Celestial sphere, Kepler’s Laws, and Newton’s Law of gravitation

Question 1

What is a constellation?

Answer 1

a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. The sky is divided into 88 different constellations

Question 2

How are the zodiacal constellations related to the Sun and the planets?

Answer 2

They are on the Ecliptic in relation to earth

Question 3

What are angular size and angular separation and how are they measured?

Answer 3

angular size - is how big something seem to us, use degrees (pinkie = 1 degree)
angular separation - how far apart 2 things are, use fist

Question 4

Describe how stars/constellations move through the sky on a daily and annual basis and what causes those changes.

Answer 4

move CCW, rise in the east and set in the west, 1 hour = 15 degrees.
we move around our axis and our orbit.

Question 5

How does your location on Earth affect the number of circumpolar stars in your sky?

Answer 5

the closer you are to a Celestial pole the higher it is in your sky, the circumpolar stars you see. closer to the equator the less you see.

Question 6

North and South Celestial poles

Answer 6

are extensions of Earth’s North and South Poles

Question 7

Celestial equator

Answer 7

is the extension of Earth’s equator onto the celestial sphere

Question 8

Ecliptic

Answer 8

is the Suns apparent path around the celestial sphere.