DOCSLIB.ORG

Observer's Handbook 1967

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1967 Fifty-ninth Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Price One Dollar THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Incorporated 1890 — Royal Charter 1903 The National Office of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is located at 252 College Street, Toronto 2B, Ontario. The business office of the Society, reading rooms and astronomical library, are housed here, as well as a large room for the accommodation of telescope making groups. Membership in the Society is open to anyone interested in astronomy. Applicants may affiliate with one of the Society’s seventeen centres across Canada, or may join the National Society direct. Centres of the Society are established in St. John’s, Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, London, Windsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto. Addresses of the Centres’ secretaries may be obtained from the National Office. Publications of the Society are free to members, and include the J o u r n a l (6 issues per year) and the O b s e r v e r ’s H a n d b o o k (published annually in November). Annual fees of $7.50 are payable October 1 and include the publi­ cations for the following year. Requests for additional information regarding the Society or its publications may be sent to 252 College Street, Toronto 2B, Ontario. VISITING HOURS AT SOME CANADIAN OBSERVATORIES David Dunlap Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ont. Wednesday afternoons, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Saturday evenings, April through October (by reservation). Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, B.C. Monday to Friday, daytime, no programme. Saturday evenings, April through November. Dominion Observatory, Ottawa. Ont. Monday to Friday, daytime, rotunda only. Saturday evenings, April through October. Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, Penticton, B.C. Sunday, July and August only (2:00-5:30 p.m.). Planetariums: Dow Planetarium, Montreal, P.Q. Performances in English: Monday through Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; also Saturday, 1:00 and Sunday, 2:15 p.m. Evenings (except Monday) 8:15. In French: Monday through Saturday, 2:15 p.m. Sunday 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. Evenings (except Monday) 9:30. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont. (group reservations only). Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, Tuesday only, 8:00 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Planetarium, Edmonton, Alta., Monday-Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. (closed Thursday), Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Sunday, 2:00-4:00 p.m. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man., Tuesdays 8:30 p.m., Thursdays, 7:30 and 9:00 p.m. (closed April and May). THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1967 E d it o r R u t h J . N o r th c o t t Fifty-ninth Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2 5 2 C o l l e g e S t r e e t , T o r o n t o 2 B , O n t a r io CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. 3 Anniversaries and Festivals; Julian Day Calendar....................................................3 Symbols and A bbreviations .......................................................................................... 4 The Constellations............................................................................................................. 5 Ephemeris of the Sun and Correction to S un-dial.................................................... 7 Principal Elements of the Solar S ystem ....................................................................... 8 Satellites of the Solar System .......................................................................................... 9 Solar, Sidereal and Ephemeris T im e ............................................................................10 Map of Standard Time Zones; Radio Time Signals.................................................. 11 Times of Rising and Setting of the Sun and M oon .................................................. 12 Sunrise and S u n s e t ...............................................................................................13 Beginning and Ending of T w ilight..................................................................... 19 Moonrise and M oonset ........................................................................................ 20 The Sun and P lan ets .....................................................................................................26 The Sky and Astronomical Phenomena Month by M o n th ...............................32 Phenomena of Jupiter’s Satellites..................................................................................56 Saturn’s S a te l li te s ...................................................................... 57 Jupiter’s Belts and Zones; Dimensions of Saturn’s R in g s ..................................... 59 Longitudes of Jupiter’s Central M e rid ia n ...............................................................60 The Polar A u ro ra ........................................................................................................... 61 The Observation of the M oon ........................................................................................ 61 Ephemeris for the Physical Observation of the Sun..................................................63 Eclipses; Lunar Occultations ........................................................................................ 64 Planetary Appulses and Occultations........................................................................... 69 Opposition Ephemerides of the Brightest Asteroids..................................................69 Meteors, Fireballs and Meteorites..................................................................................71 Table of Precession for 50 Y ears ..................................................................................72 Finding List of Named S ta rs ........................................................................................ 73 The Brightest Stars, their magnitudes, types, proper motions, distances and radial velocities and navigation s t a r s ...............................................................74 Double and Multiple Stars...............................................................................................85 The Nearest S ta rs ........................................................................................................... 86 Variable S t a r s ..................................................................................................................88 Cluster and Nebulae Star C lusters ........................................................................................................... 90 Galactic N ebulae .....................................................................................................92 External Galaxies.....................................................................................................93 Radio Sources ..................................................................................................................95 Four Circular Star M a p s .............................................................................................. 96 PRINTED IN CANADA BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS THE OBSERVER’S HANDBQOK for 1967 is the 59th edition. The times of sunrise and sunset, and of twilight, are again the values for the current year. The tables of star clusters and galaxies have been revised and expanded. Cordial thanks are offered to all individuals who assisted in the preparation of this edition, to those whose names appear in the various sections and to Barbara Gaizauskas, Helen Sawyer Hogg, Joan Hube, Adriana Huyer, Albert Semelman, William Sherwood, Maude Town, Isabel Williamson, and Dorothy Yane. Special thanks are extended to Margaret W. Mayall, Director of the A.A.V.S.O., for the predictions of Algol and the variable stars and to Gordon E. Taylor and the British Astronomical Association for the prediction of planetary appulses and occultations. My deep indebtedness to the British Nautical Almanac Office and to the American Ephemeris is gratefully acknowledged. R u t h J. N o r th c o t t A NNIVERSARIES AND FESTIVALS, 1967 New Year’s Day ......... Sun. Jan. 1 Trinity Sunday............. M ay 21 E piphany...................... Fri. Jan. 6 Victoria Day................ Mon. May 22 Septuagesima Sunday. J a n . 22 Corpus C hristi............... Thu. M ay 25 Quinquagesima (Shrove St. John Baptist (Mid­ S unday)...................... 5 summer Day)............. Sat. June 24 Accession of Queen Dominion Day............... Sat. July 1 Elizabeth (1952). Mon. Feb. 6 Birthday of Queen Mother Ash Wednesday.......... Feb. 8 Elizabeth (1900) Fri. Aug. 4 St. D avid ...................... Wed. Mar. 1 Labour Day ................... Mon. Sept. 4 St. Patrick................... Fri. Mar. 17 St. Michael (Michael­ Palm Sunday............... Mar. 19 mas D a y ).................... Fri. Sept. 29 Good Friday................ 24 Hebrew New Year........ Easter Sunday............. 26 (Rosh Hashanah) .Thu. Oct. 5 Birthday of Queen Thanksgiving.................. Mon. Oct. 9 Elizabeth (1926) .Fri. Apr. 21 All Saints’ D ay ............. Wed. Nov. 1 St. George.................... .Sun. Apr. 23 Remembrance Day Sat. Nov. 11 Rogation Sunday......... Apr. 30 St. A ndrew ..................... Thu. Nov. 30 Ascension Day.............. .Thu. May 4 First Sunday in Advent......... Dec. 3 Pentecost (Whit Sunday). May 14 Christmas Day .............. Mon. Dec. 25 JULIAN DAY CALENDAR, 1967 J.D. 2,430,000 plus the following: Jan. 1
Recommended publications
  • The Evening Sky Map a DECEMBER 2018 N

    The Evening Sky Map a DECEMBER 2018 N

    I N E D R I A C A S T N E O D I T A C L E O R N I G D S T S H A E P H M O O R C I . Z N O n i f d o P t o ) l a h O N r g i u s , o Z l t P h I C e r o N R ( I o r R r O e t p h C H p i L S t D E E a g r i . H ( B T F e O h T NORTH D R t h N e M e E s A G X O U e A H m M C T i . I n P i N d S L E E m P Z “ e E A N Dipper t e H O NORTHERN HEMISPHERE o M T R r T The Big The N Y s H h . E r o ” E K Alcor & e w ) t W S . s e . T u r T Mizar l E U p W C B e R e a N l W D k b E s T u T MAJOR W H o o The Evening Sky Map A DECEMBER 2018 n E C D O t FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY URSA S e L h K h e t Y E m R d M A n o A a r Thuban S SKY MAP SHOWS HOW P Get Sky Calendar on Twitter n T 1 i n C A 3 E g R M J http://twitter.com/skymaps O Sky Calendar – December 2018 o d B THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS U M13 f n O N i D “ f L D e T DRACO A o c NE O I t I e T EARLY DEC PM T 8 m P t S i 3 Moon near Spica (morning sky) at 9h UT.
  • Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Second Edition

    Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Second Edition

    RASC Observing Committee Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Second Edition Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Welcome to the Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Program. This program is designed to provide the observer with a well-rounded introduction to the night sky visible from North America. Using this observing program is an excellent way to gain knowledge and experience in astronomy. Experienced observers find that a planned observing session results in a more satisfying and interesting experience. This program will help introduce you to amateur astronomy and prepare you for other more challenging certificate programs such as the Messier and Finest NGC. The program covers the full range of astronomical objects. Here is a summary: Observing Objective Requirement Available Constellations and Bright Stars 12 24 The Moon 16 32 Solar System 5 10 Deep Sky Objects 12 24 Double Stars 10 20 Total 55 110 In each category a choice of objects is provided so that you can begin the certificate at any time of the year. In order to receive your certificate you need to observe a total of 55 of the 110 objects available. Here is a summary of some of the abbreviations used in this program Instrument V – Visual (unaided eye) B – Binocular T – Telescope V/B - Visual/Binocular B/T - Binocular/Telescope Season Season when the object can be best seen in the evening sky between dusk. and midnight. Objects may also be seen in other seasons. Description Brief description of the target object, its common name and other details. Cons Constellation where object can be found (if applicable) BOG Ref Refers to corresponding references in the RASC’s The Beginner’s Observing Guide highlighting this object.
  • MARS an Overview of the 1985–2006 Mars Orbiter Camera Science

    MARS an Overview of the 1985–2006 Mars Orbiter Camera Science

    MARS MARS INFORMATICS The International Journal of Mars Science and Exploration Open Access Journals Science An overview of the 1985–2006 Mars Orbiter Camera science investigation Michael C. Malin1, Kenneth S. Edgett1, Bruce A. Cantor1, Michael A. Caplinger1, G. Edward Danielson2, Elsa H. Jensen1, Michael A. Ravine1, Jennifer L. Sandoval1, and Kimberley D. Supulver1 1Malin Space Science Systems, P.O. Box 910148, San Diego, CA, 92191-0148, USA; 2Deceased, 10 December 2005 Citation: Mars 5, 1-60, 2010; doi:10.1555/mars.2010.0001 History: Submitted: August 5, 2009; Reviewed: October 18, 2009; Accepted: November 15, 2009; Published: January 6, 2010 Editor: Jeffrey B. Plescia, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University Reviewers: Jeffrey B. Plescia, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University; R. Aileen Yingst, University of Wisconsin Green Bay Open Access: Copyright 2010 Malin Space Science Systems. This is an open-access paper distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: NASA selected the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) investigation in 1986 for the Mars Observer mission. The MOC consisted of three elements which shared a common package: a narrow angle camera designed to obtain images with a spatial resolution as high as 1.4 m per pixel from orbit, and two wide angle cameras (one with a red filter, the other blue) for daily global imaging to observe meteorological events, geodesy, and provide context for the narrow angle images. Following the loss of Mars Observer in August 1993, a second MOC was built from flight spare hardware and launched aboard Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) in November 1996.
  • Martian Crater Morphology

    Martian Crater Morphology

    ANALYSIS OF THE DEPTH-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIP OF MARTIAN CRATERS A Capstone Experience Thesis Presented by Jared Howenstine Completion Date: May 2006 Approved By: Professor M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Professor Christopher Condit, Geology Professor Judith Young, Astronomy Abstract Title: Analysis of the Depth-Diameter Relationship of Martian Craters Author: Jared Howenstine, Astronomy Approved By: Judith Young, Astronomy Approved By: M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Approved By: Christopher Condit, Geology CE Type: Departmental Honors Project Using a gridded version of maritan topography with the computer program Gridview, this project studied the depth-diameter relationship of martian impact craters. The work encompasses 361 profiles of impacts with diameters larger than 15 kilometers and is a continuation of work that was started at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas under the guidance of Dr. Walter S. Keifer. Using the most ‘pristine,’ or deepest craters in the data a depth-diameter relationship was determined: d = 0.610D 0.327 , where d is the depth of the crater and D is the diameter of the crater, both in kilometers. This relationship can then be used to estimate the theoretical depth of any impact radius, and therefore can be used to estimate the pristine shape of the crater. With a depth-diameter ratio for a particular crater, the measured depth can then be compared to this theoretical value and an estimate of the amount of material within the crater, or fill, can then be calculated. The data includes 140 named impact craters, 3 basins, and 218 other impacts. The named data encompasses all named impact structures of greater than 100 kilometers in diameter.
  • The Observer's Handbook for 1912

    The Observer's Handbook for 1912

    T he O bservers H andbook FOR 1912 PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA E d i t e d b y C. A, CHANT FOURTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION TORONTO 198 C o l l e g e St r e e t Pr in t e d fo r t h e So c ie t y 1912 T he Observers Handbook for 1912 PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA TORONTO 198 C o l l e g e St r e e t Pr in t e d fo r t h e S o c ie t y 1912 PREFACE Some changes have been made in the Handbook this year which, it is believed, will commend themselves to observers. In previous issues the times of sunrise and sunset have been given for a small number of selected places in the standard time of each place. On account of the arbitrary correction which must be made to the mean time of any place in order to get its standard time, the tables given for a particualar place are of little use any­ where else, In order to remedy this the times of sunrise and sunset have been calculated for places on five different latitudes covering the populous part of Canada, (pages 10 to 21), while the way to use these tables at a large number of towns and cities is explained on pages 8 and 9. The other chief change is in the addition of fuller star maps near the end. These are on a large enough scale to locate a star or planet or comet when its right ascension and declination are given.
  • Chapter 16 the Sun and Stars

    Chapter 16 the Sun and Stars

    Chapter 16 The Sun and Stars Stargazing is an awe-inspiring way to enjoy the night sky, but humans can learn only so much about stars from our position on Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope is a school-bus-size telescope that orbits Earth every 97 minutes at an altitude of 353 miles and a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) transmits images and data from space to computers on Earth. In fact, HST sends enough data back to Earth each week to fill 3,600 feet of books on a shelf. Scientists store the data on special disks. In January 2006, HST captured images of the Orion Nebula, a huge area where stars are being formed. HST’s detailed images revealed over 3,000 stars that were never seen before. Information from the Hubble will help scientists understand more about how stars form. In this chapter, you will learn all about the star of our solar system, the sun, and about the characteristics of other stars. 1. Why do stars shine? 2. What kinds of stars are there? 3. How are stars formed, and do any other stars have planets? 16.1 The Sun and the Stars What are stars? Where did they come from? How long do they last? During most of the star - an enormous hot ball of gas day, we see only one star, the sun, which is 150 million kilometers away. On a clear held together by gravity which night, about 6,000 stars can be seen without a telescope.
  • Winter Observing Notes

    Winter Observing Notes

    Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory Winter Observing Notes Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Winter Tour of the Sky with the Naked Eye NGC 457 CASSIOPEIA eta Cas Look for Notice how the constellations 5 the ‘W’ swing around Polaris during shape the night Is Dubhe yellowish compared 2 Polaris to Merak? Dubhe 3 Merak URSA MINOR Kochab 1 Is Kochab orange Pherkad compared to Polaris? THE PLOUGH 4 Mizar Alcor Figure 1: Sketch of the northern sky in winter. North 1. On leaving the planetarium, turn around and look northwards over the roof of the building. To your right is a group of stars like the outline of a saucepan standing up on it’s handle. This is the Plough (also called the Big Dipper) and is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The top two stars are called the Pointers. Check with binoculars. Not all stars are white. The colour shows that Dubhe is cooler than Merak in the same way that red-hot is cooler than white-hot. 2. Use the Pointers to guide you to the left, to the next bright star. This is Polaris, the Pole (or North) Star. Note that it is not the brightest star in the sky, a common misconception. Below and to the right are two prominent but fainter stars. These are Kochab and Pherkad, the Guardians of the Pole. Look carefully and you will notice that Kochab is slightly orange when compared to Polaris. Check with binoculars. © Rob Peeling, CaDAS, 2007 version 2.0 Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Winter Polaris, Kochab and Pherkad mark the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.
  • Jet-Induced Star Formation in 3C 285 and Minkowski's Object⋆

    Jet-Induced Star Formation in 3C 285 and Minkowski's Object⋆

    A&A 574, A34 (2015) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201424932 & c ESO 2015 Astrophysics Jet-induced star formation in 3C 285 and Minkowski’s Object? Q. Salomé, P. Salomé, and F. Combes LERMA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS UMR 8112, 61 avenue de l’Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France e-mail: [email protected] Received 5 September 2014 / Accepted 6 November 2014 ABSTRACT How efficiently star formation proceeds in galaxies is still an open question. Recent studies suggest that active galactic nucleus (AGN) can regulate the gas accretion and thus slow down star formation (negative feedback). However, evidence of AGN positive feedback has also been observed in a few radio galaxies (e.g. Centaurus A, Minkowski’s Object, 3C 285, and the higher redshift 4C 41.17). Here we present CO observations of 3C 285 and Minkowski’s Object, which are examples of jet-induced star formation. A spot (named 3C 285/09.6 in the present paper) aligned with the 3C 285 radio jet at a projected distance of ∼70 kpc from the galaxy centre shows star formation that is detected in optical emission. Minkowski’s Object is located along the jet of NGC 541 and also shows star formation. Knowing the distribution of molecular gas along the jets is a way to study the physical processes at play in the AGN interaction with the intergalactic medium. We observed CO lines in 3C 285, NGC 541, 3C 285/09.6, and Minkowski’s Object with the IRAM 30 m telescope. In the central galaxies, the spectra present a double-horn profile, typical of a rotation pattern, from which we are able to estimate the molecular gas density profile of the galaxy.
  • Mariner to Mercury, Venus and Mars

    Mariner to Mercury, Venus and Mars

    NASA Facts National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91109 Mariner to Mercury, Venus and Mars Between 1962 and late 1973, NASA’s Jet carry a host of scientific instruments. Some of the Propulsion Laboratory designed and built 10 space- instruments, such as cameras, would need to be point- craft named Mariner to explore the inner solar system ed at the target body it was studying. Other instru- -- visiting the planets Venus, Mars and Mercury for ments were non-directional and studied phenomena the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for such as magnetic fields and charged particles. JPL additional close observations. The final mission in the engineers proposed to make the Mariners “three-axis- series, Mariner 10, flew past Venus before going on to stabilized,” meaning that unlike other space probes encounter Mercury, after which it returned to Mercury they would not spin. for a total of three flybys. The next-to-last, Mariner Each of the Mariner projects was designed to have 9, became the first ever to orbit another planet when two spacecraft launched on separate rockets, in case it rached Mars for about a year of mapping and mea- of difficulties with the nearly untried launch vehicles. surement. Mariner 1, Mariner 3, and Mariner 8 were in fact lost The Mariners were all relatively small robotic during launch, but their backups were successful. No explorers, each launched on an Atlas rocket with Mariners were lost in later flight to their destination either an Agena or Centaur upper-stage booster, and planets or before completing their scientific missions.
  • Martian Perched Craters and Large Ejecta Volume: Evidence for Episodes of Deflation in the Northern Lowlands

    Martian Perched Craters and Large Ejecta Volume: Evidence for Episodes of Deflation in the Northern Lowlands

    Meteoritics & Planetary Science 41, Nr 10, 1647–1658 (2006) Abstract available online at http://meteoritics.org Martian perched craters and large ejecta volume: Evidence for episodes of deflation in the northern lowlands Sandrine MERESSE1*, François COSTARD1, Nicolas MANGOLD1, David BARATOUX2, and Joseph M. BOYCE3 1Laboratoire IDES-Orsay, Université Paris-Sud, UMR 8148, Bat 509, 91405 Orsay, France 2Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, UMR 5562, 31400 Toulouse, France 3Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USA *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 28 October 2005; revision accepted 30 June 2006) Abstract–The northern lowland plains, such as those found in Acidalia and Utopia Planitia, have high percentages of impact craters with fluidized ejecta. In both regions, the analysis of crater geometry from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data has revealed large ejecta volumes, some exceeding the volume of excavation. Moreover, some of the crater cavities and fluidized ejecta blankets of these craters are topographically perched above the surrounding plains. These perched craters are concentrated between 40 and 70°N in the northern plains. The atypical high volumes of the ejecta and the perched craters suggest that the northern lowlands have experienced one or more episodes of resurfacing that involved deposition and erosion. The removal of material, most likely caused by the sublimation of ice in the materials and their subsequent erosion and transport by the wind, is more rapid on the plains than on the ejecta blankets. The thermal inertia difference between the ejecta and the surrounding plains suggests that ejecta, characterized by a lower thermal inertia, protect the underneath terrain from sublimation.
  • A Basic Requirement for Studying the Heavens Is Determining Where In

    A Basic Requirement for Studying the Heavens Is Determining Where In

    Abasic requirement for studying the heavens is determining where in the sky things are. To specify sky positions, astronomers have developed several coordinate systems. Each uses a coordinate grid projected on to the celestial sphere, in analogy to the geographic coordinate system used on the surface of the Earth. The coordinate systems differ only in their choice of the fundamental plane, which divides the sky into two equal hemispheres along a great circle (the fundamental plane of the geographic system is the Earth's equator) . Each coordinate system is named for its choice of fundamental plane. The equatorial coordinate system is probably the most widely used celestial coordinate system. It is also the one most closely related to the geographic coordinate system, because they use the same fun­ damental plane and the same poles. The projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere is called the celestial equator. Similarly, projecting the geographic poles on to the celest ial sphere defines the north and south celestial poles. However, there is an important difference between the equatorial and geographic coordinate systems: the geographic system is fixed to the Earth; it rotates as the Earth does . The equatorial system is fixed to the stars, so it appears to rotate across the sky with the stars, but of course it's really the Earth rotating under the fixed sky. The latitudinal (latitude-like) angle of the equatorial system is called declination (Dec for short) . It measures the angle of an object above or below the celestial equator. The longitud inal angle is called the right ascension (RA for short).
  • Constellation Studies - Equatorial Sky in Winter

    Constellation Studies - Equatorial Sky in Winter

    Phys1810: General Astronomy 1 W2014 Constellation Studies - Equatorial Sky in Winter Preparation before the observing session - Read "Notes on Observing" thoroughly. - Find all the targets listed below using Starry Night and your star charts. - Note: The observatory longitude is 97.1234° W, the latitude is 49.6452° N and elevation is 233 meters. - Observe any predicted events and record your observations during the observing session In the list of constellations below, the name of the constellation is underlined followed by the genitive case of the name in parenthesis followed by the three-letter abbreviation. Note that references to stars such as α UMa, spoken as alpha Ursae Majoris (note genitive case), literally means alpha of Ursa Major. The Greek letters are usually assigned in order of brightness in the constellation (α -- brightest). Note that the constellation, Ursa Major, is a major exception to this rule. As soon as you get to the observatory the following 3 constellations should be sketched on a full page diagram making sure that their relative positions to each other and to the horizon are drawn as accurately as possible - this means completing the sketch in about 15 minutes. You need to repeat the sketch one hour later. Be sure to indicate the time and the location of the horizon on your diagram. Ursa Major (Ursae Majoris) UMa: (The Great Bear, The Big Dipper, The Plow) Through all ages, Ursa Major has been known under various names. It is linked with the nymph Kallisto, the daughter of Lycaon, a king of Arcadia in Greek mythology. Moving along the asterism of the dipper from the lip identify the stars Dubhe (α UMa), Merak (β UMa), Phecda (γ UMa), Megrez (δ UMa), Alioth (ε UMa), Mizar (ζ UMa), and Alkaid (η UMa).