Tracking Motions Worksheet Aiden Yeruva

Tracking Motions Worksheet These lab activities have evolved over many years of use in Clemson University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy general astronomy laboratory. Contributors include, in chronological order, Tom Collins, Mark Leising, Neil Miller, Peter Milne, Grant Williams, Donna Mullenax, Jessica Crist, Keith Davis, Amber Porter, Steven Bromley, and David Connick. Please direct all questions, complaints, and corrections to David Connick (dconnic@clemson.edu) who is responsible for all errors and omissions. Student Name: Aiden Yeruva Section: _______ The Sun's Yearly Motion Table 1. Month Constellation Rises (am) (Hour:minute) Sets (pm) (Hour:minute) Daylight Length (hours) Altitude (above horizon) (degrees Minutes) Jan Capricornus 07:30 5:59 10.5 +36, 55’, 45.4” Feb Aquarius 7:00 6:26 11.5 +46, 32’, 53.8” Mar Pisces 7:21 7:50 12.5 +58, 02’, 24.2” Apr Aries 6:42 8:14 13.5 +69, 07’, 58.7” May Taurus 6:20 8:37 14 +75, 40’, 50.9” June Gemini 6:21 8:48 14.5 +76, 15’, 16.3” July Cancer 6:39 8:35 14 +71, 50’, 10.8” August Leo 7:02 8:00 13 +63, 20’, 49.3” Sep Virgo 7:24 7:17 12 +52, 14’, 37.4” Oct Virgo 7:49 6:39 10 +48, 28’, 20.7” Nov Scorpius 7:18 5:20 10 +33, 32’, 56.8” Dec Sagittarius 7:37 5:29 10 +31, 40’, 18.9” 1. What month is the Sun's altitude a maximum? June 2. What month is the Sun's altitude a minimum? December 3. In which month is the length of the day the shortest? December 4. In which month is the length of the day the longest? June 5. Describe the relationship between the altitude and the length of the day.

If the sun is higher above the horizon then the day will be longer as the max altitude is in June and so is the longest day and the minimum altitude is in december and has the shortest day. __________________________________________ 6. During the longest day of the year, what is the distance from the Earth to the Sun in AU? (You will need to set the date based on your table and look at the info panel for the Sun) 1.016594 AU 7. During the shortest day of the year, what is the distance from the Earth to the Sun in AU? (You will need to set the date based on your table and look at the info panel for the Sun) 0.983373 AU 8. During lunch, you overhear a group of friends claiming that the cold weather in winter is due to the Earth being furthest from the Sun in its orbit. From your data above, is this claim true? Explain. This is true because during the winter the tilt of the sun is at the lowest which makes it farther away and closer during the summer months. 9. What is the true cause of the Seasons? (Use the information in your table and your knowledge from ASTR1010, you should mention the sun’s altitude in your answer) The cause of the seasons is how the sun is facing towards earth. The altitude of the sun during the summer is the highest which makes it hotter and during the winter the tilt of the sun is lower so it is not shining as bright. 10. Does the Sun spend an equal amount of time in every Zodiacal constellation? Why or why not? (Give examples) (Look at the path of the sun through the constellations, remember the sun moves along the ecliptic at a constant rate.) The sun does not spend equal time in each zodiacal constellation because for September and October they have the same sign which shows that the sun can not spend equal time in each constellation.

22 days 16. Now search for and center on the Moon. Does the Moon travel precisely along the ecliptic (always touch the ecliptic line)? Explain its motion relative to the ecliptic line. The moon is not always on the ecliptic line but it does move along it at times. On March 23rd 2020 the moon is close to the sun and a grid line. Set the time and date to see this in Starry Night. Search for and lock on the Sun then prepare to step time forward and answer the next questions. 17. How long does it take for the moon to return to the same grid line? (this is called the sidereal period) 30 days 18. How long does it take for the moon to get close to the sun again? (this is called the synodic period) 28 days 19. What is the difference in time for the moon to return to the same grid line (background stars) to the time it takes to return close to the sun? 2 days 20. When viewed from above the north pole, which direction does the Earth orbit the sun, and which direction does the moon orbit the earth? (think back to ASTR1010) If you looked at from above the north pole the Earth would be rotating counterclockwise around the sun and clockwise around the moon. 21. Do your best to explain the connection between the orbit directions as viewed from above and how we see the sun and moon move in the sky relative to the background stars (grid lines) from the surface of the Earth. The moon moves relative to the sun in a counterclockwise direction and takes about 27 days to make a full orbit. The sun is orbiting on the ecliptic line and all of the planets are orbiting around it and based on the closeness of the planet depends on how long the planet takes to make a full rotation around the sun.