Positions of The Sun, Moon, Stars and Distant Galaxies, Nebulas and Quasars. Motion of Objects

Basic Observations in
Astronomy
• Positions of the Sun, Moon, Stars and distant
Galaxies, Nebulas and Quasars.
• Motion of objects
– with respect to you, the observer
- with respect to other objects in the sky
• Changes in Daily Motion, Seasons and
progressions
• Appearance of objects (phases of the moon, etc.)
• Special events (eclipses, transitions, etc.)
What’s up in the night sky?
The Celestial
Sphere
• A Geocentric model
(Earth Centered Universe)
• Axis through Earth’s

north and south pole
goes through
celestial north and
south pole
• Earth’s equator
Celestial
equator
Celestial Coordinates
Earth: latitude, longitude
Sky:
• Declination (dec) (Latitude) [from
equator,+/-90°]
• Right Ascension (RA) (longitude) [from
vernal equinox, 0-24h; 6h=90°]
Examples:
• Westerville, OH 40.1°N,
83°W
• Betelgeuse (α Orionis) dec = 7° 24’
RA = 5h 52m
What’s up for you?
Observer
Coordinates
• Horizon – the plane you
stand on
• Zenith – the point right

above you
• Meridian – the line from

North to Zenith to south
…depends where you are!
• Your local sky –

your view depends on your location on earth
Look
North
Look
North on
Hawai’i
Daily Rising and Setting
• Due to the rotation
of the Earth around
its axis
• Period of rotation:
1 siderial
day= 23h56m4.1s
• 1 solar day (Noon to
Noon) =24h
• Stars rotate around

the North Star –
Polaris
Solar vs Siderial Day
• Earth rotates in 23h56m
• also rotates around sun
 needs 4 min. to “catch
up”
• Consequence: stars
rise 4 minutes earlier
each night
• after 1/2 year

completely different sky
at night!
What time is it?
• Depends on where you are on the Earth!
• Time zones ensure that the noon is really noon
(The Sun is at highest point)
• To avoid confusion, use universal time (UT),
the time at the meridian in Greenwich
UT = EST + 5 hrs
• Daylight savings adds one hour in spring, so
UT = EDT+ 4 hrs
The Time Zones
Established to insure that sun is at highest point

approximately at noon in the middle of the time zone
Another Complication: Axis
Tilt!
• The Earth’s rotation axis is tilted 23½
degrees with respect to the plane of its
orbit around the sun (the ecliptic)
• It is fixed in space  sometimes we look
“down” onto the ecliptic, sometimes “up”
to it
Rotation axis
Path around sun

Position of Ecliptic on the
Geocentric Celestial Sphere
• Earth axis is tilted with
respect to ecliptic by
23 ½ degrees
• Equivalent: ecliptic is
tilted by 23 ½ degrees
with respect to the
equator.
  Sun appears to be
sometime above
(summer solstice),
sometimes below, and
sometimes on the
celestial equator
The Seasons
• Change of seasons
is a result of the tilt
of the Earth’s
rotation axis with
respect to the plane
of the ecliptic
• Sun, moon, planets

run along the
ecliptic
The Zodiac throughout the Year
(Heliocentric)
In Winter sun in Sagittarius, Gemini at night sky

In Summer sun in Gemini, Sagittarius at night sky
Constellations of Stars
• About 5000 stars visible with naked eye
• About 3500 of them from the northern hemisphere
• Stars that appear to be close are grouped together
into constellations since antiquity
• Officially 88 constellations
(with strict boundaries for classification of objects)
• Names range from
• mythological (Perseus, Cassiopeia)
• technical (Air Pump, Compass)
Constellations of Stars
Orion as seen at night Orion as imagined by men

Constellation Orion Distances
Stars in a constellation are not connected

by relative distances.
Zodiacal signs vs.
Constellations
•“Constellation” is a modern,
well-defined term
- Some constellations are big, some
are small on the celestial sphere
•“Zodiacal sign” is the old

way of dividing the year and
the Sun’s path into 12 equal
parts
- 3600/12=300 Each zodiacal sign is exactly 30 degrees
- 0 degrees: Aries
- 30 degrees: Taurus
- 60 degrees: Gemini
- 90 degrees: Cancer
Spring (vernal) Equinox
• The Spring Equinox happens when the sun enters
the zodiacal sign of Aries,
• But is actually located in the constellation of Pisces.
Precession of the equinoxes
The dawning of the age of

Aquarius
Precession period of 26,000 Years
Motion of Sun, Moon and other
Planets
• All major bodies in the Solar System move around
ecliptic
• Slow drift (from W to E) against the background of
stars
All planets move in same plane
except Pluto
Pluto’s strange Orbit
• Very far out there: 40 A.U. • Very eccentric orbit:
• Pluto’s year = 248 Earth • Perihelion: 30 A.U.
years (inside the Neptune orbit!)
• Orbit inclined 17° w.r.t. • Aphelion: 50 A.U.
ecliptic
Is Pluto a planet?
• Orbit too
weird
• Too small
• Today Pluto
may not be
classified as
a planet?
Why do all planets move in
the same plane?
• Reason: Formation
process of the Solar
System
• Condenses from a rotating
cloud of gas and dust
• Conservation of angular
momentum flattens it
• Dust helps cool the nebula
and acts as seeds for the
clumping of matter
Formation of Planets
• Orbiting dust –
planitesimals
• Planitesimals collide
• Different elements form in
different regions due to
temperature
• Asteroids
• Remaining gas
Motion of the Moon
• Moon shines not by its own light but by
reflected light of Sun
• Moon revolves around the Earth
• period of revolution = 1 month
Phases of the Moon
Retrograde motion of the Planets
Planets usually move from W to E relative to the stars, but

sometimes strangely turn around in a loop, the so called
retrograde motion.
The heliocentric Explanation
of retrograde planetary motion
Eclipses
• One celestial object hidden by other or in
the shadow of another
• Solar eclipse: sun hidden by the moon
• Lunar eclipse: moon in earth’s shadow (sun
hidden from moon by earth)
• Also: eclipses of Jupiter’s moons, etc.
• Most spectacular because moon and sun
appear to be the same size from earth
Solar Eclipses
• Umbra – region of total shadow

• Penumbra – region of partial shadow
• Totality lasts only a few minutes!
• Why isn’t there a solar eclipse every month?
Solar Corona
Why isn’t there
an eclipse
every month ?
Answer:
because the
Moon’s orbit is
inclined with
respect to the
ecliptic
Lunar Eclipses
Moon moves
into earth’s
shadow…
Summary
• There are 2 models of the Universe
• Geocentric Heliocentric
• All movements in the night sky are a result of
the Rotation of the Earth.
• The Sun, Moon, and Planets are found on the
Plane of the Ecliptic.
• Eclipses occur when the Earth (lunar) or the
Moon (solar) blocks the rays of the Sun.

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Positions of The Sun, Moon, Stars and Distant Galaxies, Nebulas and Quasars. Motion of Objects

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Basic Observations in

• Axis through Earth’s

• Zenith – the point right

• Meridian – the line from

• Your local sky –

• Stars rotate around

• after 1/2 year

Established to insure that sun is at highest point

Path around sun

• Sun, moon, planets

In Winter sun in Sagittarius, Gemini at night sky

Orion as seen at night Orion as imagined by men

Stars in a constellation are not connected

•“Zodiacal sign” is the old

The dawning of the age of

Planets usually move from W to E relative to the stars, but

• Umbra – region of total shadow

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