Example Of Experiment #1 — North Circumpolar Motion Of Stars Essay

The group members performed the experiment from Denver, Colorado where the members met in a high building. The high building helped the members to view all the corners of the earth and to escape other obstructions such as tall buildings.

Purpose:

The movement of stars is a major part studied in Astronomy. It is fun looking at the way celestial bodies are arranged in the sky, and their movement depict that there is rotation and revolution of the earth. The experiment is crucial in enabling the observers to know the measurement of the stars and the arrangement of the stars. The experiment points out the ways in which an observer can use to predict the movement of the stars. The experiment was arranged to take a long time in the night and accurate recording conducted to avoid errors. The North celestial pole is very crucial in the world because it forms the basis of having the longitudes and the latitudes. The experiment also utilizes the Polaris as the point of reference in giving direction since the Polaris always remains at the same point.

Procedure for doing the experiment

The observer will make three different observations and record the data collected from the experiment on a piece of paper. The experiment will be conducted in a time limit of 90 minute. For the observer to achieve high values, it is better to start the experiment immediately the sun goes down. It is not necessary for the observer to stare at the stars for a long time because the only helpful time to stare at the sky if after 90 minutes. The observation will be made in terms of a sketch so that one can look to see whether there was any movement. The observations made will be depending on the zenith, Polaris and the horizon. The observer needs to stare at the stars for about five to 10 minutes to have a clear picture of the image to sketch. The Polaris is used as the center of reference; the observer must see the Polaris in front the zenith must be at a perpendicular angle to get good results. All the sketches made from the experiment will be useful in calculating the movement and the distance between the stars.

Data and calculation

Figure 1: Showing the motion of the stars
The zenith and the line of the Polaris are in a right-angled triangle. The angle between the stars in the Big Dipper can be easily measured using the zenith and the Polaris.

Conclusion and Analysis

The daily motion of the earth can be depicted by the movement of the things in space. The sun the moon and earth form the solar system. The other stars in the solar system are very tiny to see with human eyes without using a telescope. The only visible stars formed the main part of the experiment. The observer used the Big Dipper to get the analogy in the movement of objects. Most people think that the stars rise and set like the sun, but it is not true because in most instances they remain in the same place for a number of years without making any other changes. For the Big Dipper to change its pattern, it takes a long time. The experiment gives a clear explanation on the movement of the earth.