Star names and star magnitudes
What is the name of the brightest star in a constellation?
Alpha
True or False: All stars appear to move at the same rate in the night sky? (explain)
FALSE. Stars close to the north pole to barely move, stars close to the equator move the most.
What does H-R stand for?
Herszsprung-Russel, the names of the two astronomers who came up with the diagram?
True or False: Sometimes the Earth's axis changes its tilt.
FALSE
What is the main part of the telescope called?
The body tube
Name a star magnitude that is brighter than 5.
Any number less than 5!
What is the rate of motion for stars at the celestial equator?
1 degree per 4 minutes, or 1/4 of a degree (0.25 degrees) per minute.
What kind of stars are found in the upper left part of the HR diagram? (give two properties).
Blue giants. They are HOT (blue) and LARGE (bright).
What is the order of the seasons?
Winter, spring, summer, fall, etc.
What is the opening of the telescope called?
What languages are used for names in Astronomy? Give at least two.
Greek, Latin, Arabic (and a little English)
If a star takes 1 minute to drift across eyepiece 1 and 2 minutes to drift across eyepiece 2, which eyepiece is stronger?
Eyepiece 1 is stronger because it is looking at a smaller piece of the sky.
Where does the Sun appear on the HR diagram?
Smack dab in the middle of the yellow-white stars. It is medium brightness and medium temperature.
What are some differences between winter and summer?
Winter: short days, long nights, indirect sunlight.
Summer: long days, short nights, direct sunlight.
True or False: You have to level the telescope stand before you put the spacer on.
FALSEFALSEFALSEFALSE!!!!!!!!!!
What is a binary star?
A pair of stars that orbit each other.
If eyepiece 1 is stronger than eyepiece 2, which one has a smaller True FOV?
Eyepiece 1 because it is looking at a smaller part of the sky.
What kind of stars appear on the Main Sequence?
True or False: Some parts of Earth have 24 hours of day or night depending on the season.
TRUE
How do you align the red dot?
You first point the telescope towards an easily identifiable object, then adjust the red dot finder so that the red dot is on that object.
Any number less than zero, such as -1, -2, -3, etc.
We needed a star near the celestial equator because we know the drift speed of those stars.
What can an HR diagram tell us about a star cluster?
It can tell us if the cluster is old or young. If it is young, most of the stars are main sequence. If it is old, the brighter, heavier stars will have started dying.
What causes the seasons?
The Earth's axis means the North and South poles alternate being pointed at the Sun.
When using Sky Align, what city should you choose?
Van Nuys