How to Interpret an Altitude vs Local Time Graph for Astronomy?

[bayan]

Hi, I need some help with interpreting an altitude vs local time graph.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4871/astronomygraph.jpg is a link to the graph and some of the questions that were asked about the graph.

also this information was provided: Date of observation: christmas night 2015, Southern hemisphere, ignore daylight savings.

For the RA of objects I got the order as 2,1,moon,3=4,5 (just listed them according to max alt time)

For Declination I have them ordered as 3,moon,1,4,5,2 ( lowest alt first unless they appear as circumpolar)

The stars Declination I got by using moon as reference and I got the moons Declination roughly 18°N late during late December, hence star 1 is at 0°, star 4 at 32°S which is observation site and star 5 at 64°S

Any one able to tell me if I have the right results or how I should go about reading this graph? I am not sure as to why some most are curved shape and one with a straight line (star 4)

Regards

 

[lippyka]

The results that you have provided seem correct, and the shape of the lines can provide some information about the objects. The curved shape indicates that the object is moving across the sky and has a changing altitude throughout the night, while the straight line indicates that the object is a circumpolar object, which never sets below the horizon and so has a constant altitude throughout the night.