The Naked Eye Sky

Lets go outside and look at the shape of the sky What do you notice about it? What is its shape? What analogy could you use to describe the shape of the sky?

The place where the sky meets the ground is called the horizon. Everything in the sky that is beyond our atmosphere appears to move slowly from east to west. What causes this? List the things you know about the cause.

Facing the setting sun =west Facing the rising sun =east Find north south east and west now with your partner

Thousands of years people have looked at the night sky and told stories. They created constellations (or specific groups of stars) and stories that went with them. List a story here that remember:

Orion, the Hunter When this giant met Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, her brother Apollo feared for her virginity. Apollo sent Scorpius, the Scorpion, to attack Orion, who lept into the sea to escape. Apollo then tricked his sister into shooting at a dark spot on the waves, which was actually Orion. The goddess tried to have Asclepius revive Orion, but he had already been killed by Zeus' thunderbolt. Artemis then placed Orion in the heavens, where he continues to be hunted by the scorpion.

There are 88 constellations in all. Most come from ancient Greece and Rome but there are many different origins. Different constellations are seen at different times of the year Why do you think this is true?

Some constellations are seen all year round…where would they have to located? (hint they are called circumpolar constellation)

We are going to make star maps the 4 different seasons of the year We are going to make star maps the 4 different seasons of the year. We will start with the constellations you see all year round. Ursa Major Ursa Minor Draco Cassiopea Cepheus

Notice on your map that some stars look bigger than others Notice on your map that some stars look bigger than others. This indicates magnitude or star brightness. The brighter the star the brighter the symbol Stars do not have five points but are actually large round gaseous spheres.

Keep in mind the star maps are drawn for the way the sky will look during evening hours. In the very early morning hours the stars and constellations of the next season would replace those shown on the current map. For instance if you go out at 3:00 am in late April you will not see the spring constellations but the groups from the summer charts.

Name a constellation you might see at 5:00 am on July 31st. Name another constellation you might see at 3:oo am on Dec 31st Name a constellation you can see at anytime of the year.

Look at your 4 seasonal charts Look at your 4 seasonal charts. Notice the trees and the buildings along the edge of the circular border. This represents the horizon. The center of the chart marks the zenith. Find north south east and west on your chart. The maps are drawn for 40 degrees latitude north close to us. Since we are about 8 degrees south of this line some of the stars below the southern horizon will be shown that are not on these maps.

Angle the map so that the name of the direction you are facing is angled toward the ground. Orient the map so that the names are horizontal Remember the sun is in the south at lunchtime. You need a flash light covered in red paper so you do not lose your night vision. Dark adaptation takes about 30 minutes and it will be reversed by one bright light.