELLA BY HOLDING ITS CENTRAL ROD IN YOUR HAND. OBSERVE THE STARS ON THE UMBRELLA. IS THERE ANY STAR WHICH DOES NOT APPEAR TO MOVE? WHERE IS THIS STAR LOCATED? IF THERE WERE A STAR LOCATED?

Look at the sky for some t ime. Can you see some stars forming groups with shapes l ike those in .The stars forming a group that has a recognizab le shape is ca l led a conste l la t ion.summer t ime in the ear ly part o f the n ight is Ursa Major . I t i s a lso known as the B ig D ipper, the Great Bear or the Saptarsh i . There are seven prominent stars in th is conste l la t ion. I t appears l ike a b ig lad le or a quest ion mark. There are three stars in the handle of the lad le and four in i ts bowl

CONSTELLATION

Constellations were devised by ancient people to be able to recognize stars in the sky. The shapes of constellations resemble objects familiar to those people.

Ursa Ma jo r ( La t in: " Larger Bear " ) , a l so known as the Great Bear, i s a conste l l a t ion v i s ib le th roughout the year in most o f the nor thern hemisphere. I t can bes t be seen in Apr i l . I t i s dominated by the w ide ly recogn ized as te r i sm known as the B ig D ipper o r P lough , wh ich i s a use fu l po in te r toward nor th, and wh ich has mytho log i ca l s ign ifi cance in numerous wor ld cu l tu res .

URSA MAJOR

Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky.[1] Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythologyv

ORIAN CONSTELLATION

Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'W' shape, formed by five bright stars.

CASSIOPEIA CONSTELLATION

Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is 

Latin for lion. Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to

the east.  

LEO CONSTELLATION

Dark cloud constellations

The "Emu in the sky," a constellation defined by dark clouds rather than the stars. An IAU interpretation would recognise Crux (the Southern Cross) above the emu's head and Scorpius on the left. The head of the emu is the Coalsack.Dark patches in the Milky Way are more visible and striking in the southern hemisphere than in the northern. They vividly stand out when conditions are otherwise so dark that the Milky Way's central region casts shadows on the ground. Some cultures have discerned shapes in these patches and have given names to these "dark cloud constellations." Members of the Inca civilization identified various dark areas or dark nebulae in the Milky Way as animals, and associated their appearance with the seasonal rains.[16] Australian Aboriginal astronomy also describes dark cloud constellations, the most famous being the "emu in the sky" whose head is formed by the Coalsack.

THERE ARE 88 STANDARD CONSTELLATION RECOGNIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ARNOMICAL UNION (IAU) SINCE 1922. THE MAJORITY OF THESE GOES BACK TO THE 48 CONSTELLATIONS DEFINED BY PTOLEMY IN HIS ALMAGEST (2ND CENTURY). THE REMAINING ONES WERE DEFINED IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY; THE MOST RECENT ONES ARE FOUND ON THE SOUTHERN SKY, DEFINED IN COELUM AUSTRALE STELLIFERUM BY NICOLAS LOUIS DE LACAILLE (1763).THERE ARE ALSO NUMEROUS HISTORICAL CONSTELLATION NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE IAU, OR CONSTELLATIONS RECOGNIZED IN REGIONAL TRADITIONS OF ASTRONOMY OR ASTROLOGY, SUCH AS CHINESE, HINDU OR AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL

NUMBERS OF CONSTELLATION

The 88 modern constellations

Andromeda · Antlia · Apus · Aquarius · Aquila · Ara · Aries · Auriga · Boötes · Caelum · Camelopardalis · Cancer · Canes Venatici · Canis Major · Canis Minor · Capricornus · Carina · Cassiopeia · Centaurus · Cepheus · Cetus · Chamaeleon · Circinus · Columba · Coma Berenices · Corona Australis · Corona Borealis · Corvus · Crater · Crux · Cygnus · Delphinus · Dorado · Draco · Equuleus · Eridanus · Fornax · Gemini · Grus · Hercules · Horologium · Hydra · Hydrus · Indus · Lacerta · Leo · Leo Minor · Lepus · Libra · Lupus · Lynx · Lyra · Mensa · Microscopium · Monoceros · Musca · Norma · Octans · Ophiuchus · Orion · Pavo · Pegasus · Perseus · Phoenix · Pictor · Pisces · Piscis Austrinus · Puppis · Pyxis · Reticulum · Sagitta · Sagittarius · Scorpius · Sculptor · Scutum · Serpens · Sextans · Taurus · Telescopium · Triangulum · Triangulum Australe · Tucana · Ursa Major · Ursa Minor · Vela · Virgo · Volans · Vulpecula

NAMES OF CONSTELLATION

The 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD

Andromeda · Aquarius · Aquila · Ara · Argo Navis · Aries · Auriga · Boötes · Cancer · Canis Major · Canis Minor · Capricornus · Cassiopeia · Centaurus · Cepheus · Cetus · Corona Australis · Corona Borealis · Corvus · Crater · Cygnus · Delphinus · Draco · Equuleus · Eridanus · Gemini · Hercules · Hydra · Leo · Lepus · Libra · Lupus · Lyra · Ophiuchus · Orion · Pegasus · Perseus · Pisces · Piscis Austrinus · Sagitta · Sagittarius · Scorpius · Serpens · Taurus · Triangulum · Ursa Major · Ursa Minor · Virgo

The 41 additional constellations added in the 16th–17th c.

▶ Vespucci or Corsalius early 16c: Crux · Triangulum Australe ▶ Vopel 1536: Coma Berenices ▶ Keyser & de Houtman 1596: Apus · Chamaeleon · Dorado · Grus · Hydrus · Indus · Musca · Pavo · Phoenix · Tucana · Volans ▶ Plancius 1613: Camelopardalis · Columba · Monoceros ▶ Habrecht 1621: Reticulum ▶ Hevelius 1683: Canes Venatici · Lacerta · Leo Minor · Lynx · Scutum · Sextans · Vulpecula ▶ de Lacaille 1763: Antlia · Caelum · Carina · Circinus · Fornax · Horologium · Mensa · Microscopium · Norma · Octans · Pictor · Puppis · Pyxis · Sculptor · Telescopium · Vela