This is an imaginary sphere surrounding Earth. Polaris marks the intersection of the extended north pole and the sphere. All stars and objects in space, such as constellations, can be mapped relative to the poles and equator of the celestial sphere. There are numerous catalogs of stars, each with a different scheme for annotating position; this means that each star has even more names!
Another catalog, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory SAO catalog, integrated 10 catalogs to include the positions of over , stars. Vega is SAO in this catalog. The Hubble Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to see even more stars! The Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Catalogue currently lists the coordinates of over 19 million bright objects — 15 million of which are classified as stars!
Illustration of the components of the celestial sphere. The stars are distant objects. Their distances vary, but they are all very far away. Excluding our Sun, the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is more than 4 light years away. As Earth spins on its axis, we, as Earth-bound observers, spin past this background of distant stars. The farther from Polaris, the wider the circle the stars trace. At the equator, there are no circumpolar stars because the celestial poles are located at the horizon.
All stars observed at the equator rise in the east and set in the west. If observed through the year, the constellations shift gradually to the west.
In the summer, viewers are looking in a different direction in space at night than they are during the winter.
What is the Zodiac? Earth orbits our Sun once each year. Viewed from Earth, our Sun appears to trace a circular path. This path defines a plane called the plane of the ecliptic or just the ecliptic.
The annual cycle of the zodiac was used by ancient cultures to determine the time of year. If you include all the constellations encompassed by this broadened definition of the ecliptic plane, you have 21 to 24 constellations of the zodiac! Constellation Visibility The visibility of a constellation depends on your location on Earth and the time of year you are in.
Famous constellations and their myths Orion Possibly the most famous constellation in the night sky and the most visible constellation in the sky. Crux Visible from the Southern Hemisphere, Crux is known for being used as a navigation tool, similar to how the Northern Star was used by sailors to determine their latitude.
The 12 Zodiac Constellations The 12 Zodiac constellations are the constellations that lie along the apparent path of the sun, meaning that the sun passes through these constellations over a period of 12 months.
The 12 Zodiac constellations are: 1. Aries 2. Taurus 3. Gemini 4. Cancer 5. Leo 6. Virgo 7. Libra 8. Scorpius 9. Sagittarius Capricornus Aquarius Pisces The sun also passes through Ophiuchus and Cetus, but as these constellations are part of the Hercules and Perseus families, they are not considered part of the Zodiac.
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