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    Constellations Hand Out

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    Mckenrie Anas
    This document discusses constellations and how they have been used throughout history. It defines asterisms as simple star patterns within constellations and constellations as larger groupings of stars. It describes how constellations appear to move across the sky from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Early people used constellations to track the seasons and know when to plant and harvest. Constellations were also used for navigation, with Polaris being particularly useful as the current north star.

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    Constellations Hand Out

    Uploaded by

    Mckenrie Anas
    8 views2 pages
    This document discusses constellations and how they have been used throughout history. It defines asterisms as simple star patterns within constellations and constellations as larger groupings of stars. It describes how constellations appear to move across the sky from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Early people used constellations to track the seasons and know when to plant and harvest. Constellations were also used for navigation, with Polaris being particularly useful as the current north star.

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    Constellations-Hand-out

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    This document discusses constellations and how they have been used throughout history. It defines asterisms as simple star patterns within constellations and constellations as larger groupings of stars. It describes how constellations appear to move across the sky from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Early people used constellations to track the seasons and know when to plant and harvest. Constellations were also used for navigation, with Polaris being particularly useful as the current north star.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    8 views2 pages

    Constellations Hand Out

    Uploaded by

    Mckenrie Anas
    This document discusses constellations and how they have been used throughout history. It defines asterisms as simple star patterns within constellations and constellations as larger groupings of stars. It describes how constellations appear to move across the sky from east to west due to the Earth's rotation. Early people used constellations to track the seasons and know when to plant and harvest. Constellations were also used for navigation, with Polaris being particularly useful as the current north star.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Module 6: Constellations

    STARS IN THE NIGHT SKY: ASTERISMS AND CONSTELLATIONS


    Stars are seen night after night. We have become familiar with stars especially those that we recognize
    known to us as the Tres Marias(an allusion to the three Marys on Mt. Calvary) and the familiar dippers.
    A pattern the we recognize on the night sky is called an asterism. The familiar Big Dipper, the Little
    Dipper, W, and the Tres Marias are asterisms. Asterism are small and simple pattern in the sky

    A larger grouping or arrangement of stars is called a constellation . An asterism forms part of a


    constellation. The big dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major (Big Bear) and the Litter Dipper is part of
    Ursa Minor (Little Bear).

    Ursa Major Orion

    Motions of the Stars and Constellations


    The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The moon, in whatever phase, rises in the east and sets in
    the west. The new moon rises and sets at sunset. The full moon rises in the east at sunset and sets at sunrise. The
    stars and constellations, too, rise in the east and set in the west. We perceived all celestial bodies rising in the
    east because earth rotates from west to east
    The whole sky in filled up with stars and constellations. As the earth rotates, we perceive the whole sky
    moving from east to west. If the whole sky is imagined to be a celestial sphere around the earth, the it is as if
    this celestial sphere is slowly moving around the earth. All the constellations move together with this celestial
    sphere. As soon as darkness sets it, we see the stars at their evening positions. After some time, we see that the
    constellations have moved. We see them, shifting positions from east to west. To a night sky observer, the
    visible sky is seen moving westward. Those constellations that are at the eastern horizon in the early evening
    will rise until they are overhead by midnight. They will set in the west by sunrise. If a constellation is overhead
    in the early evening, it will move down to the western horizon to set at about midnight. Constellations near the
    western skies will set in a few hours.
    The constellations visible at a certain time of the year are those constellations that are in opposition to
    the sun. A constellation is in opposition to the sun when it is on the side of the sky facing the night side of the
    earth while the sun is shining on the other side of the earth. Because the earth is revolving around the sun, the
    constellations in opposition change through the year. We see the sun in different constellations month by month.

    How Early People Used the Constellations


    While constellations were associated with religion, they also have practical uses. Before the calendars,
    people had no way of determining when to sow or harvest except by looking at these patterns in the sky.
    Ancient people developed a way to remember the patterns by giving these patterns names and stories. For
    example, in the northern hemisphere, the constellation Orion indicates the coming of cold season. The
    constellations made it easier for them to recognize and interpret patterns in the sky. For example, Gemini is seen
    in the Philippines during the months of April and May. Farmers interpreted the appearance of Gemini as the end
    of planting season and it signified rich harvest.
    Other Uses
    Another use of constellations was in navigation. The Polaris is widely used in navigation because it does
    not change its position at any time of the night or year. Also, one can figure out his/her latitude just by looking
    at how high Polaris appears in the night sky. This allowed sailors to find their way as they sail across the seas.

    The Polaris
    Polaris, commonly known as North Star, is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little
    Dipper). It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. Because it lies
    nearly in a direct line with the axis of the Earth's rotation "above" the North Pole, Polaris stands almost
    motionless in the sky, and all the stars of the Northern sky appear to rotate around it. In Figure 3, Polaris and the
    star trail are seen. Star trail is a type of photograph that utilizes long exposure times to capture the apparent
    motion of stars in the night sky due to the rotation of the Earth

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