Chapter 3: Familiarizing Yourself with the Night Sky
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Gerbert of Aurillac: Astronomy and Geometry in Tenth Century Europe
October 25, 2018 15:56 WSPC/INSTRUCTION FILE Sigismondi-Gerbert International Journal of Modern Physics: Conference Series c World Scientific Publishing Company GERBERT OF AURILLAC: ASTRONOMY AND GEOMETRY IN TENTH CENTURY EUROPE COSTANTINO SIGISMONDI Sapienza University of Rome, Physics Dept., and Galileo Ferraris Institute P.le Aldo Moro 5 Roma, 00185, Italy. e-mail: [email protected] University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis - Dept. Fizeau (France); IRSOL, Istituto Ricerche Solari di Locarno (Switzerland) Received 6 Feb 2012 Revised Day Month Year Gerbert of Aurillac was the most prominent personality of the tenth century: as- tronomer, organ builder and music theoretician, mathematician, philosopher, and finally pope with the name of Silvester II (999-1003). Gerbert introduced firstly the arabic num- bers in Europe, invented an abacus for speeding the calculations and found a rational approximation for the equilateral triangle area, in the letter to Adelbold here discussed. Gerbert described a semi-sphere to Constantine of Fleury with built-in sighting tubes, used for astronomical observations. The procedure to identify the star nearest to the North celestial pole is very accurate and still in use in the XII century, when Computa- trix was the name of Polaris. For didactical purposes the Polaris would have been precise enough and much less time consuming, but here Gerbert was clearly aligning a precise equatorial mount for a fixed instrument for accurate daytime observations. Through the sighting tubes it was possible to detect equinoxes and solstices by observing the Sun in the corresponding days. The horalogium of Magdeburg was probably a big and fixed- mount nocturlabe, always pointing the star near the celestial pole. -
Lift Off to the International Space Station with Noggin!
Lift Off to the International Space Station with Noggin! Activity Guide for Parents and Caregivers Developed in collaboration with NASA Learn About Earth Science Ask an Astronaut! Astronaut Shannon Children from across the country had a Walker unique opportunity to talk with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS)! NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut Shannon Astronaut Walker and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Soichi Noguchi Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi had all of the answers! View NASA/Noggin Downlink and then try some out-of-this- world activities with your child! Why is it important to learn about Space? ● Children are naturally curious about space and want to explore it! ● Space makes it easy and fun to learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). ● Space inspires creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Here is some helpful information to share with your child before you watch Ask an Astronaut! What is the International Space Station? The International Space Station (ISS) is a large spacecraft that orbits around Earth, approximately 250 miles up. Astronauts live and work there! The ISS brings together astronauts from different countries; they use it as a science lab to explore space. Learn Space Words! Astronauts Earth An astronaut is someone who is Earth is the only planet that people have trained to go into space and learn lived on. The Earth rotates - when it is day more about it. They have to wear here and our part of the Earth faces the special suits to help them breathe. Sun, it is night on the other side of the They get to space in a rocket. -
Mathématiques Et Espace
Atelier disciplinaire AD 5 Mathématiques et Espace Anne-Cécile DHERS, Education Nationale (mathématiques) Peggy THILLET, Education Nationale (mathématiques) Yann BARSAMIAN, Education Nationale (mathématiques) Olivier BONNETON, Sciences - U (mathématiques) Cahier d'activités Activité 1 : L'HORIZON TERRESTRE ET SPATIAL Activité 2 : DENOMBREMENT D'ETOILES DANS LE CIEL ET L'UNIVERS Activité 3 : D'HIPPARCOS A BENFORD Activité 4 : OBSERVATION STATISTIQUE DES CRATERES LUNAIRES Activité 5 : DIAMETRE DES CRATERES D'IMPACT Activité 6 : LOI DE TITIUS-BODE Activité 7 : MODELISER UNE CONSTELLATION EN 3D Crédits photo : NASA / CNES L'HORIZON TERRESTRE ET SPATIAL (3 ème / 2 nde ) __________________________________________________ OBJECTIF : Détermination de la ligne d'horizon à une altitude donnée. COMPETENCES : ● Utilisation du théorème de Pythagore ● Utilisation de Google Earth pour évaluer des distances à vol d'oiseau ● Recherche personnelle de données REALISATION : Il s'agit ici de mettre en application le théorème de Pythagore mais avec une vision terrestre dans un premier temps suite à un questionnement de l'élève puis dans un second temps de réutiliser la même démarche dans le cadre spatial de la visibilité d'un satellite. Fiche élève ____________________________________________________________________________ 1. Victor Hugo a écrit dans Les Châtiments : "Les horizons aux horizons succèdent […] : on avance toujours, on n’arrive jamais ". Face à la mer, vous voyez l'horizon à perte de vue. Mais "est-ce loin, l'horizon ?". D'après toi, jusqu'à quelle distance peux-tu voir si le temps est clair ? Réponse 1 : " Sans instrument, je peux voir jusqu'à .................. km " Réponse 2 : " Avec une paire de jumelles, je peux voir jusqu'à ............... km " 2. Nous allons maintenant calculer à l'aide du théorème de Pythagore la ligne d'horizon pour une hauteur H donnée. -
The Dunhuang Chinese Sky: a Comprehensive Study of the Oldest Known Star Atlas
25/02/09JAHH/v4 1 THE DUNHUANG CHINESE SKY: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE OLDEST KNOWN STAR ATLAS JEAN-MARC BONNET-BIDAUD Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique ,Centre de Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France E-mail: [email protected] FRANÇOISE PRADERIE Observatoire de Paris, 61 Avenue de l’Observatoire, F- 75014 Paris, France E-mail: [email protected] and SUSAN WHITFIELD The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, UK E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of the star atlas included in the medieval Chinese manuscript (Or.8210/S.3326), discovered in 1907 by the archaeologist Aurel Stein at the Silk Road town of Dunhuang and now held in the British Library. Although partially studied by a few Chinese scholars, it has never been fully displayed and discussed in the Western world. This set of sky maps (12 hour angle maps in quasi-cylindrical projection and a circumpolar map in azimuthal projection), displaying the full sky visible from the Northern hemisphere, is up to now the oldest complete preserved star atlas from any civilisation. It is also the first known pictorial representation of the quasi-totality of the Chinese constellations. This paper describes the history of the physical object – a roll of thin paper drawn with ink. We analyse the stellar content of each map (1339 stars, 257 asterisms) and the texts associated with the maps. We establish the precision with which the maps are drawn (1.5 to 4° for the brightest stars) and examine the type of projections used. -
Messier Objects
Messier Objects From the Stocker Astroscience Center at Florida International University Miami Florida The Messier Project Main contributors: • Daniel Puentes • Steven Revesz • Bobby Martinez Charles Messier • Gabriel Salazar • Riya Gandhi • Dr. James Webb – Director, Stocker Astroscience center • All images reduced and combined using MIRA image processing software. (Mirametrics) What are Messier Objects? • Messier objects are a list of astronomical sources compiled by Charles Messier, an 18th and early 19th century astronomer. He created a list of distracting objects to avoid while comet hunting. This list now contains over 110 objects, many of which are the most famous astronomical bodies known. The list contains planetary nebula, star clusters, and other galaxies. - Bobby Martinez The Telescope The telescope used to take these images is an Astronomical Consultants and Equipment (ACE) 24- inch (0.61-meter) Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope. It has a focal ratio of F6.2 and is supported on a structure independent of the building that houses it. It is equipped with a Finger Lakes 1kx1k CCD camera cooled to -30o C at the Cassegrain focus. It is equipped with dual filter wheels, the first containing UBVRI scientific filters and the second RGBL color filters. Messier 1 Found 6,500 light years away in the constellation of Taurus, the Crab Nebula (known as M1) is a supernova remnant. The original supernova that formed the crab nebula was observed by Chinese, Japanese and Arab astronomers in 1054 AD as an incredibly bright “Guest star” which was visible for over twenty-two months. The supernova that produced the Crab Nebula is thought to have been an evolved star roughly ten times more massive than the Sun. -
Plotting Variable Stars on the H-R Diagram Activity
Pulsating Variable Stars and the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) Diagram: The H-R diagram is an important astronomical tool for understanding how stars evolve over time. Stellar evolution can not be studied by observing individual stars as most changes occur over millions and billions of years. Astrophysicists observe numerous stars at various stages in their evolutionary history to determine their changing properties and probable evolutionary tracks across the H-R diagram. The H-R diagram is a scatter graph of stars. When the absolute magnitude (MV) – intrinsic brightness – of stars is plotted against their surface temperature (stellar classification) the stars are not randomly distributed on the graph but are mostly restricted to a few well-defined regions. The stars within the same regions share a common set of characteristics. As the physical characteristics of a star change over its evolutionary history, its position on the H-R diagram The H-R Diagram changes also – so the H-R diagram can also be thought of as a graphical plot of stellar evolution. From the location of a star on the diagram, its luminosity, spectral type, color, temperature, mass, age, chemical composition and evolutionary history are known. Most stars are classified by surface temperature (spectral type) from hottest to coolest as follows: O B A F G K M. These categories are further subdivided into subclasses from hottest (0) to coolest (9). The hottest B stars are B0 and the coolest are B9, followed by spectral type A0. Each major spectral classification is characterized by its own unique spectra. -
Introduction to Astronomy from Darkness to Blazing Glory
Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory Published by JAS Educational Publications Copyright Pending 2010 JAS Educational Publications All rights reserved. Including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Second Edition Author: Jeffrey Wright Scott Photographs and Diagrams: Credit NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USGS, NOAA, Aames Research Center JAS Educational Publications 2601 Oakdale Road, H2 P.O. Box 197 Modesto California 95355 1-888-586-6252 Website: http://.Introastro.com Printing by Minuteman Press, Berkley, California ISBN 978-0-9827200-0-4 1 Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory The moon Titan is in the forefront with the moon Tethys behind it. These are two of many of Saturn’s moons Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA 2 Introduction to Astronomy Contents in Brief Chapter 1: Astronomy Basics: Pages 1 – 6 Workbook Pages 1 - 2 Chapter 2: Time: Pages 7 - 10 Workbook Pages 3 - 4 Chapter 3: Solar System Overview: Pages 11 - 14 Workbook Pages 5 - 8 Chapter 4: Our Sun: Pages 15 - 20 Workbook Pages 9 - 16 Chapter 5: The Terrestrial Planets: Page 21 - 39 Workbook Pages 17 - 36 Mercury: Pages 22 - 23 Venus: Pages 24 - 25 Earth: Pages 25 - 34 Mars: Pages 34 - 39 Chapter 6: Outer, Dwarf and Exoplanets Pages: 41-54 Workbook Pages 37 - 48 Jupiter: Pages 41 - 42 Saturn: Pages 42 - 44 Uranus: Pages 44 - 45 Neptune: Pages 45 - 46 Dwarf Planets, Plutoids and Exoplanets: Pages 47 -54 3 Chapter 7: The Moons: Pages: 55 - 66 Workbook Pages 49 - 56 Chapter 8: Rocks and Ice: -
TAKE-HOME EXP. # 1 Naked-Eye Observations of Stars and Planets
TAKE-HOME EXP. # 1 Naked-Eye Observations of Stars and Planets Naked-eye observations of some of the brightest stars, constellations, and planets can help us locate our place in the universe. Such observations—plus our imaginations—allow us to actively participate in the movements of the universe. During the last few thousand years, what humans have said about the universe based on naked-eye observations of the night and day skies reveals the tentativeness of physical models based solely on sensory perception. Create, in your mind's eye, the fixed celestial sphere. See yourself standing on the Earth at Observer's the center of this sphere. As you make the zenith + star-pattern drawings of this experiment, your perception may argue that the entire sphere of fixed star patterns is moving around the Earth and you. To break that illusion, you probably have to consciously shift your frame of º reference—your mental viewpoint, in this 50 up from the horizon case— to a point far above the Earth. From South there you can watch the globe of Earth slowly Observer on local horizon plane rotate you , while the universe remains essentially stationary during your viewing It is you that turns slowly underneath a fixed and unchanging pattern of lights. Naked eye observations and imagination has led to constellation names like "Big Bear" or "Big Dipper". These names don't change anything physically —except, and very importantly, they aid humans' memory and use of star patterns. A. Overview This experiment involves going outside to a location where you can observe a simple pattern of stars, including at least 2, but preferably 3 or 4 stars. -
Dhruva the Ancient Indian Pole Star: Fixity, Rotation and Movement
Indian Journal of History of Science, 46.1 (2011) 23-39 DHRUVA THE ANCIENT INDIAN POLE STAR: FIXITY, ROTATION AND MOVEMENT R N IYENGAR* (Received 1 February 2010; revised 24 January 2011) Ancient historical layers of Hindu astronomy are explored in this paper with the help of the Purân.as and the Vedic texts. It is found that Dhruva as described in the Brahmân.d.a and the Vis.n.u purân.a was a star located at the tail of a celestial animal figure known as the Úiúumâra or the Dolphin. This constellation, which can be easily recognized as the modern Draco, is described vividly and accurately in the ancient texts. The body parts of the animal figure are made of fourteen stars, the last four of which including Dhruva on the tail are said to never set. The Taittirîya Âran.yaka text of the Kr.s.n.a-yajurveda school which is more ancient than the above Purân.as describes this constellation by the same name and lists fourteen stars the last among them being named Abhaya, equated with Dhruva, at the tail end of the figure. The accented Vedic text Ekâgni-kân.d.a of the same school recommends observation of Dhruva the fixed Pole Star during marriages. The above Vedic texts are more ancient than the Gr.hya-sûtra literature which was the basis for indologists to deny the existence of a fixed North Star during the Vedic period. However the various Purân.ic and Vedic textual evidence studied here for the first time, leads to the conclusion that in India for the Yajurvedic people Thuban (α-Draconis) was Dhruva the Pole Star c 2800 BC. -
Nature Detectives
Winter 2015 Star Light, Star Bright, Let’s Find Some Stars Tonight! Finding specific stars in the night sky might seem overwhelming. All those stars! At a glance stars look like a million twinkling points of light that are impossible to sort out. But with a little information, you may discover hunting some stars is not so difficult. Turns out we don’t see a million stars. Less than a couple thousand – and usually many fewer than that – are visible to most people’s unaided eyes. The brightest and nearest stars are easily found without a telescope or binoculars. Stars Are Not Star-shaped Stars are big balls of gas that give off heat and light. Sound familiar? Isn’t that what our Sun does? Guess what, our Sun is a star. It seems confusing, but all stars are suns. Like our Sun, stars are also in the daytime sky. During the day, the Sun lights up the atmosphere so we can’t see other suns… er…stars. Pull Out and Save Our Sun isn’t even the brightest star. In fact all the stars we see at night are bigger and brighter than the Sun. It wins the brightness contest during the day simply because it is incredibly closer than all the other stars. (At night we don’t see the Sun because of Earth’s rotation. Our Sun is shining on the opposite side of Earth and we are in darkness.) Suns or Stars Appear to Rise and Set Our view of the stars changes through the night as Earth makes its daily rotation. -
Pole Star Used Finding Directions
Pole Star Used Finding Directions cold-shouldersHazel is tuppenny: some she Deuteronomy antiquate issuably docilely, and however question prudential her fumblers. Pace Noncontroversialprologising somnolently Pattie beveror or glisteringly,slumbers. Isidorian he retroceded Jakob infiltrateso latest. discriminately while Harry always stylising his pronotum entrusts When no typewriters in direction or pole star chart now show a man stopping to find directions for other stars called for fun or ursa minor inaccuracies due south. You find directions from hurting themselves using stars is used stars called the. Thus become less accurate. Amazon marketplace for finding east will find star is used celestial pole star, use the uses true? Look through that uses cookies that are setup and constellations made from true north pole star is a compass, but not always move asap, many sections of. Hi all stars and rotate about its n pole star used finding directions? After days of a line will often the easiest if you are unique sound. How stars using stars that direction from us today to use the pole descends toward the constellation ursa major constellations in lyra, used for free thesaurus. North pole using stars are used by finding direction is a bar magnets are you find. Make sure you find star or pole stars than true north poles and use a shadow will be changed its axis is. Html does this star indicates the stars! Now it if you find. This article on this is the constellations from charged by ancient middle of? The eighth largest declination is mobile, they could be made from the stick is not have both over. -
The Sky Tonight
MARCH POUTŪ-TE-RANGI HIGHLIGHTS Conjunction of Saturn and the Moon A conjunction is when two astronomical objects appear close in the sky as seen THE- SKY TONIGHT- - from Earth. The planets, along with the TE AHUA O TE RAKI I TENEI PO Sun and the Moon, appear to travel across Brightest Stars our sky roughly following a path called the At this time of the year, we can see the ecliptic. Each body travels at its own speed, three brightest stars in the night sky. sometimes entering ‘retrograde’ where they The brightness of a star, as seen from seem to move backwards for a period of time Earth, is measured as its apparent (though the backwards motion is only from magnitude. Pictured on the cover is our vantage point, and in fact the planets Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky, are still orbiting the Sun normally). which is 8.6 light-years away. Sometimes these celestial bodies will cross With an apparent magnitude of −1.46, paths along the ecliptic line and occupy the this star can be found in the constellation same space in our sky, though they are still Canis Major, high in the northern sky. millions of kilometres away from each other. Sirius is actually a binary star system, consisting of Sirius A which is twice the On March 19, the Moon and Saturn will be size of the Sun, and a faint white dwarf in conjunction. While the unaided eye will companion named Sirius B. only see Saturn as a bright star-like object (Saturn is the eighth brightest object in our Sirius is almost twice as bright as the night sky), a telescope can offer a spectacular second brightest star in the night sky, view of the ringed planet close to our Moon.