Download Stellarium Night Sky Search Key Commands Constellations buttons

Stellarium Night Sky Search
Key Commands
Constellations buttons: c
v
b
Left Click to select an object
Space bar to center an object
Scroll wheel to zoom in and out
F5 to bring up the date and time box
Ecliptic: , (comma)
F6 to bring up the location box - Make sure Essex, Vermont is the current location. If not, hit
F6 and next to the magnifying glass, type in “Essex”. Select “Essex, Vermont” and also check
the “Use as default” box. Now you can close the window.
CTRL Q to quit Stellarium
To Begin With …

Open Stellarium by clicking on Start Button  All Programs  EHS  Science  Stellarium.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that Essex is the current location. If it is not, hit F6 and follow the
instructions above. This is important that you are viewing the sky from the correct location. If
Paris is listed in the lower left corner of the screen, you are in the wrong location. Please ask if
you have any questions.

Hit c, v and b to see how these constellation keys works.

Hit the comma key to turn the ecliptic on. Hit it again to turn the ecliptic off.
Search
Hit F5 and go to 21:00:00 (9:00 pm) for today. Move this box down to the lower right corner, so you
can still see it, but it won’t interfere with your view. Stop the time by moving your cursor to the
bottom of the page until a menu bar appears and click once on the <<.
1. Zodiac Constellations
A. Zodiac constellations are those they lay along the ecliptic. What is the name of the zodiac
constellation due south? [Hint: You will need to turn on the ecliptic.]
B. What is the name of the zodiac constellation east of Sagittarius? [Hint: The left and right
arrows will easily move your view in different directions.]
C. What is the name of the zodiac constellation west of Sagittarius?
2. Planets in the Night Sky
Are there any planets above the horizon at this time? If so, list them and in parentheses put
the constellation they are currently in. [Hint: Because the solar system lies basically in one
plane, all of the planets will be near the ecliptic.]
3. Circumpolar Constellations
Move your view to due North. Find Polaris. Click on it and hit the space bar to center it in your
view. The constellations that circle the North Star are visible to us all year long and are called
the circumpolar constellations. List them here. After you quit Stellarium, find the common
name for each constellation on the internet (i.e. in Wikipedia).
Constellation
Who/What IsThis Constellation?
1. __________________________
__________________________
2. __________________________
__________________________
3. __________________________
__________________________
4. __________________________
__________________________
5. __________________________
__________________________
6. __________________________
__________________________
4. Follow the Arc
Find Ursa Major and locate the Big Dipper within it. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle
downward.
A. What bright star do you come to? “Follow the arc to ______________________”.
B. What constellation is this bright star in?
5. Finding Galaxies
A. Return to the Big Dipper. Click slightly below the last star in the handle in the constellation
Canes Venatici and hit the space bar to center. Slowly zoom in until you see a galaxy in the
field of view. Click on the spiral galaxy, hit space bar and zoom in a bit more.
i. What is the name of this galaxy? Give its common name, its Messier number
and its NGC number.
ii. Can this galaxy be seen with the naked eye? Why? [Hint: For an object to be
visible to a person’s unaided eye, its magnitude must be 5 or less.]
iii. How far is this galaxy from us? [Hint: Check Wikipedia after you quit
Stellarium.]
B. Find Polaris again. Then find the constellation Cassiopeia to the east. Click roughly midway
and slightly below a line connecting Cassiopeia and Pegasus within the constellation boundary
of Andromeda and hit the space bar to center. Slowly zoom in until you see a galaxy in the
field of view. Click on the spiral galaxy, hit space bar and zoom in a bit more.
i. What is the name of this galaxy? Give its common name, its Messier number
and its NGC number.
ii. Can this galaxy be seen with the naked eye?
iii. How far is this galaxy from us? [Hint: Check Wikipedia after you quit
Stellarium.]