AST101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Camelopardalis, Inverse-Square Law, Shadow Falls

• School: UTSG
• Department: Astronomy & Astrophysics
• Course: AST101H1
• Professor: Ian Shelton

Document Summary

Celestial sphere 1 many ancient societies believed the sky was an immense, hollow sphere surrounding the earth. They imagined the stars, planets, sun, and moon attached to this sphere and rotating around the stationary earth every 24 hours. Although it is now known that this ancient model is incorrect, it is still a convenient way to predict the motions of celestial objects relative to a location on the earth. Celestial dome 1 as you look at the sky, it appears like a large dome over your head. You are seeing half of the celestial sphere; the other half is below the horizon. The celestial dome defines the local sky (the sky as seen from wherever an observer happens to be standing). Horizon the boundary between the earth and the sky. Zenith 2 the point directly overhead, wherever an observer stands 3.