Documents & Resources - Search Results
Search results
Celestial Coordinates
image
Created for the OAE
Caption: Here we see how celestial coordinates map positions on the celestial sphere. The celestial sphere is an imaginary, hollow sphere that surrounds the Earth. Celestial objects appear to be attached to the inside of the celestial sphere, and the planets, Sun, and Moon appear to move slowly across it.
The celestial sphere has a spherical coordinate system similar to the latitude and longitude we see on the Earth. The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere while the north and south celestial poles are the projections of the Earth's north and south poles onto the celestial sphere.
Declination is similar to latitude on the Earth in that it marks the angle above and below the celestial equator. Declination is zero on the celestial equator, is positive to the north of the celestial equator and negative to the south of it. It is commonly measured in degrees and sometimes in radians.
Right Ascension is similar to longitude as it marks the angle around the celestial equator. As with longitude the zero point of right ascension (shown here as a dashed line) is a matter of choice. Traditionally the zero point of right ascension was the position of the Sun at the northern hemisphere vernal equinox (spring equinox) in March. It is positive and increases to the east, unlike longitude on Earth which is defined as east or west of the prime meridian. It is most commonly measured in hours, minutes and seconds or occasionally in degrees or radians.
The ecliptic marks the Sun's path across the celestial sphere when viewed from the Earth.
The Earth rotates within the celestial sphere. This leads to objects like stars or galaxies, which appear static on the celestial sphere, rising and setting when viewed from the Earth but remaining in the same position on the celestial sphere.
The Earth's axis precesses within the celestial sphere. This slowly moves the celestial equator and the celestial poles meaning that the traditional celestial coordinate system changes slowly over time meaning that stars and galaxies that do not move will have positions that change. Astronomers have used coordinate systems defined by the position of the celestial poles and equator at a fixed point in time. Now celestial positions are most commonly measured on a fixed coordinate system defined by the position of the celestial poles and equator on the 1st of January 2000.
Credit: Maria Cristina Fortuna/IAU OAE
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
, Observational Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
File
( image
517.83 kB)
PDF File
(PDF file
203.59 kB)
Also available in black and white
File
( image
501.79 kB)
PDF File
(
202.13 kB)
Dorado Constellation Map
image
Caption: The constellation Dorado with its bright stars and surrounding constellations. Dorado is surrounded by (going clockwise from the top): Pictor, Caelum, Horologium, Reticulum, Hydrus, Mensa and Volans.
Dorado is a southern constellation and thus the whole constellation is visible at some point in the year from the whole southern hemisphere. The whole constellation is also visible to equatorial regions of the northern hemisphere. Dorado is circumpolar for temperate and antarctic regions of the southern hemisphere. This constellation is best viewed in the northern hemisphere winter and southern hemisphere summer.
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, lies in Dorado and the neighboring constellation Mensa. The outline of the Large Magellanic Cloud is marked here as a roughly circular loop in green. The open cluster NGC 2070 lies at the heart of the Tarantula Nebula. This is marked here with a green square.
The y-axis of this diagram is in degrees of declination with north as up and the x-axis is in hours of right ascension with east to the left. The sizes of the stars marked here relate to the star's apparent magnitude, a measure of its apparent brightness. The larger dots represent brighter stars. The Greek letters mark the brightest stars in the constellation. These are ranked by brightness with the brightest star being labeled alpha, the second brightest beta, etc., although this ordering is not always followed exactly. The dotted boundary lines mark the IAU's boundaries of the constellations and the solid green lines mark one of the common forms used to represent the figures of the constellations. Neither the constellation boundaries, nor the lines joining the stars appear on the sky.
Credit: Adapted by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education from the original by the IAU and Sky & Telescope
Credit Link
Glossary Terms:
Apparent Magnitude , Celestial Coordinates , Circumpolar Stars , Constellation , Declination , Nebula , Right Ascension (RA) , Open Cluster , Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
File
( image
94.49 kB)
PDF File
(PDF file
155.00 kB)
Mensa Constellation Map
image
Caption: The constellation Mensa with its brighter stars and surrounding constellations. Mensa is surrounded by (going clockwise from the top): Dorado, Hydrus, Octans, Chamaeleon and Volans. Mensa is a faint constellation with relatively few bright stars.
Mensa lies close to the south celestial pole and thus the whole constellation is visible at some point in the year throughout the southern hemisphere. The whole constellation is visible to a thin strip of the northern hemisphere around the equator with parts of the constellation visible to some other northern equatorial regions. Mensa is circumpolar in temperate, antarctic and some equatorial regions of the southern hemisphere. Mensa is best viewed in the evenings in the northern hemisphere winter and southern hemisphere summer.
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, lies in Mensa and the neighboring constellation Dorado. The outline of the Large Magellanic Cloud is marked here as a roughly circular loop in green.
This diagram maps an area around the south celestial pole. Here lines of constant right ascension converge. The right ascension values of these lines are marked on the x-axis above and below the diagram. The solid circle around the pole marks a line of -80° declination with the larger, incomplete circle to the right marking -70° declination. The sizes of the stars marked here relate to the star's apparent magnitude, a measure of its apparent brightness. The larger dots represent brighter stars. The Greek letters mark the brightest stars in the constellation. These are ranked by brightness with the brightest star being labeled alpha, the second brightest beta, etc., although this ordering is not always followed exactly. The dotted boundary lines mark the IAU's boundaries of the constellations and the solid green lines mark one of the common forms used to represent the figures of the constellations. Neither the constellation boundaries, nor the lines joining the stars appear on the sky.
Credit: Adapted by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education from the original by the IAU and Sky & Telescope
Credit Link
Glossary Terms:
Apparent Magnitude , Celestial Coordinates , Constellation , Declination , Right Ascension (RA)
Categories:
Naked Eye Astronomy
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
File
( image
135.16 kB)
PDF File
(PDF file
172.00 kB)
