Report (4)

Observing Report 1 AST112 Intro to Astro Observations Observing Report Jake W. Johnson ID#765960 12-5-2023 Central Michigan University 2. Description of the observational methods For the task of observing the sky at night over the past few months for this assignment I used my naked eye to look into the sky and make my data tables. I made my observations outside of my apartment on main street here in Mount Pleasant and sometimes had one of my buddies outside with me. I used a compass to find the azimuth of the objects in the sky that I was tasked to find and usually oriented myself with the northern star which is the brightest and easiest to see

2 in the sky. To find the altitude I usually used either stellarium or looked the information up on the internet the night or time of the observations. I learned a lot about the night sky but only wish I would have been in a better area like one of the farms outside of town to see the full scope of the night sky. 3. Observations: Constellations and Stars Table 1: Observations of Constellations Constellation/E xtended Object Date Time Days since 1 st obs Azimuth Altitude (using the fist method) Is it a circum polar? Cassiopeia 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 359° 46' 32.1" +64° 29' 58.9" yes Cassiopeia 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 317° 23' 51.0" +62° 49' 29.4" yes Cassiopeia 2023-11-6 09:58:38 44 294° 7' 39.0" +52° 24' 47.3" yes Ursa Major 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 358° 11' 25.7" +65° 10' 47.9" yes Ursa Major 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 315° 48' 44.6" +63° 30' 18.5" yes Ursa Major 2023-11-6 09:58:38 44 292° 32' 32.6" +53° 5' 36.8" yes Ursa Minor 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 0° 0' 3.4" +89° 56' 36.0" yes Ursa Minor 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 17° 23' 24.0" +71° 36' 36.0" yes Cygnus 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 71° 58' 12.0" +18° 1' 48.0" no Cygnus 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 54° 19' 48.0" +35° 40' 12.0" no Cygnus 2023-11-6 09:58:38 44 31° 40' 48.0" +58° 19' 12.0" no Table 2: Observations of Stars Object (bright star or When Observed Position in Sky Notes (including if you can see the constellation the star is

4 Mizar 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 323°01'17.0" +18°22'59.2" Ursa Major, a white or slightly yellowish tone Mizar 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 329°35'05.4" +07°45'53.9" Ursa Major, a white or slightly yellowish tone Mizar 2023-11-6 09:58:38 44 346°29'40.0" -04°38'42.4" Ursa Major, a white or slightly yellowish tone Alcor 2023-09-23 09:58:38 1 323°00'24.4" +18°34'44.1" Ursa Major also, a white or slightly yellowish tone Alcor 2023-10-15 09:58:38 22 329°30'56.6" +07°56'50.0" Ursa Major also, a white or slightly yellowish tone Alcor 2023-11-6 09:58:38 44 346°20'33.3" -04°29'30.5" Ursa Major also, a white or slightly yellowish tone Within these Two tables you can see my observation of constellations and Stars over a 44 day period. In table 1 you can see data taken of my observations of constellations from September 23, 2023 till November 6, 2023 which is a 44 day span in between the first and the last of these observations, in between I made one also on October 15,2023. In these tables you can see the altitude and azimuth of these objects in the night sky every 22 days and the changes that happen. For table 2 and the stars there are also notes involved in which constellation they are located within and the color of the star on the night of observation. In table 1 there is a note to whether the constellation is a circumpolar or not. A circumpolar are objects that continuously circle the celestial pole without ever setting, making them visible throughout the night. From the information in both table 1 and table 2 you can see the constant changes in objects visible in the night sky. Most of these changes come from east to west rotating with the orbit of the earth on its axis. Over the three observations you can see change at both a long rate of time and a short rate of time. There are some stars and constellations that set during the

5 duration of the night while others stay out all night long. Also you can see how some stars change a lot more in their azimuth compared to others based on the location of the observer and the time of the night and year. 4. Effects of the Earth’s Rotation and Revolution. Table 3: Observing a Constellation in The East, South, or West Over 180 minutes Constellation observed When Observed Position in Sky Change in position from the first observation Date Time Minute s since 1 st obs Azimuth Altitude Fomalhaut 2023-09-23 20:58:38 0 136°27'13.1 " +02°53'40.6" First Observation Fomalhaut 2023-09-23 23:58:38 180 173°31'06.3 " +16°39'27.9" The star has moved to the west significantly in only 180 minutes Figure 1.a: screenshot of first observation Figure 1.b: second screenshot of first observation

7 in direction Cassiopeia 2023-09-23 20:58:38 0 037°45'07.2" +40°54'56.9" First Observation Cassiopeia 2023-09-23 23:58:38 180 036°20'49.6" +61°31'35.9" Stayed about the same went a little east to north in direction Figure 2.a: screenshot of first observation Figure 2.b: second screenshot of Constellations Question asked: Write a description of the motion of the circumpolar patterns observed over a span of 180 minutes? Answer: All of these seem to rotate East to West around a singular point in the sky over the 180 minutes of change. I went on further and they continue to do this through days of rotations. This is due to them rotating around the poles of earth's axis. In this section I learned how the earth's rotation has an effect on how and what you can observe in the night sky. There is always a direction of rotation east to west observing the sky from Mt. Pleasant Michigan due to the latitude that we are at. 5. Observations: Moon and Planets

8 Table 5: Observing the Planets Planet When Observed Position in Sky Notes (including the color and if located near the Moon) Date Time Azimuth Altitude Mercury 2023-09-28 20:21: 56 293°08'55.0" -14°56'38.7" not by moon Mercury 2023-10-12 20:21: 56 279°50'05.0" -16°11'54.8" not by moon Mercury 2023-11-12 20:21: 56 263°09'30.1" -26°34'38.7" by moon Jupiter 2023-09-28 20:21: 56 062°22'42.1" -06°23'34.4" not by moon Jupiter 2023-10-12 20:21: 56 073°14'58.4" +03°38'56.2" not by moon Jupiter 2023-11-12 20:21: 56 109°55'33.8" +37°55'39.7" not by moon Table 6: Moon Observations When Observed Moon Position in Sky Sketch or photo Date Time Days since 1 st obs Phase Azimuth Altitude 2023-09-28 20:21:55 0 waxing gibbous 103°33'33.4" +10°05'38.4" 2023-10-02 20:21:55 4 Waning gibbous 076°43'30.5" +02°17'34.6" 2023-10-06 20:21:55 8 Last Quarter 005°00'48.5" -19°43'49.5" 2023-10-10 20:21:55 12 Waning crescent 317°51'37.5" -23°51'10.8" 2023-10-14 20:21:55 16 New Moon 270°53'16.9" -15°34'24.2" 2023-10-18 20:21:55 20 Waxing crescent 226°20'19.8" +03°18'40.5"

10 I do not believe there is any other data to document. 7. Conclusions Overall, observing the sky over a few hours shows the Earth's rotation, with the Moon and planets changing positions as they move with the rotation of the earth through the night. Tracking these changes over weeks allows us to see all of the moon's phases, from new moon, full moon, waxing and waning cycle. The data collected provides insights into the predictable patterns of Mercury and Jupiter, showing their movement relative to the moon, sun and earth. We can use this data and others like it to predict future lunar phases, the shifting positions of constellations through the weeks. All of this is revealed by the impact of Earth's orbit around the Sun on the apparent locations of stars. I have learned a lot from these observations though like I said earlier wish I was in an area where more stars and celestial bodies were visible.