intro to constellations

Slide 2: 

Introduction to Constellations Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association Welcomes you to

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations People have been watching the night skies for millions of years. Some just out of curiosity. Some out of boredom. Some looking for omens, either good or bad. However, the one thing that they all saw was that the stars formed patterns in the night sky

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations Most ancient cultures saw pictures in the stars of the night sky. As people became fascinated with the star-studded skies they began to name the patterns they saw. The earliest known efforts to catalog the stars date back roughly 5000 years. The ancient Sumerians were the first to record the names of constellations on clay tablets,

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations These patterns of stars, called constellations, were named in honor of mythological characters or great heroes. The Bear, Orion and the Pleiades are mentioned in chapters 9 and 38 of the book of Job in the Bible. The Pleiades

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations In the Western world, most of the constellations with which we are familiar come from ancient Greece. But other civilizations created their own patterns in the sky based on stories and people that were important to them. Hercules

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations Ptolemy was a Greek astronomer who lived between 85-165 A.D. He put together his own ideas with those of Aristotle and Hipparchus and formed the geocentric theory. This theory states that the Earth was at the center of the universe and all other heavenly bodies circled it, a model which held for 1400 years.

History of Constellations : 

History of Constellations Ptolemy published a book, which contained a summary of Greek astronomical knowledge, including a catalog of 1022 stars, with estimates of their brightness, arranged into 48 constellations. These 48 constellations formed the basis for our modern constellation system.

Slide 9: 

What is a constellation The stars of a constellation only appear to be close to one another this is only a projection or visual effect. The stars may be located at very different distances from us and each other.

What is a constellation : 

What is a constellation Newcomers to astronomy are soon disappointed to find that the great majority of constellations bear little, if any, resemblance to the figures whose names they carry! . The constellation figures are not intended to be taken literally. Rather, they are symbolic . Cassiopeia is an good example. Cassiopeia was a queen and mother to Andromeda. Just 5 stars to do all that!

They Come And Go : 

They Come And Go There has been many constellations that have come and gone! One was named after a King. Johann Bode created a constellation in 1787 to honor Frederick the Great, who had died in the previous year Felis was a constellation created by Jérôme Lalande in 1799. because “I am very fond of cats” One was made in order to honor the creation of the first electricity generator. Not all constellations come from the myths and legends Machina Electrica, the electricity generator

They Come And Go : 

They Come And Go Originally the constellations were defined informally by the shapes made by their star patterns, but, as the pace of celestial discoveries quickened in the early 20th century, astronomers decided it would be helpful to have an official set of constellation boundaries.

They Come And Go : 

They Come And Go In 1922 the IAU divided the celestial sphere into 88 official constellations. With the technical advancement of astronomy, it became important to move from a pattern-based system of constellations to one based on area-mapping.

They Come And Go : 

They Come And Go What this move from a pattern-based to area-mapping did, Was to insure that every star was accounted for and was included in just one constellation. This also led to several historic formations becoming obsolete

Some Of Them : 

Some Of Them Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the largest, most conspicuous and most recognizable constellation in the night sky.

Some Of Them : 

Some Of Them While Orion is one of the most recognizable constellation. It is the 12 Zodiac constellations that is known around the world The zodiac is the ring of constellations that lines the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky over the course of the year.

Your Future : 

Your Future I hope this presentation has helped to answer some of your questions and dispel some myths about constellations. But more so I hope it has sparked an interest in constellations.

CREDITS : 

CREDITS Music By Loch Ness Productions http://www.stellarium.org/ Narrated By: Russ Hills