Astro 1 Unit 1 Constellations

There are a total of 88 constellations. Roughly how many of these can be seen at any given time from a single location on a clear night?

44

Asterism

A shape traced out in the sky by imagining connecting lines between the stars Ex. Big Dipper and Ursa Major

Why don't we see the constellation Orion at night all thorught the year?

As the Earth orbits the Sun, its nighttime side point to different constellations at different points along its orbit

Ecliptic

As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Sun traces out an apparent path across the celestial sphere Also applies to the plane in which the Earth orbits the sun

When is the best time ofr you to be able to see the constellation that is your sign of the Zodiac?

At midnight six months after your birthday

Constellation

Is a region in the sky Contains asterisms, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and other objects too faint to see

Constellations close to the North pole of Earth

Move in a circle around the North star, Poralis, over the course of a single night

From Earth, in which constellation might you find the planet Saturn?

Taurus

Zodiac

The subset of constellations which are crossed by the ecliptic line As the stars of the zodiac constellations do not move appreciably from one year to the next, the Sun's annual motion through them appears very regular