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STARS
{
Pathfinder Honor
Level 3
Q: How can you account for the apparent daily
motion of the stars?
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A: Because the earth rotates
& revolves and
our galaxy spins, too.
Q:
What
is a
planet?
A: A planet is a large body
that is largely alone in it’s
orbits around the sun.
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Q: What is a satellite?
A: A satellite is an object that orbits a planet. There are
two basic types of satellites: natural, and artificial. Our
Moon is a natural satellite. The other type of satellite is
an artificial satellite, and these are most often used for
communications (think satellite TV dishes)..
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGTq14qCwJk
Q: What is a comet?
A: A comet is a small body in the solar system
that orbits the Sun and (at least occasionally)
exhibits a coma (or atmosphere) and/or a tail —
both due primarily to the effects of solar radiation
upon the comet's nucleus, which itself is a minor
planet composed of rock, dust, and ices.
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Q: What is a meteor?
A: A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid that
enters the Earth's (or another body's) atmosphere,
commonly called a shooting star or falling star.
An individual meteor can only be seen for at most
a few seconds while a comet can be seen for days
or weeks.
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Q: What is a nebula?
A: A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, gas and
plasma. Interstellar is a word meaning "between or among
the stars." Nebulae are among the most beautiful objects in
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Q&
A
the night sky can be seen
for
days
or weeks.
Q: What is a constellation?
A: A group of stars forming a recognizable
pattern that is traditionally named after its
apparent form or identified with a mythological
figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into
eighty-eight constellations with defined
boundaries.
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Q: What is a fixed star?
A: A fixed star (from the Latin stellae fixae) is any
celestial object that does not seem to move in
relation to the other stars of the night sky. Hence, a
fixed star is any star except for the Sun. A nebula
or other star-like object may also be called a fixed
star..
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Q: What is a sunspot?
A: A sunspot is a region on the Sun's surface that
is marked by a lower temperature than its
surroundings and intense magnetic activity,
forming areas of low surface temperature.
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Q: Define celestial
sphere
A: The celestial
sphere is an
imaginary rotating
sphere of "gigantic
radius", with the
Earth at its center.
All objects in the
sky can be thought
of as lying upon the
sphere.
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Q: Define celestial pole
A: The two celestial
poles are the
imaginary points
where the Earth's
spin axis intersects
the celestial sphere.
The north celestial
pole currently has
nearly the same
coordinates as the
bright star Polaris
(which is Latin for
"Pole Star").
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Q: Define celestial
equator
A: The celestial
equator is a great circle
on the imaginary
celestial sphere, which
is actually the plane of
the terrestrial equator
extended out into the
universe
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Q: Define ecliptic
A: The Ecliptic is the
apparent path of the
Sun traced out along
the sky in the course of
the year. More
accurately, it is the
intersection of the
celestial sphere with
the ecliptic plane,
which is the geometric
plane containing the
mean orbit of the Earth
around the Sun.
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Q: What connection is there between the ecliptic
and the vernal and autumnal equinoxes? What
dates are usually associated with the equinoxes?
The ecliptic is the path
followed by the sun
across the celestial
sphere during the year.
It crosses the celestial
equator twice during
the year, once at the
Autumnal equinox and
once at the Vernal
equinox. The Vernal
Equinox occurs on
either March 20 or
March 21. The
Autumnal Equinox
occurs on either
September 22 or 23..
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Q: Show the relative positions of the earth and moon
during high and low tides.
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Q: Define horizon
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A: The horizon is the line that
separates earth from sky.
Right Ascension
Marked in hours which relates to the hours as the sun goes around the
celestial equator (or as viewed from the equator)
Right Ascension & Declination
Start at 3:30
Q: Define right
ascension
A: Right Ascension is
the astronomical term
for one of the two
coordinates of a point
on the celestial sphere
when using the
equatorial coordinate
system. It is equivalent
to terrestrial longitude..
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Q: Define declination
A: Declination is one of the two
coordinates of the equatorial
coordinate system, the other
being either right ascension or
hour angle. Dec is comparable to
latitude, projected unto the
celestial sphere, and is measured
in degrees north and south of
the celestial equator. Therefore,
points north of the celestial
equator have positive
declination, while those to the
south have negative declination.
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Q: Define transit
A: A transit is the
astronomical event that
occurs when one celestial
body appears to move across
the face of another celestial
body, as seen by an observer
at some particular vantage
point.
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Q: Define conjunction
A: Conjunction means that,
as seen from some place
(usually the Earth), two
celestial bodies appear near
one another in the sky
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Q: Explain the major difference between a
refractor and reflector type of telescope
Q: Explain the major difference between a
refractor and reflector type of telescope
A: A refractor
telescope is a type of
optical telescope that
refracts or bends light
at each end using
lenses.
A: A reflector telescope is
a telescope which uses a
combination of curved and
flat mirrors to reflect light
and form an image, rather
than lenses to refract or
bend light to form an
image.
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Q: Describe an equatorial telescope mounting
A: An equatorial mount is a mount used for moving a telescope or camera
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Q&A
along two perpendicular
of motion (right ascension and declination). The
telescope mount's axis of right ascension should be pointed directly towards
whichever celestial pole is above the horizon to work correctly.
Q: Know the history of the signs of the zodiac
A: By 2,000 BC, the Egyptians and Mesopotamians
marked the seasons by the constellations we now call
Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. The division of the
ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates in
Babylonian ("Chaldean") astronomy in the early to
mid 1st millennium BC (likely during Median/"NeoBabylonian" times).
The signs were named after the nearby constellations
at the time of Ptolemy, most of which were named
after animals, hence the term zodiac (from Greek
zodiakos, "circle of little animals").
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Q: What are the 12 constellations called the signs
of the zodiac?
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Q: What is the difference between astronomy
and astrology?
A:
Astronomy is a science that studies everything outside of the
earth's atmosphere, such as planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies; and the
properties and relationships of those celestial bodies. Astronomers
base their studies on research and observation. It is a study of God’s
creation.
Astrology, on the other hand, is the belief that the positioning of the
stars and planets determine a person’s character and affect the way
events occur on earth. This belief is not biblical and the study of it,
worshiping the heavens, and consulting horoscopes is warned against
in the Bible.
See: Deut. 4:19, 2 Kings 23:5, Isaiah 47:13-15 , and Daniel 2:27-28
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Q: How are the letters of the Greek alphabet
used to name stars in a constellation?
A:
The brightest star in a
constellation is called alpha plus the
constellation name. The second
brightest is named beta, the third
brightest is named gamma, and so
forth. The best known example of this
is Alpha
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Q: Give five illustrations of the use of the letters of
the Greek alphabet in naming the stars of a
constellation.
A:
Centauri which is the brightest
star in the constellation Centaur.
However, Alpha Centauri is actually a
binary star, so the first two stars in our
list can be Alpha Centauri A, and
Alpha Centauri B. Acrux,
Becrux, and Gacrux are the three
brightest stars in Crux, the Southern
Cross, and are so named as an
abbreviation of Alpha-Crux, BetaCrux, and Gamma-Crux.
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #1: Sirius
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #2: Arcturus
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #4: Vega
Find star #5: Altair
This is the
summer
triangle
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #6: Capella
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #7:
Betelgeuse
Find star #8:
Rigel
Find star #9:
Procyon
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Q: Locate the 15 firstmagnitude stars as
they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #10:
Aldebaran
Find star #11:
Pollux
They are the
remaining stars in
the Winter Circle
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Q: Locate the 15 first-magnitude stars as they appear
throughout the year.
Find star #12: Spica
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Q: What does the Bible say about Orion, the Pleiades,
and Arcturus?
Read Job 9:9 – “He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;”
Read Job 38:31, 32 – “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
Can you bring out Mazzaroth [constellations] in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?”
Read Amos 5:8 – “He made the Pleiades and Orion;
He turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night;
He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth;
The LORD is His name.
Q: Which planets can NOT be seen without the
aid of a telescope?
A:
Uranus and Neptune
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Q: Which two planets can be only seen near the
hours of sunrise and sunset?
A:
Mercury and Venus
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Q: Describe the planet, Mercury
It is closest to the sun
 It has very little atmosphere
 It’s often struck by other objects in space, so it has
lots of craters.
 A year at Mercury is 88 days
 Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system
 After earth, it is the 2nd densest planet
 Mercury has just 38% of the gravity on earth
 It’s orbit is an ellipse rather than circular

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Q: Describe the planet, Venus
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It is the 2nd closest planet to the sun
It is the closest planet to Earth
Venus orbits the sun every 224.7 earth days
It’s rotation is very slow. It takes 243 earth days to
complete 1 rotation. So a year on Venus is shorter than a
day on Venus
Venus rotates in the opposite direction of other planets
It is the hottest planet in the solar system: 863° F
After the moon it is the 2nd brightest natural object in the
sky and is sometimes referred to as the morning or
evening star
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Q: Describe the planet, Earth
It is the perfect distance from the sun for a
temperate environment
 It is the only planet with an atmosphere
containing 21% oxygen – perfect for us
 It is the only planet with liquid water on it.
 ….

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Q: Describe the planet, Mars
It is the 4th planet from the sun
 It is known as the red planet due to its appearance
when seen from earth at night
 It is the only planet besides Earth that has seasons
 It has a rotational period nearly the same as earth
 Its orbit takes 687 days
 Mars has 2 moons
 It has the largest dust storms in the solar system
 It has the tallest mountain in the solar system

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Q: Describe the planet, Jupiter
It is the 5th planet out from the sun
 Jupiter is made mostly of gases and is therefore
known as a ‘gas giant’
 It is 2 ½ times larger than all the other planets in the
solar system combined
 It has the shortest day of all the planets: 9 hours and
55 minutes
 It orbits the sun once every 11.8 earth years
 It’s atmosphere is divided into cloud belts and
zones.
 The Great Red Spot is a huge storm on Jupiter

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Q: Describe the planet, Saturn
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Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun and the most distant
which can be seen with the naked eye
It is the 2nd largest planet
It is a gas giant composed of gases similar to hydrogen,
helium, methane, among others
It quickly rotates every 10 hours and 34 minutes
Similar to Jupiter it’s upper atmosphere is divided into zones
and bands of clouds and it has oval- shaped storms
It has the most extensive rings in the solar system
It has 150 moons and many smaller moonlets
Four space craft have visited Saturn
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Q: Describe the planet, Uranus
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Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun
It is the first planet discovered with a telescope.
Uranus is tipped on its side with an axial tilt of 98
degrees
It rotates once every 17 hours and 14 minutes
It revolves around the sun every 84 earth years
It is known as an ice giant
It’s atmosphere is made of water, ammonia, and methane
ice which give it it’s pale blue color
It gets the coldest temperatures (-224° C)
It has 2 sets of very thin dark colored rings
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Q: Describe the planet, Neptune
Neptune is the 8th planet from the sun
 It is the smallest of the ice giants
 It spins very rapidly and rotates every 18 hours.
 It is very stormy. High speed winds whip
around the planet.
 The atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium
and methane. The methane absorbs red light
which is why it appears blue.
 It has 14 moons

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Review Constellations
from basic Star Honor
{
Can you find it?
Big Dipper
Ursa Major
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Can you find it?
Little Dipper
Polaris – North Star
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Ursa Minor
Betelgeuse
Bellatrix
Can you find it?
Orion
Rigel
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Can you find it?
Gamma
Cassiopeia
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Can you find it?
Auriga
Capella
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Errai
Can you find it?
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Cepheus
Can you find it?
Bootes
Arcturus
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Congratulations!
You earned the Advanced STAR HONOR
If you have time, you can do a star game:
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/fun/
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