LAB 03 - THE CONSTELLATIONS

THE CONSTELLATIONS 

The constellations carry us back to the beginning of astronomy, which is the oldest of the sciences.  The arrangement of most of the stars with respect to one another and their apparent brightnesses have remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years.  In fact, many of the star figures we recognize today were known to the Mesopotamians 5000 years ago.

For the modern astronomer, a constellation is primarily an area of the sky having boundaries which tend to enclose the mythological connect-the-dots star patterns seen by the ancients.  Today, have divided the sky into 88 constellation areas each containing the original namesake pattern of stars.  It is important to know that the stars of a constellation generally do not have any physical connection and are often found at greatly different distances from the Earth.  When we mention that a star is in a particular constellation, we mean that it is within the boundaries of the region named after the constellation. 

The 88 constellations can be divided into the following categories:

North Circumpolar Constellations - Constellations found in an around the North Star (north celestial pole) that never rise and set.

Zodiacal Constellations - 12 constellations that lie along the Ecliptic which is the Sun's path around the sky.

Equatorial Constellations - These comprise the parade of seasonal constellations.  These constellations rise and set daily. 

South Circumpolar Constellations - Constellations found in an around the south celestial pole (there is no South Star) that never rise and set. 

In today's lab, you will explore these regions of the Celestial Sphere (with the exception of the South Circumpolar Region).  

DISCLAIMER: IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DO THIS LAB ON A COMPUTER -- DO NOT DO THIS LAB ON A MOBILE DEVICE (TABLE OR PHONE)

Watch the following video for instructions, then proceed to the questions below.