Astronomy 1021 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Angular Distance, Celestial Pole, Star Catalogue

• School: Western University
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: Astronomy 1021
• Professor: Jan Cami

Document Summary

Chapter 2: user"s guide to the sky (patterns & cycles) Region of the sky containing that star pattern. Often names are by mythological gods, people, animals, objects. A number of less formally defined groupings other than 88 official constellations. Big dipper actually part of the great bear" constellation. Great square of pegasus includes 3 stars from pegasus & alpheratz (nowadays, only considered to be part of andromeda) Even though these are named as if they were real groupings, they are not physically associated with one another! Some stars may be many times farther away than others & moving through space in different directions in the same constellation. Only thing they have in common = they lie approximately the same direction as viewed from earth. Constellation names are in latin or greek (languages in medieval and renaissance europe) Most individual star names are in arabic. Constellation canis major the brightest star in this constellation is canis majoris.