AST101H1 Chapter Notes -Celestial Pole, Angular Distance, Angular Diameter
16 Nov 2012
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AST101H1 Full Course Notes
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Constellations: a region of the sky with well-defined borders. Every point in the sky belongs to some constellation. The iau (international astronomical unit) divided the sky into 88 constellations. We lack depth perception in space therefore near stars are in reality very far apart. More than 2000 stars can be seen with the naked eye & the milky way. We refer to patterns of stars as constellations. From pluto the constellations would be very similar, differences too small to be visible. Polaris = the n star and is fixed throughout the whole night, aligns most closely with the rotation. North celestial pole: point directly over earth"s north pole. South celestial pole: point directly over earth"s south pole. Celestial equator: projection of earth"s equator into space, makes a complete circle around the celestial sphere. Ecliptic: the path the sun follows as it appears to circle around the celestial sphere once each year.
