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Understanding Constellations and Magnitude

Constellations are defined regions of the sky that contain groups of stars that appear to form pictures. While the stars appear close together, they are usually located at different distances from Earth. Stars within a constellation are named with Greek letters based on their brightness, along with the name of their constellation. The magnitude scale is used to measure the brightness of stars, with lower magnitudes indicating brighter stars visible to the naked eye. The celestial sphere is an imaginary dome where celestial objects appear to be located. Constellations and stars appear to move across the celestial sphere throughout the night due to Earth's rotation. Precession causes the celestial north pole to follow a circular path over 26,000 years, affecting which star is closest to

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Ted Jackson
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6 views17 pages

Understanding Constellations and Magnitude

Constellations are defined regions of the sky that contain groups of stars that appear to form pictures. While the stars appear close together, they are usually located at different distances from Earth. Stars within a constellation are named with Greek letters based on their brightness, along with the name of their constellation. The magnitude scale is used to measure the brightness of stars, with lower magnitudes indicating brighter stars visible to the naked eye. The celestial sphere is an imaginary dome where celestial objects appear to be located. Constellations and stars appear to move across the celestial sphere throughout the night due to Earth's rotation. Precession causes the celestial north pole to follow a circular path over 26,000 years, affecting which star is closest to

Uploaded by

Ted Jackson
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2

A User s Guide to
the Sky
Constellations
In ancient times,
constellations only
referred to the
brightest stars

that appeared
to form groups
representing
mythological
figures.
Constellations

Today, constellations are well-defined regions on


the sky, irrespective of the presence or absence
of bright stars in those regions.
Constellations

The stars of a
constellation only
appear to be
close to one
another.
Usually, this is
only a projection
effect.
The stars of a constellation may be located
at very different distances from us.
Constellations
Betelgeuse

Rigel

Stars are named by a Greek letter (, , ) according to


their relative brightness within a given constellation plus the
possessive form of the name of the constellation:
Betelgeuse = Orionis,
Rigel = Orionis
The Magnitude Scale
First introduced by Hipparchus
(160127 B.C.):

Brightest stars: ~1st magnitude


Faintest stars (unaided eye): 6th magnitude

More quantitative:

1st magnitude stars appear 100 times


brighter than 6th magnitude stars
1 magnitude difference gives a factor of
2.512 in apparent brightness
(larger magnitude => fainter object!)
Example:

Betelgeuse
Magnitude Intensity Ratio
Difference Magnitude = 0.41 mag
1 2.512
2 2.512 2.512 =
(2.512)2 = 6.31

5 (2.512)5 = 100

For a magnitude difference


Rigel
of 0.41 0.14 = 0.27, we
find an intensity ratio of Magnitude = 0.14 mag
(2.512)0.27 = 1.28
The Magnitude Scale

The magnitude scale system can be extended towards


negative numbers (very bright) and numbers > 6 (faint
objects):
Sirius (brightest star in the sky): mv = 1.42
Full Moon: mv = 12.5
Sun: mv = 26.5
The Celestial Sphere
Zenith = point on
the celestial
sphere directly
overhead
Nadir = point on
the c. s. directly
underneath (not
visible!)
Celestial equator
= projection of
the Earth s
equator onto the
c. s.
North celestial
pole = projection
of the Earth s
north pole onto
the c.s.
The Celestial Sphere

On the sky, we measure distances between objects as angles:


The full circle has 360o (degrees),
1o has 60 (arc minutes),
1 has 60 (arc seconds).
The Celestial Sphere (II)
From geographic
latitude l (northern
90o - l hemisphere), you
see the celestial
north pole l
degrees above the
horizon;
l
From geographic
latitude l
(southern
hemisphere), you
see the celestial
south pole l
degrees above the
horizon.

The celestial equator culminates 90o l above the horizon.


Example:
New York City: l 40.70

Celestial Celestial
North Pole Equator

40.7 49.3
Horizon Horizon
North South

The Celestial South Pole is not visible


from the northern hemisphere.
The Celestial Sphere (III)
Apparent Motion of the
Celestial Sphere

Looking north, you see stars circling


counterclockwise around the celestial north pole.
Apparent Motion of the
Celestial Sphere (II)

Over the course


of the night, stars
rise on the east,
travel from east
to west (left to
right if viewed
from the northern
hemisphere)
through the
southern sky, and
set in the west.
Precession (I)

Gravity is pulling on a slanted top => wobbling around the


vertical.
The Sun s gravity is doing the same to the Earth.
The resulting wobbling of the Earth s axis of rotation around
the vertical with respect to the Ecliptic takes about 26,000
years and is called precession.
Precession (II)

As a result of
precession, the celestial
north pole follows a
circular pattern on the
sky, once every 26,000
years.
It will be closest to
Polaris ~A.D. 2100.
~12,000 years from
now, it will be close to
Vega in the constellation
Lyra.
There is nothing peculiar about Polaris at all (it is
neither particularly bright nor nearby, etc.).

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