Constellations

Question 1

How many stars can you see with the naked eye?

Answer 1

2,000 (Moonless night, No light pollution)

Question 2

What is a constellation?

Answer 2

An area in the night sky containing a particular pattern of stars
88 in total

Question 3

What are asterisms?

Answer 3

Groups of stars that form familiar shapes.
The Plough.
The Summer Triangle.

Question 4

Describe the constellation Orion.

Answer 4

-Asterism of Orion’s belt
Pointer stars to Aldebaran (up and to the right )
and Sirius (down and to the left).
-Contains the Orion Nebula (below the belt)

Question 5

Describe the Winter Triangle.

Answer 5

Sirius
Procyon
Betelgeuse

Question 6

Who was Johann Bayer?

Answer 6

• 17th Century German Lawyer

- Devised Naming Scheme: Bayer Designation

Question 7

Describe the Bayer Designation Naming Scheme.

Answer 7

• Brightest star in constellation is Alpha
• Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon… as stars get dimmer.
• 1st 3 letters of the constellation of which the star is found (β cent is 2nd brightest star in constellation centaurus, γ Gem is 3rd brightest star in constellation Gemini)

Question 8

Name the first 5 letters of the Greek Alphabet.

Answer 8

αβγδε

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon

Question 9

Who published the first list of constellations and when?

Answer 9

Ptolemy (Egyptian)
150 AD
Almagest

Question 10

Where did a lot of the work in the Almagest originate?

Answer 10

Hiparchus of Nicaea (Greek).

Question 11

Who added in the southern constellations?

Answer 11

• Dutch navigators Dirkszoon & Houtman.

- 12 constellations added to original 8 (Named after birds and animals)

Question 12

Who was Nicolas Louis de Lacaille?

Answer 12

• French astronomer
• Set up observatory in South Africa (Table Mountain).
• Invented 14 new constellations to fill in gap in southern sky.

Question 13

Why was 1922 a significant year for constellations?

Answer 13

• IAU (international Astronomical Union)

- Adopted official list of 88 constellations.

Question 14

Describe some cultural differences in the interpretations of constellations.

Answer 14

-Capricornus (the sea goat).
Aztecs whale .
Indians Antelope.

-Orion’s Belt
Lakota (chief’s hand)

-The Plough
Navaho (7 brothers of the changing bear Maiden)

Question 15

Why are some constellations only visible during certain seasons of the year?

Answer 15

Because the earth revolves round the sun, placing it in a different location, so the constellation cannot be seen. On a given day, you will only be able to see the stars that are in the opposite direction to the Sun

Question 16

Describe how you would find Fomalhaut and the Andromeda Galaxy in the night sky.

Answer 16

For Fomalhaut
make line between top and bottom right corners of the great square of Pegasus and follow this line down.

For Andromeda (M31)
From the top left corner of the square of Pegasus, jump two stars left and two up.

Question 17

What is M31?

Answer 17

• This is the Andromeda Galaxy.

- This is the furthest thing that is not in our galaxy

Question 18

What is Fomalhaut?

Answer 18

It is the star of which the first exoplanet was discovered.