ASTR 3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 0-1: Milky Way, Northern Hemisphere, Observable Universe
Document Summary
Textbook notes : chapter 0. 1: the obvious view. Astronomy is the oldest of all sciences. We live on a planet called earth, one of eight known planets orbiting a star called the sun, just one of a countless stars in the milky way. Galaxy, one galaxy among billions in the observable universe. Our place in space is not unieque or special. Astronomy, the study of the universe, begins by looking at the sky. Natural human tendency to see patterns/relationships led people to connect brightest stars into configurations called constellations. Most constellations were named after mythological heroes and animals. Stars of a constellation generally not close in space, but are bright enough to observe and lie in same direction in sky as seen from. Astronomers still use constellations to indicate areas of space/sky. 88 constelalations in all, most of them visible during the year.
