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Lesson 4 Motion in the Sky

The document discusses the various motions of celestial bodies, including Earth's rotation and revolution, which create the apparent motion of the sun and stars. It explains concepts such as the celestial sphere, precession of the equinoxes, diurnal motion, and annual motion, highlighting key astronomical events like solstices and equinoxes. Additionally, it distinguishes between solar and sidereal days, providing insights into how these motions affect our perception of time and the night sky.

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earlbjbullecer02
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12 views

Lesson 4 Motion in the Sky

The document discusses the various motions of celestial bodies, including Earth's rotation and revolution, which create the apparent motion of the sun and stars. It explains concepts such as the celestial sphere, precession of the equinoxes, diurnal motion, and annual motion, highlighting key astronomical events like solstices and equinoxes. Additionally, it distinguishes between solar and sidereal days, providing insights into how these motions affect our perception of time and the night sky.

Uploaded by

earlbjbullecer02
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Motions in the Sky

1. The Celestial Sphere


2. Precession of the Equinoxes
3. Diurnal Motion and Annual Motion
• Earth is always in motion.
• It spins or gyrates about its axis as it
revolves around the sun.
• The motion of Earth about its axis
and orbit causes the apparent motion
of the sun, stars, and other heavenly
bodies.
Celestial Sphere
• The Ancient Greeks considered
Earth to be enclosed in a
hollow sphere called the
celestial sphere, where the
stars, the sun, and other
heavenly bodies are embedded.
• The points where Earth’s
rotational axis cuts this sphere
are called the north celestial
pole (NCP) and the south
celestial pole (SCP).
• The celestial equator is the
projection of Earth’s equator in
the celestial sphere.
• The path that the sun appears to take around the celestial
sphere is called ecliptic.
• The two points where the ecliptic with the greatest distance
from the celestial equator are referred to as solstices.
• The point where the sun is at its northernmost position above
the celestial equator or at it highest in the sky is called the
summer solstice
• It is sometimes called the June solstice because it happens
on or near June 21.
• Day is longest and the night is shortest
• The winter or December solstice occurs when the
sun is at its southernmost position or at its lowest in the sky.
• This normally happens on or near December 21.
• Day is shortest while night is longest
• The two points where the ecliptic intersects the
celestial equator are known as equinoxes.
• Those days, day and night are of equal
duration
• Autumnal equinox happens on or near September
22
• Vernal equinox happens on or near March 21.
The Ecliptic
• The path of
the Sun
through the
stars on the
celestial
sphere is
called the
ecliptic
• Constellation is the ecliptic traces through a
series of star clusters.
• Zodiac is the sequence of constellation.
Constellations

In ancient times,
constellations only
referred to the brightest
stars that appeared to
form groups, representing
mythological figures.
Precession of the equinoxes
• Earth is not a perfect sphere
• It bulges a bit in the equator because of the pull of
the moon and the sun.
• Change in the orientation of the rotational axis of
any rotating body is termed precession.
• Earth requires 26 000 years to complete one cycle of
precession.
Precession

Gravity is pulling on a slanted top. => Wobbling around the vertical.


The sun’s gravity is doing the same to Earth.
The resulting “wobbling” of Earth’s axis of rotation around the vertical w.r.t. the
ecliptic takes about 26,000 years and is called precession.
• Earth’s precession called precession of the
equinoxes because the position of the equinoxes
was slowly and gradually changing with respect to
some background stars.
• Hipparchus of Nicaea (known today as Turkey)
was credited for having discovered the precession
of the equinoxes.
• He made a catalog of stars in the sky, noting their
exact positions in latitudes and longitudes.
• Earth’s precession due to the gravitational pull of
the moon and the sun was called lunisolar
precession.
Diurnal vs. Annular Motion
Diurnal Motion Annual Motion
• “Daily Motion” • “Yearly Motion”
• Sun, Moon, planets, • Due to the Earth’s
and stars rise in the revolution
east and set in the
west • Is the sky different
• Due to the Earth’s from day to day?
rotation • Month to month?
• Ancient astronomers • Year to year?
took all celestial
motion to be diurnal
• The Celestial Sphere!
Diurnal motion
• It is responsible for the daily rising and
setting of the sun and the stars.
• It takes 24 hours for Earth to rotate about its
axis from west to east.
• It causes humans to change from waking
state to sleeping state and back again every
24 hours.
Diurnal Motion
• Daily motion can be
explained by the
rotation of the
celestial sphere about
the north and south
celestial poles located
directly above the
Earth’s north and
south poles
Annual Motion

• For a given time (say 10:00 PM), as the months


proceed, constellations do not appear in the same
part of the sky
Annual Motion
• A given star rises 3
minutes 56 seconds
earlier each night
• This annual motion is
caused by the Earth’s
motion around the
Sun, the result of
projection
• The ancients used the
periodic annual motion
to mark the seasons
• A solar day is the time it takes for Earth to rotate about
its axis so that the sun appears in the same position in the
sky.
• It also be defines as the time between two consecutive
sunrises.
• A solar day is 24 hours. In everyday life solar day is used
to measure time.
• A sidereal day is time it takes for Earth to rotate about
its axis so that a distant star appears in the same position
in the sky.
• Because Earth rotates through slightly more than 360⁰ for
the sun to return to its apparent location in the sky.
• A sidereal day is only 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4
seconds.

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