Using a Starfinder

OBJECTIVES & UNDERSTANDINGS

After completing this activity, you should be able to:

MATERIALS (supplied by classroom teacher)

PROCEDURE

  1. Using the materials provided by the planetarium teacher, construct a starfinder.
  2. Using the FCPS Starfinder, answer the following activity questions.

USING THE STARFINDER

A planisphere, or starfinder, is a star map on a disk that lets you see which stars and constellations will be in the night sky for any date and time. Set the date and time by turning the star disk so that the month (e.g., JAN, etc.) is aligned with the arrow above the word "DATE" on the western horizon--dates are for the middle of the month (e.g., 15 January) at 9:00 p.m. The southern sky is shown on the front of the starfinder; the northern sky is shown on the back.

ACTIVITY QUESTIONS

  1. The FCPS Starfinder shows 22-or-so of the most recognizable constellations, that include many of the brightest stars in the night sky. On both sides of the starfinder, the table "CONSTELLATIONS" lists the names of the star groups shown on the starfinder. In the blank space to the left of each name, write the number (shown on the star disk) that matches the name of the constellations listed in the table. Refer to the following alphabetical lists that correllate constellation name and number (or refer to Appendix B. FCPS Planetaria Starfinder Constellations).

    Southern Sky
    (front of starfinder)
    Number Constellation Number Constellation Number Constellation
    17 Andromeda 6 Corvus 1 Orion*
    12 Aquila 14 Cygnus 16 Pegasus
    7 Bootes 15 Delphinus 10 Sagittarius
    2 Canis Major* 3 Gemini* 9 Scorpius
    11 Capricornus 5 Leo* 4 Taurus*/Pleiades*
    8 Corona Borealis 13 Lyra
    		Aries
    Northern Sky
    (back of starfinder)
    Number Constellation
    3 Cassiopeia*
    4 Cepheus
    5 Draco
    1 Ursa Major*
    2 Ursa Minor*

  2. The horizon is the imaginary horizontal line where the sky appears to meet the land. On both sides of the starfinder, label the horizon.

  3. Using the starfinder, determine whether the following constellations (shown in the table to the right) are above or below the horizon at 9:00 p.m. on January 15. Answer the question by writing either "above" for objects above the horizon or "below" for objects below the horizon.
    Constellation Above or Below Horizon
    Orion
    Scorpius
    Canis Major
    Taurus/Pleiades
    Cassiopeia

  4. The zenith is the imaginary point in the sky directly overhead an observer. On the starfinder, where is the zenith?


  5. The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) appears in the northern sky, which is shown on the back of the starfinder. During which SEASON (winter, spring, summer, or fall) would the Big Dipper appear highest above the horizon (closest to the zenith) at about 9:00 p.m.?


  6. List all of the months during which the constellation Orion (the Hunter) would be visible in the night sky.


  7. On the starfinder, brighter stars appear as larger dots. Star names are listed in the table "BRIGHT STARS" on both sides of the starfinder. Set the starfinder for 9 p.m. on January 15. In which winter constellation is Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky) located?


  8. Like the Sun (which is a star), most stars appear to rise in the east, move across the southern sky, and set in the west (as shown by the arrows on the southern side of the star disk, labeled "APPARENT MOTION OF THE STARS"). Most constellations in the southern sky are "seasonal," that is, they are visible at night for six months during the year.

    In the northern sky (shown on the back of the starfinder), some stars always remain in your field of view, that is, appear above the horizon, every night of every day of the year. These star groups are known as the Circumpolar Constellations because they appear to circle Polaris, the North Star.

    1. List the names of FOUR Circumpolar Constellations that never go below the horizon.


    2. In which circumpolar constellation is Polaris (the North Star) located?


  9. Have you ever seen a "shooting star?" Shooting stars are actually meteors--small pieces of Solar System debris, usually sand-sized particles, that vaporize while colliding at great speed (up to 40 miles per second) with the Earth's atmosphere. Annual "meteor showers" (up to several meteors per minute) occur when the Earth's orbit crosses the orbits of comets. Most annual meteor showers are named for the constellation from which the meteors appear to radiate. Answer the following questions by referring to the table of "MAJOR METEOR SHOWERS" (that appears on both sides of the starfinder).

    1. A well-known annual meteor shower occurs in mid-August. What is its name?


    2. Set the starfinder for 9 p.m. on December 15 (the approximate date of the Geminid meteor shower). In which direction (N, E, S, W) would you have to look to see the Geminid meteor shower?


APPENDICES