Lab3 report: INTRODUCTION TO THE NIGHT SKY
The Winter Triangle is prominent in the night sky in the northern hemisphere during the winter months,
from December to March.The stars in the winter triangle are Betelgeuse, Procyon and Sirius .
The Winter Triangle
Constellation
Apparent magnitude
Betelgeuse,
Orion
.45
Procyon
Canis Minor
.40
Sirius
Canis Major
1.44
Q1. Use Stellarium to determine which constellations should be visible at midnight on April 22nd at the
meridian.
Q2. Use Stellarium to determine which zodiacal constellations should be visible at midnight on April
22nd at the meridian
Scorpius, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra
Q3. Use Stellarium to find 5-10 bright stars that can be seen in the sky at 11 pm on December 20th.
Record the stars’ proper names in Table 1.Record the constellation in which each star is found.
Many stars have proper names, for example Polaris, Castor and Pollux. Some astronomical objects can
be identified by proper names (common names, popular names, traditional names) as opposed to
catalogue numbers or other systematic designations, such as Bayer designation. A Bayer designation is
a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek or Latin letter followed by the
genitive form of its parent constellation’s Latin name. Polaris = α Ursae Minoris.
Table 1.
Proper Star Name
Bayer designation
Constellation
Apparent Magnitude
Taurus
+1630’33.4885
04h35m55.23907
Crax, Vela, Centaurus, Lupus, Scorpius, Pyxis, Antlia, Corvus, Crater, Libra, Spica, Hydra, Ophiunchus, Virgo, Sextans,
Serpents,Canis Minor, Leo, Cancer, Coma Berenices, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Leo Minor, Gemini, Canes Venatici,
Hercules, Lynx, Ursa Major, Lyra, Draco, Ursa Minor, Camelopardalis, Cepheus
Capella
Auriga
+4559’52.77
05h16m41.35871
Rigel
Orion
-0812’05.8981
05h14m32.2721
Bellatrix
Orion
+0620’58.9318
05h25m07.86325
Castor
Gemini
-3153’18.57
07h34m36.100