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Locate the star Polaris, and record its az/alt coordinates (click on the star, and notice the information that appears in the top left of your screen). Thus, any point in the sky that you can see can be specified by telling you which direction to face (az), and how high up to look (alt). Altitude is the angle measured from the horizon (0°) to the zenith (90°, or directly overhead). Head around the circle, and E = 90°, S = 180°, W = 270° and back to N = 360°. Azimuth is the angle measured in a horizontal circle, around your horizon. Turn and face north: Toggle on the Azimuthal grid (command keystroke z), look up a bit, and examine the coordinate system.They are two dimensional systems, which means that they can tell you where to look in the sky to find an object, but not how far away that object is from the Earth.
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Either one of these systems is analogous to using x- and y-coordinates on a piece of graph paper. We will distinguish here between two coordinate systems: azimuth/altitude (Az/Alt) and right ascension/declination (RA/DE). There are several systems that can be used to locate objects in the sky. You can navigate using the mouse or the arrow keys. Wander around: Explore your landscape.You will notice that there are keystrokes which correspond to these toggles, and you will probably find a few that you use frequently−knowing a few keystrokes can be a real timesaver. Click on the "Set time to now" icon, or just type the number 8. The icons on the right end of the toolbar control the passage of time. Return to right now: Activate the horizontal toolbar by mousing over it.Change the time to 6:00AM, and notice how dramatically your view changes. Let's go ahead and see the eastern sky earlier this morning. It should initially display the current and correct date and time. Set your time: Click on the Date/Time Window icon (vertical toolbar, second icon).Notice on the map that your red location arrow is correctly pointing to central Arkansas, and you can close the location window. In the search box, start typing "Conway." By the time you are three letters in, you should see your location list has been whittled down to just a few places, and you can select Conway, AR. There are many ways to specify where you are, but start by doing the fastest thing. Set your location: Click on the Location Window icon (vertical toolbar, top icon).You can spend a few minutes clicking around, just to see what this button or that toggle does. This has toggles for the most common viewing options, as well as time controls. There is a horizontal toolbar along the bottom left edge as well.
STELLARIUM ASTRONOMY WINDOWS
At the left edge of the window, towards the bottom, you will find a vertical toolbar with configuration windows for setting location, date, and viewing options. You have two toolbars that you activate by moving the mouse over their locations. When the program has loaded, your screen should show you located in a field of grass, facing south.
STELLARIUM ASTRONOMY PROFESSIONAL
We can watch the stars and planets move quickly across the night sky in a way that would not be possible outdoors, or even with a professional telescope. We can examine the sky on any day, at any time: past, present, or future. First, and most obviously, it's never too cloudy to observe the sky on the screen! Another powerful advantage is time. The advantages of using a computer-generated sky are numerous.
STELLARIUM ASTRONOMY FREE
This program is installed in the computer lab LSC 174, so you are free to use it any time the lab is open. If you have your own copy installed, you can work on lab exercises at your own convenience, review or double-check your lab answers before quizzes, or just play around with it.
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If you have your own computer, you should consider installing it. Stellarium is a free, open-source planetarium program available for download. Chapter 13: Neutron Stars and Black Holes.