ASTR 1P01 Lecture : Stars

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pucewater-buffalo235

21 Oct 2011

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September 23 rd 2011 celestial equator north celestial pole. The daily motions of stars are caused by the earth"s rotation about north-south axis. Since this xis is perpendicular to the equator plane the stars appear to be moving parallel to. An observer in the northern hemisphere observes the stars moving counterclockwise about the. The stars which are close enough to one of the two celestial poles never rise or set. In the southern hemisphere the circumpolar stars appear to move clockwise about the south.

Related Questions

Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is not true?

a. The celestial sphere does not exist physically.
b. When we look in the sky, the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere.
c. The Earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere.
d. The "celestial sphere" is another name for our universe.

whitezebra770

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

A) It extends from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west.

B) It lies along the band of light we call the Milky Way.

C) It cuts the dome of your sky exactly in half.

D) It represents an extension of the earth's equator onto the celestial sphere.

E) It extends from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south.

plumbat951

Astronomy Parallax Lab

SCENARIO: Your lab group is planning an expedition to measure the distance to Mars by carefully measuring its position in the sky from two locations simultaneously when it is next at “opposition” (that is, when it is exactly opposite from the sun in the sky) on October 13, 2020. For the best, and most straightforward distance determination with the parallax method, Mars should be high in the sky (as near to your zenith as possible). This can be done by observing Mars: (a) from locations whose LATITUDES are similar to the DECLINATION of Mars at the date of measurement and (b) at the time of night when Mars is highest in the sky.

1a). Determine the Sky Coordinates of Mars on the date of opposition. The relevant coordinate is the Declination (RA/DE J2000 coordinates should be used) – this is the sky coordinate analogous to Latitude on the Earth’s surface. (Note, it is ok to determine these coordinates for Mars from anywhere on Earth for this initial measurement)

Mars DECLINATION on October 13, 2020: ___________________________

Your lab team needs to send observers to two cities that:

(a) have latitudes that are similar to the declination of Mars on that date (within 20 degrees); and

(b) have nearly the same longitude (that is, are nearly due North-South from each other (hint, you will need to go close to the equator!).

1b). Choose two of the cities below and use google maps, google earth or another online resource to record their names and Latitudes.

Melbourne, Australia	Kampala, Uganda	Tokyo, Japan
Omaha, NE, USA	Mumbai, Italy	Khartoum, Soudan

1c). At what time should you measure the sky coordinates (right ascension and declination) to get the most accurate possible parallax distance?

plumantelope954

ASTR 1P01 Lecture : Stars

ASTR 1P01 Full Course Notes

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