Look up the seven Big Dipper stars on the SIMBAD astronomical database (http: //
ID: 3278803 • Letter: L
Question
Look up the seven Big Dipper stars on the SIMBAD astronomical database (http: //simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid). You can look them up by their common names (Alioth, Alkaid, Dubhe, Megrez, Merak, Mizar, and Phecda). As seen in class, SIMBAD lists a lot of information for stars including their coordinates, alternate names, and other measures we will discuss later. For now, use SIMBAD to get the name of the stars based on the constellation (Greek letter abbreviation followed by constellation name, e.g., alf UMa), their coordinates (ICRS, J2000), and their HD number (the Henry-Draper catalog of bright stars). List them in a table with their common name, constellation-based name, HD number, RA and DEC). A. Which of these stars are circumpolar at Atlanta? Explain your reasoning. B. Which of these stars will get the highest in your sky at Atlanta? Why? C. At what time (LST) will this star get to its highest point in your sky? D. Where would you have to live on Earth (range of latitudes) to never be able to see any of the Big Dipper stars?Explanation / Answer
A. Circumpolar stars are the stars which are moving along the circumference of polar star. Out of these stars, Dubhe and Merak belongs to circumpolar stars as they are the pointer stars of constellation Ursa Major which is used to determine the position of polar star.
B. The star at the highest position in Ursa Major, that is Merak will get the highest in the sky as this constellation lies on the highest point in northern hemisphere
C. The latitude of our location is 45 degree to the zenith. So, the time at which this star will appear to its highest point = 1,7',23''+8,45',32'' = 9,52',55''
D. Big dipper stars are not visible in southern hemisphere as it lies directly above the north pole. So, range of latitudes are 66,33' to 26,23'
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.