Watch the Sky: Difference between revisions
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Each lab class will have a session scheduled in the Rauch Planetarium to help you learn how | Each lab class will have a session scheduled in the Rauch Planetarium to help you learn how | ||
the sky changes hour by hour and with the seasons. | the sky changes hour by hour and with the seasons. It will help if you work on this | ||
with a star chart of your own, such as you might find in an astronomy book, or in one of | with a star chart of your own, such as you might find in an astronomy book, or in one of | ||
these free resources: | these free resources: | ||
[http://www.midnightkite.com/starcharts.html Free sky maps for any place and time] | |||
[http://www.skymaps.com/ Monthly sky maps] | [http://www.skymaps.com/ Monthly sky maps with comments on what to look for] | ||
[http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance Weekly guide and news] | |||
[http://www.heavens-above.com/ Tonight's sky including artificial satellites] | [http://www.heavens-above.com/ Tonight's sky including artificial satellites] | ||
[http://www.stellarium.org/ Beautiful planetarium software for your computer] | [http://www.stellarium.org/ Beautiful planetarium software for your computer] | ||
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== Planetarium session == | == Planetarium session == | ||
In the planetarium session you will | In the planetarium session you will learn | ||
*How the Sun's path changes with seasons | *How the Sun's path changes with seasons | ||
*Where | *Where the Moon is in the sky over the monthly lunar cycle | ||
* | *How the Moon's appearance in the sky also changes during the year | ||
*Where the bright planets are now | |||
*How Earth's place in space alters the appearance of planets and comets | |||
*Where | |||
*How | |||
Latest revision as of 16:50, 2 September 2013
Each lab class will have a session scheduled in the Rauch Planetarium to help you learn how the sky changes hour by hour and with the seasons. It will help if you work on this with a star chart of your own, such as you might find in an astronomy book, or in one of these free resources:
Free sky maps for any place and time
Monthly sky maps with comments on what to look for
Tonight's sky including artificial satellites
Beautiful planetarium software for your computer
If want to pursue this and learn the night sky well, you should consider getting a plani-sphere starfinder. This is a rotating map of the sky that will show you how it appears on any date and time. Inexpensive ones may be available from a bookstore or the Planetarium. Stellarium is a desktop planetarium that displays the sky in a photo-realistic view. It is not a static map, but a dynamic moving picture of the sky as the Earth's rotation brings an ever changing view past you. It is a very good way to prepare for this lab, or to use after your lab to learn more.
Planetarium session
In the planetarium session you will learn
- How the Sun's path changes with seasons
- Where the Moon is in the sky over the monthly lunar cycle
- How the Moon's appearance in the sky also changes during the year
- Where the bright planets are now
- How Earth's place in space alters the appearance of planets and comets