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Rhythm of the Sky Activities

Daily Motion of the Sky: Lecture Tutorial

Work through the Motion Lecture Tutorial on pages 1-2 with your partner. Read carefully, and discuss any questions with your group.

Check your Lecture Tutorial understanding

A dome-shaped local sits above the horizon, with Earth at the center and Earth’s equator marked. The north celestial pole and North Star are indicated along the tilted rotation axis. Arrows indicate the direction of celestial sphere rotation, and dashed lines illustrate the stars’ circular paths around the celestial pole. Two example stars (Star A and Star B) trace curved paths across the sky. Star B traces a circular path from the back of the dome (1), the zenith (2), front of dome (3), and above the horizon directly below the North star. Star A follows a larger circle from the farthest point of the horizon (1), to high on the rightmost edge of the dome (2), to the front point of the horizon(3), to down below the horizon (4).

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When Star A is just above the Eastern horizon, which way is it moving?

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What direction does the observer see Star A moving when it is highest in the sky?

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Imagine you are standing in the Northern Hemisphere. Looking directly north, you see a star just above the North point of the horizon.

Ten minutes later, you notice that it has shifted position slightly.

Which way did it move?

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Imagine you are standing in the Northern Hemisphere. Looking directly north, you see a star just above the North point of the horizon.

Where will the star be in 6 hours?

Four star positions surround Polaris. A is close to the North point of the horizon directly below. B directly to the right. C is directly above. D is directly to the left.

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If there was no atmosphere, this image shows the sky at noon:

Local sky view facing south. The horizon is labeled East on the left, South at center, and West on the right. In the sky, the constellations Libra (low in the eastern sky), Virgo (higher toward the southeast), Leo (high in the southern sky, Cancer (to the southwest), and Gemini (low in the western sky) are drawn with stick-figure star patterns and labels. The Sun appears within Leo's boundaries.

Six hours later on this day, when the sun sets, what constellation will be on the Western Horizon?

Seasonal Stars: Lecture Tutorial

Work through the Seasonal Stars Lecture Tutorial on pages 7-9 with your partner. Read carefully, and discuss any questions with your group.

Check your Lecture Tutorial understanding

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You observe this sky at midnight:

Local sky facing South. East is left, West is right. Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, and Gemini arc across the sky. Leo is highest.

One month earlier, which of these constellations was highest in the southern sky in at midnight?

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You go out tonight and see the brightest star in the constellation Orion just rising above your eastern horizon at 10 PM. One week later at 10 PM this same star will be

Discussion: Fieldwork

Chose an astronomical object you can find easily in the sky this week - the Sun, the Moon, a bright star, perhaps one of the planets visible in your sky tonight, located using a night sky guide.

Find a convenient observing location. Observe the object from the same location either - twice in one day, ideally a few hours apart. - on two days, ideally several days apart, at the same time each day.

You may notice changes more easily if you find a reference point to compare to (e.g. a building, telephone pole, or tree you can see from your observing location.)

  1. Describe its location in the sky using our categories for Altitude and Azimuth in the Celestial Sphere Module.
  2. Describe any change in location from one time to another.
  3. Based on your observation, does this object behave like it is fixed on the Celestial Sphere? Why or why not?

Share your observation with your discussion pod.