Winter UE #1 Introducing The Night Sky

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Los Angeles Trade Technical College *

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005

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Astronomy

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Feb 20, 2024

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Introducing the Winter Night Sky (Unaided Eye Exercise #1, Winter Intersession) Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________________ Materials: Star Chart, Red Flashlight, Clear Sky Purpose of Exercise: This exercise will help you get familiar with some of the stars , asterisms , constellations and planets visible in the night sky during the fall season. You will also gain experience using your star chart . Procedures: When you arrive at your observing spot, take a moment to notice your surroundings and get comfortable. 1. While your eyes are adjusting to the dark, take a few moments to scan the heavens and see how the sky looks. a. How clear is the sky? (Ex. Crystal clear, very clear, pretty clear, somewhat cloudy, very cloudy, time to go back indoors…). The sky is clear when the atmosphere is free of clouds and the upper atmosphere is free of water vapor, dust, and other pollutants that can obscure the sky. b. Are most of the stars you see located near the horizon, or closer to overhead? If you look toward the horizon, the stars you see will likely be twinkling more than the stars overhead. This is because the light from the stars near the horizon has to pass through more of Earth's atmosphere, causing it to be affected by atmospheric turbulence. The turbulence causes the light to scatter in different directions, resulting in the twinkling effect. In contrast, the stars overhead have a shorter path through the atmosphere, so the effects of turbulence are less pronounced. Find the appropriate star chart for the night on which you are observing. Remember that the chart is meant to be read when held over your head. That may be awkward, so when facing a certain direction, (North, South, East or West), hold the star chart with that direction at the bottom of the page. 2. Look towards the Northeast, and try to find the ‘Big Dipper’ asterism. a. How many stars in the Big Dipper are visible from your location at this time? Seven stars b. In the box on the right, draw a diagram of the Big Dipper asterism the way it looks to you in the sky. constellation Ursa Major (Use a dot to represent a star.) c. Write the name of each star of the Big Dipper near each dot on your diagram. (Hint: Use Map 1 to find answer.) Alpha Ursae Majoris (Polaris) Delta Ursae Majoris Epsilon Ursae Majoris Zeta Ursae Majoris Theta Ursae Majoris d. What constellation is the Big Dipper in? constellation Ursa Major (Use Map 1 to find answer.) 3. The two end stars in the bowl of the dipper (the two stars furthest from the handle) point towards a fairly bright star in the direction due North. Find this star with your eyes. (Ask for help if you are not sure which star to look at.) 3

a. What is the name of this star? Alcor b. Which asterism does this star belong to? Ursa Major c. Some of the stars in this asterism are pretty faint, and can only be seen on a clear dark night. How many of the seven stars in this asterism can you see tonight? (Look carefully) Little Dipper d. Which constellation does this asterism belong to? The two end stars in the bowl of the dipper (the two stars furthest from the handle) point towards a fairly bright star in the direction due North. This star is called as Alcor. Alcor is a binary star system located in the constellation of Ursa Major. Alcor is the brightest star in the asterism known as the "Little Dipper". Alcor is not visible to the naked eye, but can be seen with the help of a telescope or binoculars. Tonight, we can see 5 stars in the Little Dipper asterism. The Little Dipper asterism belongs to the constellation of Ursa Major 4. Another very noticeable (and well known) asterism that is visible this time of year is Orion’s Belt (Map 3). Find this asterism in the sky . There should be 2 other bright stars near the belt. One star is ‘above’ and one ‘below’ the belt. a. Find these stars in the sky, and then draw a diagram (on reverse) showing the relative positions of all 5 stars. Orion is usually visible in the night sky during winter months in the northern hemisphere. Look for a pattern of stars that resembles an hourglass or bowtie, with Orion's Belt as its central feature. The three stars that form Orion's Belt are named Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. They are evenly spaced and appear in a straight line. Above the Belt: Betelgeuse is a bright reddish star located above the left (eastern) side of Orion's Belt. Below the Belt: Rigel is a bright blue-white star located below the right (western) side of Orion's Belt. Draw a simple representation of Orion's Belt with three stars in a straight line. b. Place Betelgeuse above the left side and Rigel below the right side of the Belt. Betelgeuse, known as 58 Orionis, is a red giant star located in Orion's constellation, characterized by its significant size and brightness as the 8th brightest star in the sky. It's observable with the Hubble Space Telescope and marks a later stage in stellar evolution. c. Add labels for each star (Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, Betelgeuse, and Rigel). Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka form Orion's Belt, which is part of the Orion constellation. The asterism made up of Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka is known as Orion's Belt. These three bright stars are found in a straight line and are part of the larger Orion constellation which depicts a hunter from Greek mythology. Orion's Belt is easily identifiable in the night sky and is a popular guide for amateur astronomers to locate other stars and constellations. d. You can also include other nearby stars or constellations to make the diagram more accurate. The diagram that you are referring to is known as a star chart or celestial map. It is used to show the position of stars and other astronomical objects in the sky. e. To make the diagram more accurate, you can include other nearby stars or constellations. This will help to better illustrate the position of the selected star in relation to its surroundings. Polaris, also known as the North Star, is located in the constellation of Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. More specifically, it is at the end of the 'handle' of the Little Dipper, an asterism within Ursa Minor. In terms of its relative location to other constellations, you can locate Polaris by finding the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major. There are two stars on the outer edge of the Big Dipper's 'bowl' known as the 'Pointers'. Draw a straight line upward from these Pointers and they lead you directly to Polaris. f. Write the name of each star next to the dot on your diagram. Astronomers use the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to trace the evolutionary stage of a star. This is a plot of temperature versus brightness, and as stars are born, live and die, they move in regular patterns around the Hertzsprung-Rusell diagram. g. During class the position of ‘Orion’s sword and of the ‘shield’ of Orion may be discussed. Try to first find these stars on the sky, and then add a dot to your diagram (in the appropriate location) for each star you see of the sword and shield. In Maya tradition, the three stars arranged in a triangle below the 'belt' of Orion, with the Orion nebula in the center, represent d. three hearthstones producing smoke. This representation is linked with the Maya worldview, where the constellation Orion holds significant cultural and mythological meanings. Imagining a cosmic hearth in the skyscape, the Maya perceived these three stars as hearthstones with the Orion nebula being the smoke rising from the burning fire underneath. This celestial formation was interpreted as the hearth of creation, symbolizing the origin and sustenance of life. h. On your diagram, lightly draw in the figure of Orion. In mythology who was Orion? In Greek mythology, Orion was a giant and a hunter. He was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Euryale, a Gorgon. Orion was known for his exceptional hunting skills and strength. According to different myths, his birth and parentage may vary. One well-known story involves Orion's pursuit of the Pleiades, the seven sisters, and his eventual placement in the night sky as a constellation by the gods. 4

i. Who (or what) is Orion hunting? (Name the constellation and animal) Orion is a prominent constellation in the night sky, and in Greek mythology, Orion is often associated with hunting. The animal associated with Orion's hunting is the mythical beast known as Taurus, the Bull. According to the myth, Orion is depicted as a hunter, and his pursuit of Taurus is a significant part of the story 5. The region of the sky where Orion is located has many interesting stars and other features located near it. The region is encompassed loosely by a set of bright stars known as the‘Winter Circle’ (or ‘Winter Hexagon’). The six stars that make up the Winter Circle are Rigel, Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Capella,and Aldebaran. Use Map 3 and Map 4 to help you locate these six stars in the sky . a. Which one of these stars appears the brightest? The "yellow star" at the core of the solar system is referred to as the sun. It makes the earth's climate heated. b. Which one of these stars appears the reddest? Star A, Star B, Star C c. The star with the highest temperature is ranked as follows; The star with the highest temperature is typically classified as an O-type star. O-type stars are very hot, with surface temperatures exceeding 30,000 kelvins (K). These stars appear blue-white in color and are among the hottest objects in the universe. The classification of stars is based on the spectral types, and O-type stars are at the high end of the temperature scale. d. Use your star chart to find the name of the constellation that each star is located in. Star Constellation Rigel Orion Sirius Canis Major Procyon Canis Minor Pollux Gemini Capella Auriga Aldebaran Taurus Diagram of Orion (Question 4.) e. Which of these constellations are ‘Zodiac’ constellations? Aries,Taurus,Gemini,Cancer,Leo,Virgo,Libra,Scorpius,Sagittarius,Capricornus,Aquarius,Pisces f. Why are Sirius and Procyon sometimes referred to as the ‘dog stars’? because they are the brightest stars in their respective constellations, and their rising coincides with the hot and sultry days of summer. In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans associated the rising of Sirius with the hottest part of the year, which is why it became known as the "Dog Star." 6. There are several other types of objects often visible in the night sky. Within our Solar System we have 5 different planets that can be seen with the unaided eye at various times throughout the year. One way to tell that you are looking at a planet and not a star is that the planets visible to the unaided eye are usually brighter than most stars and also the planets do not tend to twinkle as much as the stars. Which planets are visible tonight? Which constellation is each one in? What color do you see for each planet? Planet Constellation Color of Planet 1. ________________ ____________________ ______________ 2. ________________ ____________________ ______________ Finally take a look at the Moon if it is up. What phase is the moon in? Full Moon What constellation is the Moon in? The moon moves through the zodiac constellation Conclusion: Write a few sentences below summarizing this exercise. Describe briefly what you learned. Make mention of how clear the sky was, and if the sky condition changed as the night went on. Also mention any difficulties you encountered in performing the exercise. If you need more space attach another page. I never took this type of class, but I am taking the challenge 5

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Winter UE #1 Introducing The Night Sky

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