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Class 5 - Stars Introduction

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Shlok Malik
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Class 5 - Stars Introduction

Uploaded by

Shlok Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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An Introduction to Stars

(Class 5)
Test 1 Coming up! – Mon. July 15
• Made up of 30 multiple choice questions only
• Based on lecture material and after-class quizzes
• 70 minutes in length
• All questions on one page
• The test opens at 6:00 PM on Mon. July 15, and will
remain open for 48 hours afterwards. You must
complete the test within this 48 hour window.
• This is an open book test, so you can refer to notes if
you need to. But please prepare for the test beforehand
as you will not have enough time to look at the notes for
every single question.
• No class on Mon. July 15 – Test day!
• Let’s all get over 90% on this test!
Discussion Forum Assignment
- Ask 2 Questions and
Answer 2 Questions

- Due in the Discussion Forum


before the test opens on Mon. July
15, 6:30PM.

- See D2L for details on how to


Answer the 2 Questions
Research Report (Due Fri. July 26)

Written Research report on ONE of these topics:

Option 1) An astronomical object (such as a:


planet, comet, star, galaxy, dead
star, etc.)
or
Option 2) A technological item used for
astronomical purpose (such as a
telescope, spacecraft, etc.)

Each will have a structured report template to follow


(see D2L for details)
1. Day-to-Day Changes

(because of Earth’s Rotation on its axis)

Earth rotates once


every 24 hours

How does our position


here on Earth affect
what we see?
The Celestial Sphere

From the surface of


Earth, it seems as if
all the stars are
attached to a
gigantic sphere in
outer space.
The Celestial Sphere
• The Celestial Sphere is a representation of the
sky around the entire Earth.
• The Earth is at the center of this sphere

Stars actually lie at


different distances.
The arrows point
to where the stars
appear on the
celestial sphere.
• We can also line
up the Earth’s
North and South
Poles to those of
the celestial
sphere.

• We’ll do the
same with Earth’s
equator
What We See
• When we look up at the sky, we see half of the celestial
sphere (bowl shape). From the ground, the sky looks like a
big dome above us.
• Because of Earth’s rotation, what you see at the sky
depends on the time and your location.

Horizon – A horizontal plane that appears to separate


the Earth from the sky
The Celestial Sphere
From Earth it is impossible to tell how far away anything is, or
whether there is any depth to the “celestial sphere”.
Celestial Sphere Visualization
Daily Motion

• As the Earth rotates,


the sky appears to us
to rotate the opposite
direction

• The sky appears to


rotate around the
NCP (or SCP)
Rising and Setting Earth

• Also, imagine that there


are only 5 stars visible
on the Celestial Sphere

• From the observer’s


1 star
location, only _____
is visible (since it lies
above the horizon)

Horizon
Celestial Sphere Animation
• Since Earth rotates, the stars appear to move along
the Celestial Sphere
¼
• After 6 hours, the Earth has made _____ turn on its
axis

Now we can see


2 stars above the
horizon
4 stars visible 2 stars visible
above the above the
horizon horizon
• After 24 hours, the
Earth has made one
complete rotation and
the stars appear to end
up at the same starting
location

Star Trails
Polaris – The North Star
Our view from Earth:
- In Toronto we cannot see stars near the south
celestial pole (Toronto is in the Northern Hemi.)
- All other stars (and Sun, Moon, planets) rise in east
and set in west.
- We don’t see stars during
the daytime as the sky is
too bright.
Q. About what time of day is shown in this
drawing? How can you tell?

A. 12 PM (the Sun is directly overhead)


Q. About where in the sky will the Sun be at 6 PM?

A. Towards the West


At mid-northern or mid-southern latitudes some
stars are always above your local horizon. They
are called circumpolar stars (these never set).
Star Motions From Arizona
6
The Sky After ___hours
North Star
(Polaris)
2. Seasonal Changes

(because of Earth’s orbit around the Sun)


You can also name these patterns and
invent stories about them
• There are 88 constellations at the sky
• Stars that make up a constellation
are generally not close in space
• They have no physical significance
Check your Horoscope…
The Sky Varies as Earth Orbits the Sun
As the Earth orbits the Sun, different sets of
stars become visible
The Celestial Sphere

The 88 official
constellations
cover the
celestial
sphere.
Big Dipper is part of the constellation
called Ursa Major (Great Bear)
Little Dipper is part of the constellation called
Ursa Minor where you find Polaris (North Star)
To find Polaris (and hence be facing North), find the
Big Dipper and trace to last 2 bowl stars straight up…
Never Get Lost Again!
If you can find Polaris (North Star) from
your location, and you are facing Polaris,
then you are facing North.

Therefore,
South is directly behind you,
East is to your right, and
West is to your left.
Guess the Constellation!
Leo
Swan
Orion
Great Question!

If you could see stars during the day, the drawing above
shows what the sky would look like at noon on a given day.
The Sun is near the stars of the constellation Gemini. Near
which constellation would you expect the Sun to be located
at sunset?
A. Leo
B. Cancer
C. Gemini
D. Taurus
E. Aries

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