Page 9 - BBC Sky at Night Beginners Guide to Astronomy - 2017 UK

NEED TO KNOW

NEED TO

KNOW

UNDERSTAND THE VIEW OF THE NIGHT

SKY WE GET FROM PLANET EARTH

The sky at night is one of the most We begin with the stars and how
alluring sights, inviting observers to these points of light are described
imagine what is happening out there by fellow astronomers, why they
far away around a distant star, or to sometimes shimmer and how to use the
ponder the chances of life existing constellations they’re organised into as
elsewhere in the cosmos. signposts to fi nd your way around.
Thanks to centuries of scientifi c We also introduce a way of looking
study we now know the answers to at the stars as a sphere around us with
many – though most certainly not all the Earth at the centre – very useful for
– of the questions the cosmos poses. mapping the night sky and for keeping
However, when it comes to how we see track of things from night to night.
the vastness of space from our own Once you have these fundamentals
planet, we’re on a pretty sure footing, under your belt, you’re guaranteed to
and it’s this we’ll be looking at here. get more out of stargazing.

THINKSTOCK

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