Lab 4: Drawing constellations on a star chart and using it as a map of the sky
To do this lab print the circular grid on page 3 below; use a pencil (not a pen) with an eraser. If you don’t have access to a printer you can drag the grid into the program Paint which comes with Microsoft Windows computers (or Paintbrush if using a MAC). If you don’t have a computer you can carefully draw the grid by hand.
You will draw stick figures representing the visible parts of some northern constellations; draw them to relative size and in their proper orientations. Here is an example of a star chart for a different part of the sky, the southern sky, from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_celestial_hemisphere#/media/File:South_Hemisphere.png
To make your drawing pick one of these interactive online planetariums (these are the same programs used in the online version of Lab 2):
https://stellarium-web.org/ or https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php
Procedure for setting the online planetarium: Set your geographic location to Queens, NY; set the date and time to March 20th at 12:01 am, the first day of spring. To turn on the RA/Dec grid if using Stellarium click on Equatorial Grid; if using in-the-sky.org check the box for RA/Dec grid. Move the sky around with your mouse to look north with Polaris in the center of your field of view; zoom out as needed to see the sky.
Procedure to make your drawing:
Label the top of the grid “March 20th at 12:01 am – 1st day of spring.” Draw and label “Polaris” the North Star at the center of the grid. Write the cardinal directions North, South, East, and West in their correct locations on the edges of your grid; for example north is the northern horizon where the sky meets the ground.
When using your star chart start by facing your body due north and look 41o above the northern horizon to see Polaris (from Queens, NY); remember this grid represents the sky so match it to the sky by holding it up high; line up the center of your grid with that point in the sky 41o above the northern horizon.
Write the declination numbers on the declination circles in 10o or 20o increments; in the program turn on the RA/DEC grid, if using stellarium-web.org click on Equatorial Grid; if using in-the-sky.org check the box for RA/Dec grid. Click on some stars to see what their RA and DEC coordinates are. Write the right ascension numbers on the right ascension lines matching how they appear in the online planetarium.
Draw these 6 constellations in their proper locations, orientations, and relative sizes: Little Dipper (part of Ursa Minor), Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), Cassiopeia, Cephus, Orion, Cygnus. If a constellation is out of view draw it at the edge of the grid where it belongs
Near the centers of each the Little Dipper, Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia write and label the altitude and azimuth angles.
In 1 paragraph describe where in the sky on this date and time you would have to look to see each one of the above six constellations.
5 points extra credit: on the grid draw a large circle representing your visible horizon; all points in this circle are visible from your location on Earth over time. Hint: the center of this circle is at 41o north declination (the same as your latitude in Queens, NY) and represents the point you see in the sky looking straight up over head; from the center point the circle extends north 90o (to declination 49o) and south 90o (to declination -49o).
GRID:
STELLARIUM-WEB.ORG
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