Astronomical Tools
Practicum

1. STAR MAP
Be able to:
a) Give the three times of year a certain constellation is most visible.
b) Be able to name and sketch 3 circumpolar constellations.

2. QUADRANT
Be able to:
a) Find the meridian altitude of an object.
b) Calculate the height of an object.
c) Find your latitude.

3. CROSS-STAFF
Be able to:
a) Find the distance to an object of known diameter.
b) Find the diameter of an object of a known distance away.

4. PINHOLE PROTRACTOR
a) Find the angular diameter of an object.
b) Calculate the distance to an object.

5. MEASURING ANGLES WITH FINGERS
Be able to:
Give the angular distance between objects using your hand.

6. CELESTIAL GLOBE
Be able to:
a) Give the right ascension and declination of a celestial object.
b) Find the meridian altitude of a celestial object.
c) Find the zodiac constellation the sun is in at a particular time of year.
d) Find the length of a day at any particular time of year.
e) Sketch the diurnal paths of the stars for a given latitude.
f) Show which constellations would not be visible to an observer at a certain latitude.

7. ASTROLABE
Be able to :
a) Find altitude and azimuth of an object.
b) Give the altitude of one star, give the altitudes and azimuths of the other visible stars.

8. PARALLAX
Be able to:
a) Explain what parallax is.
b) Give the relationship between baseline and accuracy of parallax measurements.
c) Explain how parallax is used to measure the distance to a star, and calculate the distance in parsecs given the parallax angle.

 

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