Ast 443 / Phy 517
AST 443 / PHY 517 Astronomical Observing Techniques Prof. F.M. Walter I. The Basics The 3 basic measurements: • WHERE something is • WHEN something happened • HOW BRIGHT something is Since this is science, let’s be quantitative! Where • Positions: – 2-dimensional projections on celestial sphere (q,f) • q,f are angular measures: radians, or degrees, minutes, arcsec – 3-dimensional position in space (x,y,z) or (q, f, r). • (x,y,z) are linear positions within a right-handed rectilinear coordinate system. • R is a distance (spherical coordinates) • Galactic positions are sometimes presented in cylindrical coordinates, of galactocentric radius, height above the galactic plane, and azimuth. Angles There are • 360 degrees (o) in a circle • 60 minutes of arc (‘) in a degree (arcmin) • 60 seconds of arc (“) in an arcmin There are • 24 hours (h) along the equator • 60 minutes of time (m) per hour • 60 seconds of time (s) per minute • 1 second of time = 15”/cos(latitude) Coordinate Systems "What good are Mercator's North Poles and Equators Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?" So the Bellman would cry, and the crew would reply "They are merely conventional signs" L. Carroll -- The Hunting of the Snark • Equatorial (celestial): based on terrestrial longitude & latitude • Ecliptic: based on the Earth’s orbit • Altitude-Azimuth (alt-az): local • Galactic: based on MilKy Way • Supergalactic: based on supergalactic plane Reference points Celestial coordinates (Right Ascension α, Declination δ) • δ = 0: projection oF terrestrial equator • (α, δ) = (0,0):
[Show full text]