To identify stars and constellations, use Table 6 (pp 52-53) in Chapter 3 to figure out which Sky Map shows the sky at the time you are observing it. Remember that you have to turn the book so that the horizon on the Sky Map is the same horizon you are looking at in the sky. If facing due North (toward the Little Dipper and Polaris), you hold the book with North on the bottom. If facing due South, you hold it with South on the bottom.<br><br>

For directions other than North and South, turn the book so that the horizon you are looking at in the real sky is horizontal in the book, as well as in the sky. To ensure this, find the Zenith for your latitude (which would normally be about halfway between the Zeniths for 30 and 40 North latitude, but depends upon where you are when you do your observations). Turning the book so that the horizon you are facing is more or less horizontal in the book as well as in the sky, try to find one or more recognizable constellations in the sky, and in the book. If you are holding the book correctly, a line drawn from the Zenith in the book through the constellation in the book will be a vertical line, just as it is in the sky. DOING THIS WILL CAUSE THE CONSTELLATIONS TO HAVE THE SAME ORIENTATION IN THE BOOK AS IN THE SKY. NOT DOING IT WILL CAUSE THEM TO BE TILTED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER.<br><br>

Presuming you can do this correctly, you should be able to identify most of the constellations I've pointed out, and the bright stars which are shown by name on the maps. (To be shown on the dome in a couple of minutes). However, most of the stars on your observation list are not shown by name in the Sky Maps, so you need to be able to identify them in some other way. (To be continued after using the dome)<br><br>

The dome is now set up (supposedly) for 9 pm on tonight's date (November 22). Use Table 6 to find out which Sky Map is best to use at that time, and turn to that Map. (Supposedly Map 10, if the dome is correctly set for our Local Time.)<br><br>

If you correctly identify and rotate the appropriate Sky Map, you should be able to identify any constellation you can see, and any of the "first-magnitude" stars that are labeled in the maps in chapter 3. But what of the unlabeled stars, such as those in the Great Square of Pegasus?<br><br>

Turn to Chapter 7, and use the finding charts just before Atlas Chart 1 to find the area of the sky you are interested in (do that right now, for Pegasus). For stars to the north of the Celestial Equator, use the General Sky Map and Index To The Atlas Charts for the Northern Hemisphere, on pp 224-225. For stars to the south of the Celestial Equator, use the maps on pp 226-227 (most of the stars on your list of stars, and most of the stars on the exam, will be north of the Celestial Equator, but NOT all of them).<br><br>

Pegasus is shown on pp 224-225 in the area covered by squarish blue boxes with the numbers 9, 20, 21 and 32. That means, on Atlas Charts 9, 20, 21 and 32. (In-class, I pointed out the southern stars, and then the northern stars, and then the ones in Andromeda, which is in the box with a big blue 9). The stars noted in parentheses are Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Epsilon Pegasi, and Alpha, Beta and Gamma Andromedae (see Appendix 1 for how Pegasus turns to Pegasi and Andromeda turns to Andromedae when adding the Greek later to the constellation name).<br><br>

The "finding chart" shows that the neck of Pegasus is on Atlas Chart 32, the southern portion of its body (which is the top of the horse) on Chart 21, the northern portion of its body (which is the stomach) on Chart 20, and Andromeda is on Chart 9.<br><br>

On Chart 21, at the upper right, the southern part of the horse is shown as two purple stars (the legend shows that purple means very hot stars, with a specific "spectral class"; usually that would be covered on the exam, but because of my absences, it will not be covered this semester; but it is discussed in the notes at the beginning of chapter 7, if you'd like to know how this works, and what it means). The star on the right (or West) has a Greek letter Alpha (a) next to it, and the one on the left (or East) the Greek letter Gamma next to it (again, the legend shows how to transliterate the Greek letters to English). THE SAME GREEK LETTERS ARE SHOWN IN THE LIST OF FALL 2011 STARS, AND ON THAT LIST IT SHOWS THAT ALPHA IS MARKAB, AND GAMMA IS ALGENIB. So for stars on your star observation list, all you have to do to find out their names is find them on the maps in chapters 3 and 7, see the constellation name and Greek letter corresponding to the stars, and compare that to the list of stars for the Alt-Azimuth Project.<br><br>

For stars not on the list of Alt-Azimuth stars, use the maps in chapter 3 and 7 to find them, and see what constellation they are in (which should be obvious even from the maps in chapter 3) and what Greek letter is attached to them (which is shown in chapter 7). Example in Class, the lower star in Orion, to the east of Rigel. Looking at the appropriate map (24) in chapter 7, that star has a Greek letter next to it (Kappa), so it is Kappa Orionis. That is "sort of" its name, and as good a name as most. But for some purposes, it is nice to know its "proper" name (the common name that someone who doesn't want to use Greek letters would use to refer to it).<br><br>

To find out that name, look at the grid of right ascension and declination, and estimate the position of the star (so, look at the map (#24) for Orion, right now). On Atlas Chart 24, Orion is shown (standing upright) just to right of center, with Betelgeuse (at upper left) and Rigel (at lower right) shown both by name and by Bayer designation (Greek letters Alpha and Beta, respectively). The star at the bottom left of the constellation (the one in question) is shown with the Greek letter Kappa (as already noted above). Look at the grid of RA and Declination, and estimate its position (it should be about 5 hours and 40 to 50 minutes RA, as it is between the 5 and 6 hour circles, and closer to the 6 hour circle; and about minus 9 point something Dec, as it is just above the -10 declination circle.<br><br>

Now turn to Appendix 2 (in the back of the book, of course). It is a list of 300+ stars, in order of right ascension. Flip through it until you find the page with right ascensions between 5 and 6 hours, and look for a star with the designation Kappa Orionis (k Ori, but with a Greek 'k'). IT IS NECESSARY TO ESTIMATE THE RIGHT ASCENSION AND DECLINATION BEFORE LOOKING AT APPENDIX 2, TO SAVE HAVING TO FLIP THROUGH ALL 300+ STARS, AND TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT STAR (it will have about the same RA and Dec as your estimate). You will find it on page 517, about halfway down, with RA 05 47.8, and Dec -09 40. IF YOU WANT TO DO THE CELESTIAL NAVIGATION PROJECT, THIS IS HOW YOU FIND THE RA AND DEC OF A STAR. You find it in the maps in chapter 3 and 7, write down its "name", estimate its position, then use Appendix 2 to find its "exact" position (certainly, more exact than any measurement you can do of its position in the sky).<br><br>

THE NAME OF THE STAR IS THEN SHOWN AT THE FAR RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE, ON THE SAME LINE.
(Saiph)