constellations. Zodiac signs
Reshebnik in astronomy grade 11 for lesson number 7 (workbook) - The apparent movement of the Sun and Moon
1. Using a map of the starry sky, indicate through which constellations the annual path of the Sun passes.
Option 1.
Start your list of constellations with the vernal equinox.
Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius.
Option 2.
Start your list of constellations with the autumnal equinox.
Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer.
2. Write and explain the formula that calculates the height of the Sun at noon (or at the top of the climax).
h ☉ = (90° - φ) + δ ☉ , where h ☉ is the height of the Sun; φ - latitude of the area where observations are made; δ ☉ - declination of the Sun at the time of observation.
3. Fill in the empty cells and unfinished dates in the table.
4. Complete the sentences.
A synodic month is a period of changing lunar phases, it lasts 29 days.
A sidereal month is a full revolution around the Sun, it lasts 27.3 days.
The moon always faces the Earth with the same hemisphere, since it makes one revolution around its axis in the same time.
5. Using Figure 7.1, draw a view of the Moon (in positions 1-8) and indicate the names of its phases (in positions 1, 3, 5, 7).
6. Consider figures 7.2 and 7.3 and indicate for each case in which side of the horizon and at what time of day the Moon is observed. (The observer is in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth.)
7. Complete the diagram of the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses (Fig. 7.4) with the necessary constructions and designate shadows and penumbra on it. Complete the sentences according to the diagram explaining the occurrence of eclipses.
When the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, a total lunar eclipse occurs.
When the Moon enters the Earth's penumbra, a partial lunar eclipse occurs.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the disk of the Sun is completely covered by the Earth.
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Sun is in partial shade from the Moon.
An annular eclipse of the Sun is observed if at the time of the eclipse the disk of the Moon is too small to completely cover the Sun.
Eclipses are not observed every month, since the planes of the orbits of the Earth and the Moon must intersect at an angle of 5°09′.
8. In Figures 7.5 and 7.6, use the arrows to indicate from which edge full moon the lunar eclipse begins. Where does a solar eclipse begin on the disk of the sun? (The observer in both cases is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth.) What is the maximum duration of the phase total eclipse Moon and the maximum duration of a total eclipse of the Sun?
On the diagram of the Moon (Fig. 7.5), draw an arrow that points to the right; on the diagram of the Sun (Fig. 7.6), draw an arrow pointing to the left.
The maximum duration of a full lunar eclipse: 11 h 40 m
The maximum duration of a full solar eclipse: 7 min 40 s
Why do the equinoxes fall on different dates from year to year?
The interval between two equinoxes of the same name is called the tropical year, which is adopted for measuring time. Our usual daily calendar contains an equal number of days - 365 days. The tropical year is approximately 365.2422 solar days, so the equinox falls at different times of the day, moving forward each year by almost 6 hours. For four years, the date of the equinox shifts by almost a day and, if it were not for the intercalary day of a leap year (February 29), the moment of the equinox would continue to drift further along the calendar. To compensate for this shift, the concept of a leap year was introduced, which returns the equinox to the previous number of the year. Do not forget also that the date of the equinox may differ due to the difference in time zones.
Dates and times of the autumn equinoxes in 2012-2018 (Universal Time UTC-0)
2012 22 14:49
2013 22 20:44
2014 23 02:29
2015 23 08:20
2016 22 14:21
2017 22 20:02
2018 23 01:54
By folk calendar on this day, golden autumn begins, which will last until October 14th. On the day of the autumn equinox, the second half of the Indian summer begins and, according to popular belief, what the weather will be that day, so will autumn. More folk omens they say: the drier and warmer September is, the better the autumn will be, the later the real winter will come.
Painting by V.D. Polenov "Golden Autumn"
In Russia the day of the autumn equinox was considered a holiday and was always celebrated with pies with cabbage, lingonberries and meat, as well as folk festivals. On this day, rowan brushes, together with leaves, were inserted between window frames in the evening, believing that from this day, when the sun begins to weaken, the rowan will protect the house from the forces of darkness.
In Japan The autumnal equinox is considered an official holiday and has been celebrated since 1878. On the day of the autumnal equinox, the Japanese perform the rites of the Buddhist holiday Higan, which go back to the depths of history, families go to bow to the graves of their ancestors, order prayers and provide the necessary ritual honors.
In Mexico on the Day of the autumnal equinox, many try to visit the famous pyramid of Kukulkan (in the Mayan language - "feathered serpent") in ancient city Chichen Itza. The pyramid is oriented in relation to the Sun in such a way that it is on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes that the rays project the shadows of the platforms on the edge of the main staircase in the form of alternating triangles of light and shadow, resembling the contours of a snake.
December 15, 2016, 19:02All over the world, people love to look at the stars, finding familiar ones and discovering new unknown constellations. But in addition to contemplation, which brings simple entertainment and joy from what they see, these same stars and constellations serve as a tool.
Constellations were invented in ancient world to better remember and navigate by the stars. The brightest "neighboring" stars were mentally connected by lines, and then such a "skeleton" was thought out to some image: for example, an animal or a hero from legends.
The stars move in their usual pattern across the sky, just like the Sun. At different times of the year, different constellations appear at sunset. Ascending constellations rotate based on the earth's path through space, and can therefore be used to mark seasons in regions where moderate weather cannot convey the change between winter and spring.
Going back, scientists suspect that markings on the walls of the Lascaux Cave in southern France - dating back over 17,000 years - may constitute the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters, making the cave the first known star map.
Of course different nations divided the sky in different ways. For example, in ancient China, a map was distributed, on which the starry sky was divided into four parts, each of them had seven constellations, i.e. there are 28 constellations in total. And the Mongolian scientists of the XVIII century. numbered 237 constellations. In European science and literature, those constellations that were used by the ancient inhabitants of the Mediterranean were entrenched. From these countries (including Northern Egypt), about 90% of the entire sky can be seen during the year. However, for peoples living far from the equator, a significant part of the sky is inaccessible for observation: only half of the sky is visible at the pole, and about 70% at the latitude of Moscow.
In modern astronomy constellations- these are areas of the starry sky, delimited in accordance with the traditions of grouping stars that had developed by the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the need for complete, continuous and non-overlapping coverage of the celestial sphere.
For many centuries, the constellations did not have clearly defined boundaries; usually on maps and star globes, the constellations were separated by curved intricate lines that did not have a standard position. Therefore, from the moment of the formation of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), one of its first tasks was the delimitation of the starry sky. At the 1st General Assembly of the IAU, held in Rome in 1922, astronomers decided that it was time to finally divide the entire celestial sphere into parts with precisely defined boundaries and, by the way, put an end to all attempts to reshape the starry sky. In the names of the constellations, it was decided to adhere to the European tradition.
It should be noted that although the names of the constellations remained traditional, scientists were not at all interested in the figures of the constellations, which are usually depicted, mentally connecting with straight lines. bright stars. On star maps, these lines are drawn only in children's books and school textbooks; for scientific work they are not needed. Now astronomers call constellations not groups of bright stars, but parts of the sky with all the objects located on them, so the problem of determining the constellation is reduced only to drawing its boundaries.
But the boundaries between the constellations were not so easy to draw. Several well-known astronomers worked on this task, trying to preserve historical continuity and, if possible, prevent stars with their own names (Vega, Spica, Altair, ...) and established designations (a Lyra, b Perseus, ...) from falling into "foreign" constellations. At the same time, it was decided to make the boundaries between the constellations in the form of broken lines, passing only along the lines of constant declinations and right ascensions, since it is easier to fix these boundaries in mathematical form.
At the general assemblies of the IAU in 1925 and 1928, lists of constellations were adopted and the boundaries between most of them were approved. In 1930, on behalf of the IAU, the Belgian astronomer Eugene Delporte published maps and detailed description new boundaries of all 88 constellations. But even after that, some clarifications were still made, and only in 1935, by the decision of the IAU, this work was put to an end: the division of the sky was completed.
Often the classification of constellations is carried out taking into account the calendar month in which they are best seen or according to the seasons: the constellations of the winter, spring, summer and autumn sky.
Zodiac circle
The sun, moon, and planets follow a predetermined path through the sky, known as the ecliptic, and so does the earth. The list of 13 constellations they pass through are known as the stars of the zodiac.
Astrologers use these 12 constellations as signs of the zodiac, omitting Ophiuchus to make predictions. Unlike astronomy, astrology is not a science. Signs differ from constellations, only vaguely referring to each other. The sign of Pisces, for example, corresponds to the ascension of the constellation Aquarius. Ironically, if you were born under a certain sign, the constellation named by it is not visible at night. Instead, the sun passes through it at this time of year, making that day the day of a constellation that cannot be seen.
List of all thirteen constellations through which our system passes:
Why is there no thirteenth sign of the Zodiac? Here is a comment from the staff of the Perm Planetarium:
"The system of signs of the Zodiac was developed in ancient Babylon, about 3 thousand years ago. It was based on the displacement of the Sun against the background of other stars in the sky. This displacement is caused by the annual movement of the Earth around the Sun.
During the year, the Sun passes against the background of thirteen constellations (12 constellations of the Zodiac circle and the constellation Ophiuchus). Since the area of the constellations is not the same, it turns out that the Sun lingers in the background of one constellation much longer than in the background of another. For example: against the background of the constellation Virgo, the Sun is about 45 days, and Scorpio - 7 days. Because of this difference, the ancient Babylonians decided to average the time of the Sun's movement over the areas of a particular constellation. Since in those distant times the Sun only slightly "touched" the constellation Ophiuchus, it was not included in the constellations of the Zodiac.
To this day, the position of the stars has changed. Now the Sun resides in the constellation Ophiuchus 18 days a year. However, this is only from the point of view of astronomy. From an astrological point of view, nothing has changed.
Designation of stars in constellations
Our Galaxy consists of more than 100 billion stars. Of these, only 0.004% is listed in the catalogs, all the rest remain nameless and even uncounted. However, each bright star and most of the faint ones, in addition to the scientific designation, also has its own given name obtained in ancient times. Many of the names of stars in use today, such as Rigel, Aldebaran, Algol, Deneb and others, are of Arabic origin. Modern astronomers know about three hundred historical names of stars. Often they designate the names of body parts of those images from which the name of the entire constellation originated: Betelgeuse (in Orion) - “the giant’s shoulder”, Denebola (in Leo) - “lion’s tail”, etc.
Usually, to describe stars and constellations, the name, designation and brightness (stellar magnitudes of the visual range) are indicated. The most famous are the brightest stars, while the group of dim stars from the constellation Taurus are the famous Pleiades - Alcyone, Asterope, Atlas, Taygeta, Electra, Maya, Merope and Pleione.
When astronomers at the end of the 16th century began to study the sky in detail, they needed to have labels for absolutely all the stars that are visible to the naked eye, and eventually through a telescope. Johann Bayer, author of the beautifully illustrated Uranometry, depicted in it the constellations and the legendary figures from which their names are derived. In addition, Bayer for the first time marked the stars with letters Greek alphabet in order of approximate decreasing brightness: the brightest star in the constellation was designated "alpha", the second brightest - as "beta", and so on.
When the Greek alphabet ran out, Bayer used the Latin. In the Bayer system, the full designation of a star includes letters and the Latin name of the constellation. So, the brightest star in the constellation Big Dog- Sirius is designated a Canis Majoris, abbreviated as a CMa, and the second brightest star in the constellation Perseus - Algol - b Persei (b Per).
How to find constellations
In order to make it easier to find the constellation, you need to know what its asterism looks like.
Asterism- This is a characteristic, easily recognizable group of stars that may belong to one or more constellations. In the past, the concepts of asterism and constellation were almost synonymous - in both cases they meant an easily remembered group of stars.
The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is the most easily recognizable asterism. The Big Dipper is known even to people who are far from astronomy. Meanwhile, this asterism does not represent the entire constellation Ursa Major, but only the tail and part of the body of the animal.
Finding the Ursa Minor Bucket is also easy. If you draw a straight line through the stars of Ursa Major Merak (β) and Dubhe (α), which form the wall of the Bucket, it will point to the North Star, the brightest in the constellation Ursa Minor.
In the current era, the North Star is located near the North Pole of the world and therefore is almost motionless during the daily rotation of the starry sky.
If you draw an arc through the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper Bucket, then it will point to Arcturus Bootes (Bootes), which is one of the brightest stars in our firmament.
One of the most impressive constellations, Draco, lies between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Between the Ursa Minor Bucket and Vega you can see a small irregular quadrangle - the constellation of the Dragon's Head, and the stars Etamin (γ) and Rastaban (β) are the "eyes" of the dragon.
Near the Dragon you can see the brightest stars of Cassiopeia (Cassiopeia). They form the letter M, or W. The constellation Cepheus (Cepheus) is observed on the territory of Russia, but it is not easy to make out.
Between the stars Altair and Arcturus, you can find the constellations: the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis), the Serpent (Serpens), Hercules (Hercules), Ophiuchus (Orhiuchus) and the Shield (Scutum).
Moving east, you can find several more constellations, including the zodiac: Pegasus (Pegasus), the zodiac constellations Capricorn (Capricornus), Aquarius (Aquarius), Pisces (Pisces).
Aries (Aries), Taurus (Taurus), Charioteer (Auriga), Triangulum (Triangulum), Perseus (Perseus), Giraffe (Camelopardalis). The brightest star of the Auriga is Capella, and that of Taurus is Aldebaran. One of the most famous stars of Perseus, Algol, represents the "eye" of the Gorgon Medusa. The constellations Auriga and Taurus can be seen closer to 5 o'clock in the morning.
Other interesting objects also appear nearby, such as Orion (Orion), Hare (Lepus), Gemini (Gemini), Cancer (Cancer), Lesser Dog (Canis Minor), Lynx (Lynx). The brightest stars in Orion are Rigel, Belgeuse and Bellatrix. The brightest stars in Gemini are Castor and Pollux. Cancer is the hardest to spot.
It is worth noting that the constellations are static for only a few generations of people. As you know, the gravitational influence of the Moon and the Sun on our planet causes a slow cone-shaped motion. earth's axis, which causes the vernal equinoxes to move along the ecliptic from east to west. This phenomenon is called precession, i.e. pre-equinox. Under the influence of precession, over several millennia, the position of the earth's equator and the celestial equator associated with it change noticeably relative to the fixed stars. As a result, the annual course of the constellations across the sky becomes different: for residents of certain geographical latitudes, some constellations eventually become observable, while others disappear under the horizon for many millennia.
When creating the post, sources were used: geo.koltyrin.ru, abc2home.ru, chel.kp.ru, adme.ru, astrokarty.ru, biguniverse.ru, allsozvezdia.ru, v-kosmose.com, files.school-collection .edu.ru.
Autumn has come to our world. Autumn is true, which comes not according to the calendar created by people, but according to the stellar calendar. Therefore, this Autumn is sometimes called stellar or astronomical. Its beginning marks the Feast of the Autumn Equinox.
On the day of the Equinox, the Sun rises exactly in the geographical point of the East and sets in the geographical point of the West.
However, one should not forget that the starry Autumn has come only for the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere, that is, for everyone who lives north of the Earth's Equator.
But for southerners (those who are in the Southern Hemisphere), exactly at the same time, starry Spring came.
And so from year to year - everything is exactly the opposite.
However, in any case, on this day the Earth is evenly illuminated by sunlight and the Sun is at its zenith above the Equator line.
The Autumn Equinox is one of the four sacred holidays that have been revered and solemnly celebrated since ancient times.
In addition to the Autumn Equinox, these are the Winter Solstice, the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Eternal cycle.
And so every year in all cultures of the world in all ages and times.
This is the time when day equals night.
From this moment until the moment of the Spring Equinox, the night will surpass the day. The longest it will be during the Winter Solstice ...
In the modern era, at the moment of the Autumnal Equinox, the daytime star is in the constellation Virgo.
About 4000 years ago and earlier, the sacred point of the Autumnal Equinox was in the constellation of Libra. That is why the stellar figure near this point was called Libra. Here the Sun appeared at the moment when on the whole Earth the day is equal to the night.
Then, as a result of the phenomenon of precession (the cone-shaped movement of the earth's axis), the point of the Autumnal Equinox passed into Virgo, but to this day scientists are designated by the symbol of Libra.
Of course, the Autumn Equinox is not such a fun and joyful holiday as the Spring. Yet nature falls asleep, the cold is approaching. But on the other hand, it is especially solemn, imbued with wisdom, a special philosophy.
The symbol of this wisdom is the Cross. After all, the Equinox is associated with the crossing of the celestial Equator by the Sun.
Two imaginary lines intersect in the sky - the celestial Equator and the solar path - the Ecliptic. So, the Sun seems to cross a special boundary, a boundary that separates two mirror-image worlds, two hemispheres, which means that at this moment it goes to the Cross.
The best known today is the embodiment of this archetype in Christian tradition. That is why it is no coincidence that the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is close to the day of the Autumn Equinox.
The Resurrection, as you know, was preceded by the Crucifixion, that is, the ascent to the Cross. In one of the keys, this is the image of the Sun crucified on the Equinox Cross, the Sun located at the intersection of the Ecliptic and the celestial Equator. It is no coincidence that in prayers Christ is sometimes called the Sun of Truth.
In autumn, the Cross becomes a symbol of the solar descent. And in the Spring, the Sun must pass through the Cross in order to rise again.
Interestingly, the period of the Autumnal Equinox was often marked on ancient calendars in the form of such a symbol. It is considered a sheaf laid for threshing. Of course, this is true, because Autumn is the time when the summer harvest is already harvested.
But after all, in this symbol the Cross is clearly visible - the Cross of the Equinox!
And this is also the rune DAGAZ, the so-called rune of Transformation.
The sun will have a transformation, a transformation, hard trials, a thorny path, which should end with the spring Resurrection.
It is no coincidence that in ancient Hellas the famous Eleusinian mysteries were timed to coincide with the Equinoxes, and the small mysteries were timed to the Spring, and the Great to the Autumn.
After all, the myth associated with the abduction of the beautiful Persephone, the daughter of the goddess of fertility Demeter, by the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades, is perfectly correlated with the change of calendar seasons and the solar annual path. It is also known that before descending to Hades after Cerberus, the Eleusinian mysteries passed Hercules.
And now, as in ancient times, the Autumn Equinox came to us again.
Day equals night again...
Time to stop, forget about the fuss, calm thoughts, think, look at the setting star, partake of the breath of Mother Nature, measured rhythm great universe, as our wise ancestors once did ...
Twelve signs of the Zodiac, if under strain, everyone will remember. But not everyone knows why these particular constellations were singled out.
Surprisingly, the sky above us does not stand still.
It is in constant motion - only the position of the North Star is relatively constant. Nevertheless, the ancient Greeks, and after them the entire Western civilization, singled out the twelve miracle constellations into a separate zodiac belt.
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The distribution of stars in various constellations is first given, as it is believed, in Ptolemy's Almagest. The Ptolemaic constellations, with the exception of small details, coincide with the modern constellations.The names of these constellations from Ptolemy also, in the vast majority of cases, coincide with the names that we use today.
Zodiac comes from the Greek word zodion (Greek diminutive of zun - animal, diakos - wheel), one of the most common symbols in cultures: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Judea, Greece, Rome, Northern Europe, Persia, India, Tibet, China, America.
The first evidence of a systematic understanding of zodiacal symbolism dates back to the time of Sargon of Akkad (2750 BC), when astrologers predicted an eclipse of the sun.
Zodiac- the zone that is apparently crossed by the Sun once a year. It lies on both sides of the ecliptic at 18 degrees latitude and includes the movement of the Sun, planets, and the Moon. Divided into 12 constellations.
In 700 B.C. The zodiac as a band of constellations is mentioned in scientific work"Mul-Apin".
The author of this treatise lists 18 titles:
Stars, Heavenly Bull, Anu Righteous Shepherd, Old Man, Staff, Great Gemini, Crab, Lion, Furrow, Libra, Scorpio, Pabilsag, Goat-Fish, Giant, Tails, Swallow, Anunitu and Mercenary.
Finally, the list of fateful miraculous constellations was formed under the influence of rational mathematics.
The zodiacal belt was divided strictly into 12 parts of 30 degrees of the celestial sphere each:
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
By the way the Sun and the Moon move along this strip, people have learned to predict the future. Someone believes, someone not so much: if you divide the 8 billion living earthlings by 12, you get a lot of identical destinies. Nevertheless, the constellations are not forgotten and remain a wonderful discovery of the cosmic world order.
About 2 thousand years ago, the signs of the zodiac coincided with the zodiac constellations of the same name. The reason for the shift in the signs of the zodiac relative to the zodiac constellations of the same name is the precession, or precession of the equinoxes, established by Hipparchus of Rhodes in the 2nd century BC.
In that distant era, in the time of Hipparchus, the vernal equinox was in the constellation Aries, therefore it was designated by the sign of this constellation, the sign of Aries. Similarly, the point of the summer solstice was in the constellation of Cancer, the point of the autumnal equinox in the constellation of Libra, and the point winter solstice in the constellation Capricorn.
But then they gradually shifted to the west and have long been located: the vernal equinox in the constellation Pisces, and the autumn equinox in the constellation Virgo. The summer solstice has been in the constellation Taurus since 1988.The shift of the vernal equinox (it is indicated on the maps by the sign of Aries) occurs towards the annual movement of the Sun by about 51 "per year.
Constellations - areas of the starry sky, allocated for the convenience of orientation in the celestial sphere and the designation of stars.
On the star maps, the brightest stars in the constellation are indicated in Greek letters with the addition of the name of the constellation, the less bright ones in Latin letters and numbers. The boundaries of the constellations are, as a rule, along the celestial parallels and declination circles.
12 constellations are traditionally called zodiac constellations - those through which the center of the Sun passes during the annual revolution along the ecliptic. In the period from November 30 to December 17 (epoch 2014), the Sun is in the constellation Ophiuchus. Formally, this constellation is also a zodiac constellation, but in astrology it is not considered a zodiac constellation.
tell friendsTags: zodiac constellations, origin of the zodiac, legends, Ptolemaic constellations, modern constellations
