1. Today, in modern times, there are _____ official constellations.

88

2. Most stars rise in the east and set in the west but _________________ stars never set.

circumpolar

3. The Greek letter alpha () is used to designate the ______________ star in a constellation.

brightest

4. The daily motion of the stars is caused by the Earth’s ________________.

rotation

5. About how many stars in our sky are actually single stars?

1 in 4

Why do constellations gradually move westward across the sky?

The orbit of the earth around the sun causes the constellations to gradually move westward across the sky.

7. What does the edge of the oval on the planesphere represent?

Your horizon

8. Describe how you can tell when a star reaches its highest point in the sky,

It’s highest when it crosses the meridian

Observe the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) Observe the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). During what month at 10 PM is the handle nearly horizontal as shown in this picture?

April

You are observing and waiting for the constellation Orion to rise on the night of October 15. Approximately what time will this occur?

Approximately halfway up at 11:15 – 11:30 pm