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MOTIONS IN THE SKY. Summary of easily v isible motions of celestial objects . Summary of easily v isible motions of celestial objects . Summary of easily v isible motions of celestial objects . The Trick: apparent motions in the sky are compound and relative , not absolute .
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The Trick: apparent motions in the sky are compound and relative, not absolute • They can have two entirely different causes: • Intrinsicmotions of the objects themselves • Motions of the platformfrom which we observe them --- namely, the Earth: • Earth is a spherical, spinning, tilted body in orbit around the Sun
Today: Platform Effects • Effects of Earth's SPIN • Effects of Earth's MOTION IN ORBIT around the Sun • Effects of the TILT of Earth's rotational axis
Today: Platform Effects • Effects of Earth's SPIN: westward diurnal motion • Effects of Earth's MOTION IN ORBIT around the Sun: eastward motion of Sun, planets • Effects of the TILT of Earth's rotational axis: N/S motion of Sun, Moon
Today: Platform Effects • Effects of Earth's SPIN • Effects of Earth's MOTION IN ORBIT around the Sun • Effects of the TILT of Earth's rotational axis Earth’s motions are almost entirely imperceptible to us
Timelapse Videos of Night Sky • Time lapse video, South Australia, Alex Cherney Check YouTube & Vimeo
First ever image of whole earth, Apollo 8 mission, 22 Dec 1968
ISS-video, YouTube • ISS-video, HuffPost • ISS-video-2
Stars visible at night change as Earth'slocation in its orbit changes
Stars visible at night change as Earth'slocation in its orbit changes What name is given to this set of constellations?
Stars visible at night change as Earth'slocation in its orbit changes The Zodiac
Puzzlah # 14 Consult the diagram of the Earth’s orbit and Zodiacal constellations above. What constellation is the Sun projected against today? [Hint: the Earth moves in the direction of the arrow during the year.] A) Virgo B) Scorpio C) Capricorn D) Gemini
Change in Sun’s “declination”(angular distancefrom celestial equator) caused by polar tilt Key Dates 2014 3/20 Vernal Equinox 6/21 Summer Solstice 9/22 Autumnal Equinox 12/21Winter Solstice
Because of axis tilt, daylight hours vary with date and latitude
Animation: Origin of Seasons • Animation: Variation in Flux of Sunlight
Essential tool for disentanglingcelestial motions: Greek geometry Athens, ca 400 BC
Results of Earth’s Spin (Star trail photos)
Results of Earth’s Spin (Star trail photos) Star trails show the "diurnal" motion: the apparent continuous westward motion of the sky caused by the Earth's spin on its polar axis
Because of axis tilt, daylight hours vary with date and latitude
Change in Sun’s “declination”(angular distancefrom celestial equator) caused by tilt