Download Introduction to Astronomy

Introduction to Astronomy
SCI 135-B1
Name: Nicole Shetka
Date: February 13, 2010
Worksheet 4.2 – Seasons
1. If it’s a summer day here, what season and time of day is it in Russia?
Russia would be summer night
2. If it’s a winter night here, what season and time of day is it in Peru?
Peru would be summer night
3. If it’s a summer night here, what season and time of day is it in Australia?
Australia would be winter day
4. How can you use the stars to tell your latitude on the Earth?
Find Polaris in the sky, The “north star” it is above the north pole and you can
find your latitude by measuring the angle from the horizon it is at.
5. Will the Sun ever be straight overhead here in Massachusetts? Nope. The sun is
only directly overhead if you live at the equator. Since Massachusetts is so far
from the equator it will never be overhead.
6. What does the term “Land of the Midnight Sun” mean? What causes it?
Land of the midnight sun means when the sun is still visible during the midnight
hour in certain locations. It is caused by the tilt of the earths axis. At certain
summer months due to the high latitude the sun remains visible.
7. What constellation is the Sun in on your birthday? (Use the star map to help.)
The constellation Taurus.
8. Is the Sun in the same constellation on your birthday as your astrological sign?
Why or why not? No. The sun is not in my constellation on my birthday. Gemini
is in the suns path during July 2nd to July 12th.
9. What constellation is the Sun in on the day of the Vernal Equinox? Pisces
10. What do astrologers mean when they say “it’s the dawning of the Age of
Aquarius”? The Vernal Equinox moves through the constellations. Currently it is
in the constellation Pisces and it is moving to the constellation Aquarius.
11. Why are the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer important? Where do their names
come from? The tropics of Capricorn and Cancer are important because they point
to two places that the sun is directly overhead during the summer and winter
solstice. They also act as the boundries to the “tropics” the places that do not have
seasons due to the sun always being high in the sky. They are named such because
at the time they where named the lines where in the corresponding constellations.