1. Naked Eye Astronomy The Cycles of the Sun Summer Winter
The Sun (and everything else) rises in east and sets in west
At noon (in the northern hemisphere) it passes to the south
The angle it is at highest in the summer and lowest in the winter
This is responsible for the seasons
Seasons are not caused by changes in the Earth-Sun distance
Summer
Winter
2. What Causes Seasons?

2. The Cycle of the Stars Constellations
The Stars rise in the East and set in the West
They go around slightly faster than the Sun
Complete a cycle in one sidereal day – 23 hours 56 minutes
It looks like the stars are rotating uniformly around us on a sphere – the celestial sphere
In fact, this motion is caused by the Earth rotating once every sidereal day
Constellations
Patterns in the heavens are given names – constellations
Originally these were associated with mythological stories
We now name portions of the sky after these

3. Prof. Carlson Beats Up on Astrology
The Sun vs. the Stars
Compared to the background stars, the Sun follows a circle in the sky called the ecliptic
Over the course of the year, the Sun passes through thirteen constellations – the basis of Sun-sign Astrology
Sun completes its apparent journey in days – one year
The actual cause of this apparent motion is the motion of the Earth around the Sun
Prof. Carlson Beats Up on Astrology
Only 12, not 13 constellations are used: Ophiuchus is omitted
The correspondences are nearly 2000 years out of date
Scientific tests have failed to confirm the claims of astrology

4. The Cycles of the Moon New First Quarter
Third Quarter
Q. 3: How Often is the Moon Full?
Full
Entire cycle repeats every 29.5 days

5. The Cycles of the Moon The Moon is illuminated by the Sun
The Moon is a sphere, not a flat disk
The Moon goes around the Earth, in the same direction the Earth spins
The Moon is much closer to the Earth than the Sun is

6. Solar Eclipses
Q. 4: Types of Solar Eclipses