Leo 'The LION'

Constellations Name ____________________________

Solar System Astronomy #1017-2236 ID________________________

Constellations are merely picture 'icons' that mankind has made up to describe familiar objects seen in every day life. Perusing a star chart one sees that not only are there a proliferation of 'connect the dots' pictures but each constellation also has it's own grouping area or region of interest. This helps when trying to find your way around the night sky. If someone tells you an object of interest is in the constellation 'Orion' you know right away about where to look.

Sometimes it is difficult to visualize the pictorial claims of some constellations, other much less so.

Here's some good examples;

Leo 'The LION'

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The Lion sits on the meridian in April. Leo in a reclining pose, not unlike that of the great Egyptian Sphinx, was recognized as a lion by no less than six western cultures (Babylonians, Persians, Sumerians, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans). The Chinese saw him as a horse, and in Incan lore he was seen as a Puma. It is one of the few constellations that readily looks directly like what it is. Leo minor (above the Lion) is a rather recent addition introduced by Johannes Hevelius around the 17th century.

The constellation LEO is anchored at his front paw in the brilliant blue-white Regulus which is actually the faintest of all the first magnitude stars (@ mag 1.4). The next brightest star, Gamma Leonis (@ the base of his neck) is that of a beautiful orange-yellow double star separated by 5 arc sec. His tail is home to the double Denebola, which means 'Lions tail' in Arabic. Along Leo's base one will find two spiral galaxies M65 & 66. Other interesting galaxies are M 95 & 96, M105, and NGC 2903 & 3628. R. Leonis is a Mira variable (near Regulus) It ranges from 5.9 to 11 mag over about 10+ months. R Leonis minorisis another mira star varies from ~7 to 12.6 in a year time frame.

Big Dipper Ursa Major The Great Bear

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By now, most everyone should be able to recognize the Big Dipper, and be able to find both Polaris and the Little Dipper. Remember the old phrase, the Little Dipper flows (pours) into the Big Dipper. With the probable exception of Orion, no constellation is better known or has more stories attached to it throughout various cultures. It is the third largest constellation, and has appeared in writings from Shakespeare, Spencer, Tennyson, even Homer. While modern cultures celebrate the asterism1 known as the Big Dipper it has been called the Plough, the Wain or Wagon. Many very different cultures have seen this constellation as The Bear. To the Greeks it was known as Arktos meaning "bear". The word Arctic comes from the association of these circumpolar stars with the northern latitudes.

In Greek mythology, Callisto, a maiden desired by Zeus, was turned into a bear by Hera, Zeus's jealous wife. Zeus then turned the unfortunate bear in the sky along with her son, Arcas (Arcturus), or Little Bear. It's ironic that some (southwest) Native American Indians know this constellation as The Great Bear. Is this merely coincidental ?

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Exercises;

If Skies are CLOUDY (Lab);

1) One of these constellations lies on the ecliptic. Which one? Define Ecliptic.

Using forms supplied by the instructor;

2) Using Sky Map Pro plot how many asteroids there are in Ursa Major (uMa)? Mark them on form.

3) How many do you find in Leo? Mark them on the Leo form.

4) Which constellation out of all major (88) has the largest number of asteroids ?

5) For today's date (___/___/___) plot the position of the major planets.

6) Show the location of comets, do they tend to lie on the ecliptic?

If Skies are CLEAR (Observatory);

1) Sketch what you actually see of the following constellations;

(use blank quad paper, 1 page for each);

Ursa Major, Leo, Orion

2) Camera { Optional} 2 photos each student

a) Point camera at Polaris {Ursa Minor} - Camera settings;

b) Pick your favorite constellation, aim camera at center- Camera settings;

Homework;

Your homework assignment is to create three 'homemade' constellations. Feel free to express your best Van Gogh or Picasso. Good sources of ideas are cartoon characters like Dilbert, Garfield, or Snoopy. No dirty poses of centerfolds, etc. please. Research the definition of ASTERISM.

Trying to find a starting point? Maybe Bootes isn't a kite but a Ice cream cone. Look for Castor & Pollux as potential 'eyes or Deneb as a cross. Be original, I expect each of you to have different constellations, there are enough stars to go around ! Doodle your ideas on scrap paper then transfer them to a minimum of 1/2 page of 8.5"x 11'" sheet each. List their NAMES below;