Annapaola & Francesca Donateo present

ASTRONOMY

What’s astronomy? It’s the branch of geography which helps us to get acquainted with the sky. It is also the study of the sun, the moon, the planets and other astronomical bodies. It includes learning about the Earth, because the Earth, too, is a planet.

What are stars? When we observe the sky on a clear, dark night, the first thing that we note are the stars, seen as little pinpoints of light. But …

Stars Stars are astronomical body of gaseous composition, animated by nuclear reactions, able to give out energy in the form of electromagnetic radiations. They are made of helium and hydrogen.

Often stars appear grouped in pictures that we called constellations Often stars appear grouped in pictures that we called constellations. However stars aren’t at the same distance … it’s only an illusion of the observer. The most important constellations are …

Orion Orion is a constellation formed by 130 stars and the alignment of three of them form the so-called Orion’s belt.

Ursa Maior and Ursa Minor Ursa Major is a constellation of typical boreal skies, its seven brightest stars, grouped in the famous Big Dipper asterism, are visible throughout the year in the northern hemisphere. Ursa Minor is a constellation of the northern sky. It is especially known because within it lies the north celestial pole, although its position is subject to a continuous, slow movement due to the precession of the Earth's rotation. The Little Dipper is easily identifiable because, once detected the Big Dipper, you can reach the Pole Star, the brightest star in Ursa Minor

Cassiopeia Cassiopeia is a northern constellation, representing Cassiopeia, the legendary queen of Ethiopia. The constellation is easily recognized by its shape W or M.

Observing the sky, it seem that everything revolve around the Earth, that appeared to be the motionless of the universe. But today we know that only the moon revolves around the planet. The Earth itself travels around the Sun with other seven planets in the Solar System.

The Sun is the centre of the Solar System, around which everything revolves. It is also the only source of energy, the same that terrestrial organisms exploit to perform their normal activities. The Sun is one of numerous stars that form our galaxy, called the Milky Way.

Milky way It’s an enormous discus of stars (100 milliards) long about 100 000 light-years and thick 10 000 light-years. It’s characterized by a central swelling , called galactic nucleus, from which depart arms, where the density of the stars is higher.

The solar system

The solar system is the planetary system formed by a variety of celestial bodies kept in orbit by the force of gravity of the Sun, the Earth also belongs to it. Is composed of eight planets, by their natural satellites, five dwarf planets and billions of small bodies. The planets that compose it are …

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Thanks for your attention. The end Thanks for your attention.