Credit/Permission: For text, © David Jeffery. For figures etc., as specified with the figure etc. / Only for reading and use by the instructors and students of the UNLV astronomy laboratory course.
Sub Tasks:
You will only need one set of sky maps
PER GROUP---unless your
instructor directs otherwise
The set of sky maps
should be appended to the
favorite report form---unless your
instructor
asks for each group member to make a set of sky maps.
RMI Qualification: If you do NOT have a
printer, just sketch the
Unlabeled Sky Maps
by hand with enough detail for your own use.
RMI Qualification: If you do NOT have a
printer,
you will have to write out the
Constellation Tables by hand with enough detail for your own use.
They are part of your
Report Form.
The figure above
(local link /
general link: iau_scorpius_contour.html)
illustrates a tight-fitting red
contour line surrounding
the stick-figure of
a constellation labeled by its abbreviated name.
This task is to be done DURING observations and SIMULTANEOUSLY with
Task 4: Bright Star Observations.
So you have to wait until you go outside.
Only the favorite report form
requires filled-in tables---unless your
instructor directs otherwise.
Sub Tasks:
Example location specifications:
near zenith,
near nadir,
northern sky, southern sky, eastern sky, western sky, some in-between sky,
etc.
So this task has to be done SIMULTANEOUSLY with
Task 4: Bright Star Observations specified below.
Label the bright stars
shown in Table: Bright Stars
(general link:
Table: Bright Stars)
on the sky maps you printed out.
fill in the Table: Bright Stars now.
The other columns are filled in
in Task 10: Bright Star Data which is usually done
after observations.
This task is to be done DURING observations and SIMULTANEOUSLY with
Task 2: Constellation Observations.
So you have to wait until you go outside.
Only the favorite report form
requires filled-in tables---unless your
instructor directs otherwise.
Sub Tasks:
If there is time DURING the observations, observe
ONE or OTHER of the
Big Dipper
(which is
an asterism in
Ursa Major)
or Cassiopeia
and rank their brightest
stars in order of
apparent brightness
(rank 1, 2, 3, etc.)
in the tables below
(local link /
general link: Table: Big Dipper Stars;
local link /
general link: Table: Cassiopeia Stars).
Any unobservable star, just rank as
unobservable.
The sky maps below
(local link /
general link: iau_ursa_major_ekrem.html;
local link /
general link: iau_cassiopeia.html)
will allow you to identify the
stars in the
constellations.
Print both sky maps.
To print go right click on image/print preview/adjust size/print.
If the task CANNOT be done, say why NOT. Reason why NOT: _____________________________________________
Sub Tasks:
Hint: A regular sentence
begins with a capital letter,
ends with a period.
It usually has a subject
and a verb. NOT always.
The circumpolar circle angular radius (CCAR)
for the NCP
for a given location in the Northern Hemisphere
is the angle measured
from the NCP
within which astronomical objects are
circumpolar for that location
and above the horizon.
Recall circumpolar astronomical objects
are astronomical objects that NEVER rise or set---they
are always above or below the horizon.
Sub Tasks:
What is the
altitude of
Polaris for
the Northern Hemisphere in general and for
Las Vegas, Nevada in particular?
Answer in sentence form.
Sub Tasks:
Making use of TheSky,
complete the data in
Table: Bright Stars above
(local link /
general link: Table: Bright Stars)
in the
favorite report form only---unless directed otherwise
by your instructor.
Note the column "Above Horizon at 9:00 Today" makes use of the "visibility" row in the
TheSky6 information box
which gives rise and set times on the
24-hour clock.
If the rise time is after the set time, then the
star set and then rose during today's date
(see Date & Time if needed).
During tonight's observations (which are described above in
section Constellations, Bright Stars, Observations),
did you notice the
apparent rotation of the sky?
Complete this task using the
Rotating Sky Explorer
displayed in the figure below
(local link /
general link: naap_rotating_sky_explorer.html).
in the group must do the task for themselves.
Sub Tasks:
On the 3
Unlabeled Sky Maps
given in section
Constellations, Bright Stars, Observations
(local link /
general link: Unlabeled Sky Maps)
mark approximately with a contour line
the horizon
for our location
for today's date
(see Date & Time if needed) for 9:00 pm.
See the below subsection
Finding the Horizon
(local link /
general link: Finding the Horizon)
for help in finding the
horizon.
This task
takes about 15 minutes or so which may be too much time at the end of the night.
So it is omittable at the discretion of the
instructor.
EOF
With TheSkyX,
there is NO need to set the date and time.
With TheSky6 there is:
go Toolbar/Data/Time
and set to today's date and time: see
Date & Time.
RMI Qualification:
Since the TheSky
is NOT available, you will have to use
Your Sky
sky maps:
the Jan01 sky map
for the winter
night sky
and
the Jul01 sky map
for the summer
night sky.
Constellation Tables
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Table: North Polar Sky Constellations
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Constellation Observed Location in Sky Why Not Observed?
(Done in observations
task below)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Camelopardalis, CAM
Cassiopeia, CAS
Cepheus, CEP
Draco, DRA
Perseus, PER
Ursa Major, UMA
Ursa Minor, UMI
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Table: Summer Sky Constellations
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Constellation Observed Location in Sky Why Not Observed?
(Done in observations
task below)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Aquila, AQL
Bootes, BOO
Corona Borealis, CRB
Cygnus, CYG
Draco, DRA
Hercules
Lyra, LYR
Ophiuchus, OPH
Pegasus, PEG
Sagittarius, SGR
Scorpius, SCO
Virgo, VIR
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Table: Winter Sky Constellations
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Constellation Observed Location in Sky Why Not Observed?
(Done in observations
task below)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Andromeda, AND
Auriga, AUR
Canis Major, CMA
Canis Minor, CMI
Gemini, GEM
Leo, LEO
Orion, ORI
Perseus, PER
Taurus, TAU
Ursa Major, UMA
_________________________________________________________________________________________
End of Task
Nota bene:
Some bright stars
will appear on 2 sky maps:
the polar sky map
and one of the other
2 sky maps.
Label such bright stars
on both sky maps they appear on.
Click on the name of the
bright star
to see a sky map
locating it in its parent constellation.
The column "Observed Today" is filled in in
Task 4: Bright Star Observations when
you are outside observing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table: Bright Stars
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bright Star Bayer RA DEC Transit Above Horizon Observed Why Not Observed?
Desig- (h m) (deg Time at 9:00 pm Today
tion arcmin) Today (Y/N)
(Y/N)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aldebaran α TAU 4h 36m +16°31'
Algol
Altair
Antares
Arcturus
Betelgeuse
Capella
Castor
Deneb
Polaris
Pollux
Procyon
Regulus
Rigel
Sirius
Spica
Vega
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
End of Task
RMI Qualification: If you do NOT have a
printer,
you will have to hand sketch the maps in sufficient
detail for your own use.
Of course, neither
the Big Dipper
nor Cassiopeia
may be observable in which this task CANNOT be done.
_______________________________________________________________________
Table: Big Dipper Stars
_______________________________________________________________________
Star Apparent Brightness Order
_______________________________________________________________________
Alioth (ε UMA)
Alkaid (η UMA)
Dubhe (α UMA)
Megrez (δ UMA)
Merak (β UMA)
Mizar (Mizar-Alcor system)
Phecda (γ UMA)
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Table: Cassiopeia Stars
_______________________________________________________________________
Star Apparent Brightness Order
_______________________________________________________________________
α CAS (Schedar)
β CAS (Caph)
γ CAS (Tsih, Navi)
δ CAS (Ksora, Ruchbah)
ε CAS (Segin)
η CAS (Achird)
_______________________________________________________________________
End of Task
You should have already set the date and time for
TheSky6
if you are using TheSky6.
If NOT, go Toolbar/Data/Time
and set to today's date (see Date & Time if needed)
and to time 9:00 pm (unless the
instructor
says use another time) using the buttons.
The columns "Observed Today" and "Why Not Observed?" should be filled out in
Task 4: Bright Star Observations during the observations.