Simple Astronomy questions - Need

[nukeman]

First, these are not homework questions.

I need to make a "quick" study guide (as to teach someone basics of astronomy) Kinda like a pocket reference

Can someone answer these in "SHORT" form ? As simple and to the point as possible. ?

What effect does Earth's rotation have on the motion of stars in the sky?
How does your location on Earth affect what you see in the sky?
Define/explain: Arctic & Antarctic Circles, Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn
Know where the Sun is (as seen from Earth) on solstices & equinoxes.
What is precession? How has it affect our view of the sky?
Detail the evolution from the geocentric to heliocentric model for our solar system.
Why are the terrestrial (rocky) planets closer to the Sun?
Be able to explain the time-line of planetary formation: planetesimals to planets.
How did the way planets form affect things like the shape of orbits & the ecliptic?
How do we know how old the solar system is?


Can anyone take a crack at it?

 

[berkeman]

First, these are not homework questions.

I need to make a "quick" study guide (as to teach someone basics of astronomy) Kinda like a pocket reference

Can someone answer these in "SHORT" form ? As simple and to the point as possible. ?

What effect does Earth's rotation have on the motion of stars in the sky?
How does your location on Earth affect what you see in the sky?
Define/explain: Arctic & Antarctic Circles, Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn
Know where the Sun is (as seen from Earth) on solstices & equinoxes.
What is precession? How has it affect our view of the sky?
Detail the evolution from the geocentric to heliocentric model for our solar system.
Why are the terrestrial (rocky) planets closer to the Sun?
Be able to explain the time-line of planetary formation: planetesimals to planets.
How did the way planets form affect things like the shape of orbits & the ecliptic?
How do we know how old the solar system is?


Can anyone take a crack at it?

You need to take a cut at answering them first. This is too much like schoolwork. Just give us your best answer to each question, and we can let you know if it's the best/shortest answer.

What is the target group for this study guide?

 

[Gaius Baltar]

I have a few spare 10 minutes, so I will answer your questions, but please follow ALL the links I have provided and read for yourself, or you will never learn.

What effect does Earth's rotation have on the motion of stars in the sky?

A star's altitude and azimuth changes as the Earth rotates. If you look at a star via a telescope, they will slowly drift out of motion because of this. Stars are constantly moving across your meridian and into or out of your zenith.

How does your location on Earth affect what you see in the sky?

A few things can define this, but try looking at Light Pollution. For someone in a Major City, they are not going to be able to see what someone in the North Pole is going to see.

Define/explain: Arctic & Antarctic Circles, Tropics of Cancer & Capricorn

The Arctic consists of ocean surrounded by continental land masses and islands. The central Arctic Ocean is ice-covered year-round, and snow and ice are present on land for most of the year.

http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/basics/arctic_definition.html"

The Antarctic Circle; is one of the five major circles (or parallels) of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. As of 2000, it lies at latitude 66° 33′ 39″ south of the equator.

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Antarctic_Circle"

The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Cancer"

The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Capricorn"

Know where the Sun is (as seen from Earth) on solstices & equinoxes.

Not too sure what you are asking here, but non the less: As the Earth travels around the Sun in its orbit, the north to south position of the Sun changes over the course of the year due to the changing orientation of the Earth's tilted rotation axes. The dates of maximum tilt of the Earth's equator correspond to the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/solstice.html"

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox"

What is precession? How has it affect our view of the sky?

Astronomers have identified three distinct motions of the Earth that play an important role in their calculations and observations. These motions are the daily rotation of the Earth about its axis, the annual movement of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun, and the precession of the rotation axis.

http://members.bitstream.net/~bunlion/bpi/precess.html"

Detail the evolution from the geocentric to heliocentric model for our solar system.

It would be wise for you to take a look at the difference first. Try here:

http://www.universetoday.com/36487/difference-between-geocentric-and-heliocentric/"

Why are the terrestrial (rocky) planets closer to the Sun?

This is to do with the Sun blowing out it's nebula when it began nuclear fusion. The outer planets caught most of this gas, which is why they are so big. It's possible they even have solid cores too.

Try here for more info: http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/outerplanets/solsys_planets.php"

Be able to explain the time-line of planetary formation: planetesimals to planets.

These 3 fantastic links will give you the answer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetesimal"

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WGF-473132Y-SM&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F1978&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1515687136&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=2a652f9a7b5a7db697dd6250e2dc6dc8&searchtype=a"

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1982fps..conf..515G"

How did the way planets form affect things like the shape of orbits & the ecliptic?

Gravity.

How do we know how old the solar system is?

Red Shift & CMB. Try these two links for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_universe"

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_age.html"

 

[Chronos]

Excellent, Gaius, complete with references. Well done!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Excellent, Gaius, complete with references. Well done!

Thanks Chronos!

I love your quotes hehe!

 

[nukeman]

WOW, much more than I expected! THank you!

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Your Welcome, glad I could help.

 

[berkeman]

Excellent, Gaius, complete with references. Well done!

Except for the part where this may have been a homework assignment, which has now been done for the student. That's why I asked the question that I did -- to try to find out if it was a school assignment, and to be sure that the student was doing his own work...

 

[Gaius Baltar]

Except for the part where this may have been a homework assignment, which has now been done for the student. That's why I asked the question that I did -- to try to find out if it was a school assignment, and to be sure that the student was doing his own work...

My apologies if I have done something wrong...

I just assumed it wasn't because the OP said:

these are not homework questions.

I need to make a "quick" study guide (as to teach someone basics of astronomy) Kinda like a pocket reference

Again, apologies if I have made a mistake, i'll remember next time :)