Text Reading: Section 1.5, Chapter 2
Text Reading: Section 1.5, Chapter 2
Heavens
Our view of the night sky
is shaped by our location
on Earth. In addition, the
changes in appearance of
the night sky is most
effected by the motions of
the Earth itself. Since it is
of fundamental importance
to know where a source is
in the sky at any time, a This is the idea of the celestial sphere - a
coordinate system must be 2-d model of the universe which amounts to
devised which is a giant sphere centered on the Earth. This
independent of these model allows us to locate an object to two
motions. of three spatial dimensions.
•1' = 60 arcseconds('')
Latitude=> a measure
north and south from the
equator called the
Declination
North and South Celestial poles - points on the sky directly above the
Earth’s north pole and directly below the Earth’s south pole.
At any point on the Earth, the right ascension and declination is related to
two measures unique to an observers location: azimuth (angle along the
horizon from due north heading east) and altitude (angle above horizon).
In addition, the zenith is the spot directly overhead (90 degrees from the
horizon)
Any object lies in one specific
constellation, which makes them a
convenient way to know the approximate
positions of stars.
The Earth rotates (spins) around its axis once in 24 hours. This defines
the solar day (time from one noon to the next where noon is the time of
the Suns highest elevation). The solar day is an average over the entire
year, since the time from sunrise to sunrise varies slightly over a year.
This rotation results in the fundamental motion we see for objects in
the sky over a single day - they are seen to move from east to west in
the sky (although it is us who are rotating in the opposite direction).
Equinox - A
date/location where the
celestial equator and
ecliptic cross - vernal
and autumnal
Summer solstice - the Sun is at its northernmost in the sky and days
are longest in the north - typically June 21. First day of summer.
Winter solstice - the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky with
summer in the south - typically Dec 21. First day of winter.
Over the year, the Sun is
Solar Motion in the seen to make differing
Northern Hemisphere paths in the sky.
The Earth is not a perfect sphere, and bulges along the equator.
Gravitational forces from the Sun and Moon act on the bulge to try to
re-orient the Earth, causing the Earth to precess (gradually change
orientation) much like a gyroscope or top.
Precession of the North
Pole The Earth spin axis
maintains the 23.5°
offset from the ecliptic
and traces out a circle in
the sky with a 23.5°
radius over a 26000 year
period.