Gs) What is It Do you know that @ person can see approximately 3,000 stars on the average? ‘These stars differ in brightness, size, and color. The colors of stars are blue, oranges, red, white, and yellow. Each color indicates its approximate surface temperature as shown in the table below. Colors of Star and the Approximate Surface Temperatures Color Surface Temperature Example Red 3000K Betelgeuse ‘Orange 4000 K Aldebaran Yellow 6000K Sun White 10,000 K Vega Blue 25,000 K Spica ‘The brightness of stars as seen from Earth is based on the apparent magnitude or brightness of stars as observed from Earth and the absolute magnitude or brightness of stars at a standard distance of 10 parsecs or 32.6 light-years from Earth. The apparent brightness depends on the location of the observer. brightest faintest sun Moon Venus Vega quacer object 28-20-15 10-5 Je 8 +10 15 420 425 very bright Sirius _ faintest very faint naked eye star Apparent brightnesses of some objects in the magnitude system. This image is courtesy of Nick Strobel https: ‘wre astronomy notes. com/ starprop/[Link]Have you seen pattems in the sky at night? Due to the difference in apparent magnitude of the stars, you are able to see patterns in the sky and these patterns are called constellations. The word constellation from the Latin word “con” means Group and “stella” means stars. However, constellations are more than just patterns in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined constellations as ‘boundaries in the sky to aid determining locations of newly discovered astronomical objects. The more recognizable patterns of stars are known as asterism. Big Dipper is an example of an asterism that is in the constellation Ursa Major. This history of constellation is passed from generation to generation including the beliefs about sun and moon, however due to some circumstances this information about stars were not preserved. As of today, we have 88 constellations that astronomers studied and most of these stars are based on Greek groups and there are also 48 accredited constellations recorded in Ptolemy's almagest. There are billions of stars in the night sky and stargazing could be an exceptional way to explore it. Many people are having difficulty on recognizing stars and constellations. Ursa Major is an easily recognizable constellation in the night sky that looks like a large spoon. It is composed of seven bright stars. Another constellation is Ursa Minor, composed also of seven stars that resembled a small spoon. https: / /commons. wikimedia org/ wild /File-Ussa Major - Ursa Minor - Polaris Stars are distant celestial bodies from Earth and Sun is the nearest star. Stars and constellations are visible depending on the location of an observer and the season in that place. Some stars and constellations are only visible at a specific month. Why do stars appear to move to mave in the sky? This is because Earth rotates onits axis, thus the stars appear to move across the night sky from east to west, and the sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west. The stars that are close to celestial poles, appears to move a little in the night sky. Polaris is the North star ‘because it is located close to the north celestial pole. Stars that are around a celestial pole are called circumpolar stars forming recognizable patterns known ascircumpolar constellations. The northern circumpolar constellations are Ursa Major, ‘Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and Draco. The southern circumpolar constellations are Carina, Centaurus, and Crux. The circumpolar stars remain in the night sky and stay visible all year from the northern hemisphere. All stars observed from the equator are not circumpolar for it appears to rise in the east and set in the west. * Urea Minor * Scorpius ek OO orion |/ * * AOS \ * A ee Celestial Sphere a Mlustrated by Jaquityn A. Floriano People living in the northern or southern hemisphere can observe constellation that are to the north or south of Earth while those in the equator can observe constellations depending on their distance to the equator. As the Earth rotates around the sun the visibility of constellations changes throughout the year. As shown in the illustration of celestial sphere, people in the northern hemisphere ‘can see Ursa Minor throughout the year but this constellation not visible to those in the southern hemisphere. Why do we see different constellations at different times of the year? This is ‘because the Earth orbits around the sun from west to east making the star seems to rise in the east and set in the west. The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes the observed movement of the stars in the night sky while the revolution allows the ‘observer to see a certain part of the sky at different months of the year. There are some constellations in Northern and Southern Hemisphere that varies from March to December. The constellations that are visible from late March to late June (Northern Spring/Southern Autuma) are listed as follows: Antlia Centaurus Leo Sextans Bootes Corvus Lynx Ursa Major Cancer Crux Musca Ursa Minor Canes Venatici Hydra Pyxis VirgoLate June to late September (Northern Summer/ Southern Winter} Apus Circinus Pavo Scutum Aquila Draco Sagitta Serpens ara Equuteus Sagittarius Telescopium Capricomus Hercules Scorpius Delphinus Late September to late December (Northern Autumn/Southern Spring) Andromeda Cepheus ‘Octans Sculptor Aquarius Cetus Pegasus Triangutum Aries crus Perseus Tucana Cassiopeia Lacerta Phoenix Late December to late March (Northern Winter/Southern Summer): Auriga Eridanus Hydrus Reticulum Caetum Fornax Lepus Taurus Camelopardatis Gemini Orion Vela Canis Major Horologium Pictor Volans aIn ancient times, people believed that constellations have practical uses such as relating their God's message of love, care, blessing, and anger on the different positions of stars in the sky. They also used constellations to keep track on the calendar of when to plant and harvest the crops, for example if the constellation Orion is visible then, the winter season is coming while the appearance of summer triangle indicates the summer season. These patterns allowed farmers to plan ahead for agriculture. The constellations helped in navigation and aided sailors to travel across the oceans by finding the Polaris or North star and estimating its height to figure out the north and south latitude. This allowed the discovery of known great civilizations and cultures. Here in the Philippines, Filipino ancestors considered observing the stars as guide towards making major decisions such as selecting the right month to plant and harvest, warning for the coming of kaingin period, and other sacrifices. This belief was passed through generations and made every citizen unique. The Balatike and Moroporo are among the constellations and asterisms that were recognized in the archipelago. The Balatik constellation appears in December. It was used by the tribal hunters in the country to foretell the coming of kaingin period and time for planting while other tribes used the constellation as a reminder of the time of sacrifices. The Moroporo was used for sea navigation and to signal the beginning of the planting season. History reminds people that our ancestors believed on the patterns of stars in the sky.