Constellations pg What is a constellation? How many constellations can be seen from Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres? True or False: Constellations are human inventions. What is an asterim? What causes the apparent movement of constellations across Earth’s sky?

How many stars are visible in the night sky? about 6000 visible stars

Astronomy: the oldest science ! Aristotelian view has the earth and sky on fixed spheres The ancients imagined that the Earth was surrounded by a canopy of stars

The Celestial Sphere imaginary bubble that surrounds Earth onto which all the stars are positioned like Earth, the Celestial sphere has a “North Pole,” “South Pole,” and an equator

You may have noticed that the Celestial Sphere seems to be tipped over. It is actually Earth that is at an angle (tipped over at an angle of 23.5 degrees!) This tilt is at an angle in relation to the position of the sun. The Celestial Sphere

Celestial Portraits Human brains naturally create patterns Human brains naturally create patterns What do you see when you look at the clouds? What do you see when you look at the clouds? The ancients did the same when they looked up at the sky The ancients did the same when they looked up at the sky

Do you see a pattern in these stars?

Constellations A name given to a group of stars Named after heroes, animals, monsters, objects. A human invention (not a natural grouping)

Asterisms Small group of stars that is part of a larger constellation Example –The Big Dipper is part of the larger constellation Ursa Major

The Big Bear Can you find the stars of the Big Dipper in the constellation?

Tell a story Orion was a mythical hero and hunter, and in his amorous pursuit of the Pleiades (the 7 daughters of the giant Atlas), the Gods placed them in the sky. And Orion chases after them in the sky for all eternity. Orion was a mythical hero and hunter, and in his amorous pursuit of the Pleiades (the 7 daughters of the giant Atlas), the Gods placed them in the sky. And Orion chases after them in the sky for all eternity.

“Quia-less” Quiz! 1.A constellation is a.the same as an asterim b.a unit of distance c. a group of stars that form a pattern 2.True or False: The Celestial Sphere is an actual bubble that surrounds Earth and shows the position of stars.

We see a “flat” image of the stars in the constellations, but the stars are actually located at varying distances form earth.

To locate a place on the surface of the earth we use coordinates. What is the location of Chicago? Shuffle the deck and have sum fun

DEC (declination) is similar to latitude on Earth. DEC is measured from the celestial equator in degrees. Measurement to the NORTH is positive. The celestial North Pole is at +90 degrees DEC. Measurement to the South is negative. The South Celestial Pole is at _______degrees DEC -90

RA (right ascension) is measured in hours, minutes, and seconds, as if we were measuring time instead of position! RA reads to the EAST.

Stars, constellations, planets, can be found using the coordinates of declination and right ascension on the celestial sphere. Locate Cygnus the Swan (looks like a cross)

“Quia-less” Quiz! 3.Stars, constellations, planets, can be found using a.right ascension b. declination c. c.Both of the above choices are used together to locate stars, constellations, and planets.