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Build Your Own Planisphere Make your own planisphere Dominic Ford 2014{2021 A planisphere is a simple hand-held device which shows a map of which stars are visible in the night sky at any particular time. By rotating a wheel, it shows how stars move across the sky through the night, and how different constellations are visible at different times of year. Here, I present a kit which you can download and print to make your own planisphere out of paper or cardboard. The design of a planisphere depends on the geographic location where it is to be used, since different stars are visible from different places. I have created kits for use at a wide range of latitudes, which you can download from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/ The planisphere presented in this document is designed for use at a latitude of 35◦N . What you need • Two sheets of A4 paper, or preferably thin card. • Scissors. • A split-pin fastener. • Optional: one sheet of transparent plastic, e.g. acetate designed for use with overhead projectors. • Optional: A little glue. Assembly instructions Step 1 { Planispheres look slightly different depending on where you live. The planisphere prepared in this document is designed for use anywhere on Earth which is within a few degrees of latitude 35◦N . If you live elsewhere, you should download an alternative kit from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/ Step 2 { Print the pages at the back of this PDF file, showing the star wheel and the body of the planisphere, onto two separate sheets of paper, or more preferably onto thin card. MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 2 Step 3 { Carefully cut out the star wheel and the body of the planisphere. Also cut out the shaded grey area of the planisphere's body, and if you have it, the grid of lines which you have printed onto transparent plastic. If you are using cardboard, you may wish to carefully score the body of the planisphere along the dotted line to make it easier to fold it along this line later. Step 4 { The star wheel has a small circle at its center, and the planisphere's body has a matching small circle at the bottom. Make a small hole (about 2mm across) in each. If a paper drill is to hand, these are ideal, otherwise use a compass point and enlarge the hole by turning in a circular motion. Step 5 { Slot a split-pin fastener through the middle of the star wheel, with the head of the fastener against the printed side of the star wheel. Then slot the body of the planisphere onto the same fastener, with the printed side facing the back of the fastener. Fold the fastener down to secure the two sheets of cardboard together. Step 6 (Optional) { If you printed the final page of the PDF file onto a sheet of plastic, you should now stick this grid of lines over the viewing window which you cut out from the body of the planisphere. Step 7 { Fold the body of the planisphere along the dotted line, so that the front of the star wheel shows through the window which you cut in the body. Congratulations, your planisphere is now ready for use! How to use your planisphere Turn the star wheel until you find the point around its edge where today's date is marked, and line this point up with the current time. The viewing window now shows all of the constellations that are visible in the sky. Go outside and face north. Holding the planisphere up to the sky, the stars marked at the bottom of the viewing window should match up with those that you see in the sky in front of you. Turn to face east or west, and rotate the planisphere so that the word "East" or "West" is at the bottom of the window. Once again, the stars at the bottom of the viewing window should match up with those that you see in the sky in front of you. If you printed the grid of altitude and azimuth lines onto transparent plastic, these lines let you work out how high objects will appear in the sky, and in which direction. The circles are drawn at altitudes of 10, 20, 30, ..., 80 degrees above the horizon. For reference, a distance of ten degrees roughly equates to a hand-span at arm's length. The curved lines are vertical lines connecting points on the horizon up to the point immediately above your head. They are drawn in the cardinal directions S, SSE, SE, ESE, E, etc. Customised planispheres This planisphere kit was designed using a collection of Python scripts and the pycairo graphics library. If you would like to customise your planisphere, you are welcome © 2014{2021 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3. Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/ MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 3 to download the scripts from my GitHub account and modify them, providing you credit the source: https://github.com/dcf21/planisphere License Like everything else on In-The-Sky.org, these planisphere kits are © Dominic Ford. However, everything on In-The-Sky.org is provided for the benefit of am- ateur astronomers worldwide, and you are welcome to modify and/or redistribute any of the material on this website, under the following conditions: (1) Any item that has an associated copyright text must include that unmodified text in your redistributed version, (2) You must credit me, Dominic Ford, as the original author and copyright holder, (3) You may not derive any profit from your reproduction of material on this website, unless you are a registered charity whose express aim is the advancement of astronomical science, or you have the written permission of the author. © 2014{2021 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3. Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/ MAKE YOUR OWN PLANISPHERE 4 DEZEMBER 0 20 1 31 JA 30 1 NU R 0 AR BE EM 20 Schwertfisch 2 V Fliegender Fisch 0 O N Kiel des Schiffs 0 Maler Achterdeck des Schiffs 1 3 Taube 1 Netz Grabstichel 1 F 3 1 E 0 B Großer Hund R Pendeluhr Hase U A Einhorn Schiffskompass R R 0 E 2 2 Eridanus Segel des Schiffs B 0 O Kleiner Hund Orion Wasserschlange T Chemischer Ofen K Zwillinge O Luftpumpe 2 0 Stier 8 1 Krebs Sextant Luchs Walfisch Widder Fuhrmann Kleiner Löwe Perseus 1 0 0 3 Löwe M Dreieck Großer Bär Phönix Becher Bildhauer Ä Giraffe R Fische Z Andromeda 2 Haar der Berenike der Haar R 0 Kassiopeia 0 E 2 Bär Kleiner Kreuz des Südens des Kreuz B Jagdhunde Rabe M Kepheus E T Fliege P Bärenhüter Eidechse Drache 3 0 E Zentaur Jungfrau 1 1 S Schwan Tukan Wassermann Pegasus Nördliche Krone Nördliche Leier Fuchs Kranich Schlange 1 1 Füllen 0 3 Südlicher Fisch Südlicher Herkules Delphin Pfeil A P Waage R I 2 L Adler Steinbock 0 0 Zirkel 2 Schlangenträger T Mikroskop S Wolf Indianer Schild Schlange U Schütze G 3 U 0 0 1 A Skorpion Winkelmaß Südliches Dreieck Südliches Südliche Krone Südliche 1 1 0 3 Teleskop Pfau Altar M 2 A 0 0 I 2 3 0 1 I 1 L U J 1 0 0 3 0 2 J U N I The planisphere's central star wheel, which should be sandwiched inside the folded holder. © 2014{2021 Dominic Ford. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3. Document downloaded from https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere/ SÜDEN 11PM 1AM 10PM 2AM 9PM 3AM Schneiden Sie diese graue Fläche mit der Schere aus. 8PM 4AM Dies wird das Sichtfenster, durch welches Sie auf das Sternenrad dahinter schauen. 7PM 5AM WESTEN 6PM 6AM OSTEN 5PM NORDEN 7AM PLANISPHÄRE 35°N 1 2 3 Drehen Sie das Sternenrad bis Sie am Gehen Sie nach draußen und schauen Sie Drehen Sie sich nach Osten oder Westen. äußeren Rand das heutige Datum finden nach Norden. Halten Sie die Planisphäre Dann drehen Sie die gesamte Planisphäre, und bringen Sie es in eine Linie mit der hoch in den Himmel. Die Sterne am so dass „Osten" oder „Westen" nach unten jetzigen Uhrzeit. Das Sichtfenster zeigt unteren Ende des Sichtfensters sollten mit zeigen. Abermals stimmen die Sterne am Ihnen nun alle Konstellationen, die Sie im den Sternen übereinstimmen, welche Sie unteren Rand des Sichtfensters mit denen Himmel sehen können. im Himmel vor sich sehen können. am Himmel vor Ihnen überein. Für weitere Informationen, sehen Sie https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere © Dominic Ford 2021. Für weitere Informationen, sehen Sie https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere © Dominic Ford 2021. Ford Dominic © https://in-the-sky.org/planisphere Sie sehen Informationen, weitere Für neue Konstellationen am Morgenhimmel sichtbar und verschwinden in der abendlichen Dämmerung. abendlichen der in verschwinden und sichtbar Morgenhimmel am Konstellationen neue früher aufgehen, beziehungsweise eine halbe Stunde jede Woche. Während des Jahres werden dadurch werden Jahres des Während Woche. jede Stunde halbe eine beziehungsweise aufgehen, früher Minuten weniger benötigt als ein Tag lang ist, hat dies zur Folge, dass die Sterne jeden Tag vier Minuten vier Tag jeden Sterne die dass Folge, zur dies hat ist, lang Tag ein als benötigt weniger Minuten simulieren, geht auf den griechischen Astronomen Hipparchus zurück (ca. 150 AD). Da die Rotation vier Rotation die Da AD). 150 (ca. zurück Hipparchus Astronomen griechischen den auf geht simulieren, Die Idee den Nachthimmel als flache Karte darzustellen, welche gedreht wird um die Himmelsrotation zu Himmelsrotation die um wird gedreht welche darzustellen, Karte flache als Nachthimmel den Idee Die Die Konstellationen des Nachthimmels drehen sich um den Himmelspol alle 23 Stunden und 56 Minuten.
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