Lecture 1

Astronomy is the science developed by those who like to stay up real late, and who tend to look up instead of down

 

Why Astronomy?

Besides the technology spinoffs (cellphone, small computers) our entire biology and culture are subtely ordered around Astronomical cycles (dating as far back as 1st cuniform records from Sumeria)

• year (stars)
• season (sun)
• month calendar (moon)
• week (planets)
• day (sun) ante-meridiem

Outdoor Observation #1: sunset and moonrise with naked eye

Let's go outside...

 

Scientific Method

1. Observation
   (positions and sizes of sun and moon)
2. Model/Hypothesis
   (combine observations with some math, rule-of-60, pp.18 Zeilik)
3. Prediction
   (Sun and Moon will either collide, or not)
4. Experiment/Test
   (solar eclipse, moon passes in front of sun)
5. Refine

So we refine model, moon is 120 moon-lengths away from earth, Sun also, but sun further and bigger than moon.

Celestial Motions

Chap1 Zeilik (Table 1.3)
Sky View Café virtual planetarium

Stars/constellations

Sun

Moon/phases

Planets (retrograde)

Reading

Zeilik: Learning Outcomes 1-5, 1-6, 1-7. Table 1-3

 

 

Document URL: http://www.uh.edu/~jclarage/astr3131/lectures/1