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Diurnal Motion (New) (Autosaved)

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DIURNAL MOTION

DIURNAL MOTION

It is the daily motion of stars and


other celestial bodies across the sky.
This motion is due to the Earth’s
rotation from west to east, which
causes celestial bodies to have an
apparent motion from east to west. A
long-exposure photograph of the night
sky shows the diurnal motion as star
trails – circular orbits (or arcs)
centered on the north and
south celestial poles.
DIURNAL MOTION

At any latitude on the Earth, there is a


corresponding range of declinations for which
stars:
Never set – they are always above the horizon.
These are known as circumpolar stars.
Rise and set at different times throughout
the year – due to the Earth’s motion around
the Sun, stars rise a few minutes earlier every
day.
Never rise – they are always below the
horizon. For example, to an observer in Australia
the north pole star, Polaris, never rises.
DIURNAL MOTION

To understand diurnal motion, note that


at any given moment it is daytime on the
half of the Earth illuminated by the Sun
and nighttime on the other half.
DIURNAL MOTION

Earth rotates from west to east on it’s axis,


making one complete rotation every 24
hours. This is why there is a daily cycle of
day and night.The stars’ daily (diurnal)
motion reflects the Earth’s spin. Because of
this rotation, it causes us to face different
directions and the stars appear to us to rise
in the east and set in the west (as do the
Sun and Moon).
DIURNAL MOTION

• From night to night, the same constellations rise and set,


but a few minutes earlier than on the previous night.
• After a year has passed, the night sky will have the same
appearance as it did when you began.
• This happens because the Earth orbits the Sun. Over
the course of a year, Earth makes one complete orbit
and the night side of Earth gradually turns toward
different parts of the heavens.
• Stars will typically rise 4 minutes earlier each night.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE

The celestial sphere is a useful illusion, because it allows us


to map the sky as seen from Earth. For reference, we
identify four special points and circles on the celestial
sphere:
North celestial pole – the point directly over Earth’s
North Pole.
South celestial pole – the point directly over Earth’s
South Pole.
Celestial equator – a projection of Earth’s equator into
space.
Ecliptic - the path the Sun follows as it appears to circle
around the celestial sphere once each year. It crosses the
celestial equator at a 23.5° angle, because that is the tilt of
Earth’s axis
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE

• The point in the sky directly above an


observer anywhere on the Earth is called
that observer’s zenith.
• The zenith and celestial sphere for an
observer at 35° north of the equator is
show.
• The zenith appears at the top of the
figure, so the Earth appears to be tipped.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE

Stars sufficiently near the north celestial pole revolve around the pole, never
rising or setting. Such stars are termed circumpolar stars.

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