The Night Skies

WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 1
Module # 11 – Component # 6
The Night Skies

Objectives
To provide a basic introduction to the study of astronomy
Expected Outcomes
To be able to
?? Understand the difference between Astronomy and Astrology

?? Provide a brief description of how the Universe began
?? Recount several interesting facts about the Milky Way
?? Differentiate between stars and planets
?? Name and briefly discuss at least ten significant features of the solar system
?? Define a light year
And
?? To become familiar with the planets of the solar system
There are two reasons why astronomy is part of this course.
Firstly, it has a definite place in science and thus merits a brief overview
Secondly, the ‘night skies’ are an integral part of the ‘African Experience’.
Good field guides should be able to entertain guests on many topics and should
therefore have a reasonable knowledge of astronomical features by pointing out
interesting aspects of the ‘Southern skies’
The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Introduction
The ancient astronomy priests used to believe that there was some link between
mankind and the Universe, thus Astrology was born. With the later desire to
formalize the universe and the study of the stars in particular, Astronomy
evolved and became a science. Astronomers are scientists who study the
physical universe, while astrologers study the more mystical aspects of the
zodiac and its relevance to mankind.
On a dark clear night (in the Southern Hemisphere and away from urban areas)
there are approximately 2 500 stars and up to five planets visible to the naked
eye. With the use of binoculars at least a 1 000 times more, approximately two
and a half million stars, may be seen. With a reasonable telescope more than a
million times the number are visible.
It is estimated that within the Milky Way (the Galaxy) there are at least one
hundred billion stars (100 000 000 000). If equipment as sophisticated as the
Mount Palomar Telescope in the USA were used up to a fifty billion (50 000 000
000) galaxies may be seen! Some scientists believe that it is possible to count
each drop of water in every ocean and sea or every grain of sand in all of the
world’s deserts, but it is almost impossible to count all the stars in the sky.
From the Southern Hemisphere more objects in the ‘cosmos’ are visible than
from the Northern Hemisphere. From South Africa, it is possible to see all of the
visibly 20 brightest stars and more than 60% of the wonders of the universe.
It is still not known who the first people were who looked at the stars in a more
‘serious manner’, but in Russia and Europe there are rock paintings and artifacts
which date back some 30 000 years! Much of what is known about the stars was
learned from ancient Babylonian scripts (Assyrians). These scripts show that
the ancients also learned from previous unknown sources. Constellations (star
pictures) like Scorpio, Taurus, Pisces and Orion were all identified and named
long before the Babylonians existed!

The Universe
Disclaimer: WildlifeCampus does not advocate any specific viewpoint when it

comes to the origins of the Universe. We do not attempt to explain or reconcile
accepted scientific paradigms with established ideology. All we put forward
is currently accepted scientific explanation and understanding. We emphasize
that this is simply theory and not necessarily fact.
The universe appears to have started some 15 billion years ago with the big
bang. In this theory, an extremely hot and dense fireball started expanding
and the Universe was born. This expansion sent unimaginably vast amounts
of matter in all directions.
The expanding material started arranging itself into clumps whose size and
structure were dictated by gravitation and other clumps in the immediate
neighbourhood. Due to the gravitational and other effects these vast clumps
would slowly have developed into ‘proto’ galaxies. With the gravitational and
rotational effects of the material they contained, smaller clumps in these infant
galaxies would form into individual stars in a similar manner.
Some galaxies known as spiral galaxies, have the appearance of Saturn with its
rings (or two fried eggs lying back to back) when viewed from the side. From
above they look like giant swirls or Catherine wheel fireworks. This effect is
highlighted by the central spherical bulge of stars being packed more closely
than the outer ones in the flattened disc. Galaxies can also be spherical,
elliptical and irregular in shape.
Galaxies tend to occur in clusters, which travel through space together and
they sometimes collide with each other. Due to the expansion of the Universe,
the clusters of galaxies are moving away from each other.
Because space is so vast, a new unit of measurement needed to be found as the

largest Earth unit, (kilometer or mile) was not large enough. Scientists developed
the light year.
This is defined as:

“The distance travelled by light or any other
Electromagnetic radiation in one Earth year”
This is approximately 9.46 trillion km’s

[9 460 000 000 000 000 km] or 5.9 Trillion miles.
The Earth and Solar System are situated 30 000 light years from the centre of
the Milky Way Galaxy
Astronomers know of galaxies that are 15 billion light years away.

Rotation & Light
Due to the rotation of the Earth only some of the constellations are visible at
certain times of year. Because of this movement (Earth’s spinning on its own
axis) in South Africa we are actually travelling at 1 500 kph [? 940 mph] around
the centre of the Earth. Standing at the equator a person would be travelling at 1
664 kph [1040 mph].
The Earth is itself travelling around the Sun at a speed of 106 660 kph [66
663 mph]. In turn the Sun and the planets (the Solar system) are traveling
through the Milky Way (the Galaxy) at a speed of 1 120 000 kph [700 000 mph]
and the entire Galaxy is traveling through the Universe at 1 600 000 kph [1 000
000 mph].
Albert Einstein stated that… “Light is the limiting factor on the Universe”, as
nothing appears to move faster than the speed of light, and this limit appears to
be unsurpassable at present. Einstein also stated that… “The closer any object
gets to the speed of light then the slower it will function”. The speed of light is
about 300 000 km/sec or 1 079 254 200 kph [674 533 875 mph].
To make this a little more comprehensible: Assume that a person is standing on

top of a mountain on Earth with a gun that could fire a ball of light. If they fired
this gun, the ball would travel around the entire globe and pass through them
seven and a half times before they had the time to step out of the way, or
before they could count to one.
American physicists carried out an experiment to put this theory to the test.
They took two identical atomic clocks (clocks which operate on the vibration of
atomic energy) and placed one of the clocks in the basement of an office
building. The other clock was placed in a jet fighter aircraft that was kept air-
borne and flying at top speed for three weeks by refueling in mid-air. This
experiment was repeated several times and the respective clocks compared. The
clock that was in the fighter plane always lost a fraction of time compared to
the stationary clock. Thus time slows down the faster an object travels compared
to a stationary observer.

The Milky Way (known as The ‘Galaxy’)
?? The Milky Way was formed approximately 15 billion years ago.
?? The Milky Way is a spiral Galaxy with a central spherical core and spiral
arms.
?? The centre of the Galaxy is beyond the stars of the constellation

Sagittarius.
?? The Solar system rotates around the spherical Centre of the Galaxy and
will take about 225 million years to complete one rotation (known as a
Galactic year).
?? The Sun has only completed 20 revolutions since its formation.
?? Because the Solar system and Earth are part of the Milky Way Galaxy
when looking at the night sky we see the Galaxy side on. All the stars that
can be seen with the naked eye are part of the Milky Way.
?? The Milky Way was called Via Lactea. In ancient mythology this referred
to the milk spilt by the goddess Aphrodite nursing Hercules. Early stories
of the sky always related them to highly descriptive myths and legends.
?? The dark areas which can be seen in the Milky Way are dense dust
clouds which block out the light from other stars.
?? Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way measures about 100 000 light
years in diameter.
?? It is estimated that between 100 billion – 400 billion stars are to be found
in the Galaxy and many of them are invisible from Earth.

The Differences between Planets and Stars
?? The best way to understand the difference is to think of planets as

reflecting balls and the stars as giant balls of light.
?? The name ‘planet’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘wandering star’
?? Planets are not really stars but look like stars when seen with the naked
eye
?? Planets do not have the ability to produce their own light but reflect light
from the Sun.
?? Stars produce their own energy and emit light.
?? Stars are huge spheres of gas which by nuclear fusion release energy in
the form of light and other radiation
?? Protostars are stars in the phase of their lives before nuclear burning
takes place
?? The Sun is a small star known as a G2 yellow dwarf by astronomers.
?? Stars can occur in many forms such as red giants, supergiants and
white dwarfs
?? Nebulae are vast gas clouds, which glow due to the presence of stars in
or close to them.
?? Stars form out of these nebulae
?? Some of the nebulae are a 100 light years across.

Constellations of the Southern Skies
1 Southern Cross (Crux)
?? The Southern Cross can be seen from all over South Africa but not
at all times. It is unmistakable and one of the easiest of the
constellations to identify.
?? The star at the base of the Cross is known as Alpha crucis (Acrux,
the brightest star in Crux). Moving in a clockwise direction are Beta
crucis, the top star is called Gamma, and the fourth star is called
Delta. All of the brightest stars in the sky have proper names as
well as being known by a letter of the Greek alphabet.
If the long axis of the Cross is extended down, four and a half times its length,
the south pole (celestial south) of the sky is reached. A line 'perpendicular' to
the horizon from this point, will indicate due south on the Earth.
?? The South celestial Pole is the point around which all the stars in
the Southern Hemisphere rotate.
?? The height of this point above the horizon measured in degrees

always corresponds to the latitude of the observer.
2 The Jewel Box (Kappa Crucis)
?? This can be found close to the second star of the Cross (Beta
Crucis and looks like a ‘fuzzy’ star.
?? Using binoculars the star becomes an open cluster of multi-

coloured stars named the Jewel Box by Sir John Herschel when
he was in the Cape
3 The Coal Sack (Dark Nebula)
Between Alpha and Beta Crucis, there is an area of sky in which virtually
no stars are visible. It was once thought that there were no stars in this
area of sky and that there was a ‘hole’ in the Milky Way. This, however, is
not true. The reason for the apparent ‘hole’ is actually a huge cloud of dust
and gas in this area preventing the light from stars behind it being
visible.

4 Omega Centauri
A ‘fists width’ (10 degrees) from Beta Crucis and forming a triangle with
Beta Centauri is another ‘fuzzy’ star named Omega Centauri. With a pair
of binoculars this star resolves itself into a large ball of stars. This
globular cluster is estimated to contain around one million stars and is
180 light years in diameter. The cluster is 17 000 light years away and is
the most luminous known. It is also one of the closest to Earth.
5 Beta Centauri
Is the tenth brightest star in the sky and is estimated to be 10 000 times
brighter than the Sun. It is also named Hadar or Agena and is the closer
of the two pointers to the Southern Cross. Beta Centauri is 320 light years
away from Earth and due to its distance it appears less bright than Alpha
Centauri. It is in fact much brighter and larger than Alpha Centauri as it is
classified a B1 giant. It has a small close companion and is therefore also
a double star.
Alpha and Beta Centauri together help to identify one of the easiest
‘constellations’ in the night sky. These stars are lined up in such as way as
to point directly towards the apex star of the Southern Cross. Thus
they have become known as the pointer stars.
6 Alpha Centauri
This is the second closest star to the Southern Cross. Alpha Centauri is
also named Rigel Kentaurus and is the third brightest star in the
Earth’s sky. This is not only one star but is actually three stars revolving
around each other. Two of these stars can be seen with binoculars. The
third is too small and can only be seen with a high-powered telescope.
Alpha Centauri (actually the third star Proxima Centauri) is the closest
star to Earth (excluding the Sun), being a mere 4,3 light years away.

7 Orion
Orion is one of the best-known and easily recognised constellations

as it is easily seen from both hemispheres of the Earth. It represents
Orion the hunter from myth and legend. Betelgeuse (Alpha Orion), the
star in Orion’s right shoulder, is a red supergiant star. If it were placed in
the position of the Sun the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars would
orbit inside this vast star. Orion’s belt (the three stars in a line) and his
sword/dagger are easily visible. The fuzzy patch in the sword is a nebula
20 light years in diameter and 1500 light years away. Viewed through
binoculars the nebula can be seen to contain stars and gas. Through a
telescope a ‘trapezium’ of stars can be seen that highlight the gas that
they evolved from.
8 Scorpius, or Scorpio
One of the largest and most ‘lifelike’ of the constellations. From the
Southern Hemisphere it is viewed upside down. Antares is the brightest
star in the constellation, and is the 15th brightest star in the sky. Antares is
another red supergiant. The name Antares is Greek and means ‘rival to
Mars’ or ‘like Mars’ and is so named due to its similarity to the red planet
when viewed with the naked eye.
9 Taurus (the Bull)
This constellation can be seen quite close to Orion and is part of the ‘great
hunting group’ which includes Orion, Canis Major and Minor, Taurus and
Auriga. One of the bull’s eyes, Aldebaran, is also red giant star.
10 Pleiades, or Seven Sisters
This beautiful ‘asterism’ (distinctive pattern) of stars is sometimes

erroneously referred to as a constellation. It forms part of Taurus, and
consists of seven or more bright stars seen with the naked eye. When
viewed through binoculars, however, there are many more to be seen and
up to 300 stars have been counted in the group.

The Solar System
On the grand scale of the universe or even in comparison to a Galaxy, the Solar
system is infinitesimally minute although from a human being on Earth’s point
of view it is spectacularly massive. In an attempt to put the scale into perspective
we have reproduced a popular analogy.
In this model the whole solar is reduced one billion times. An orange sphere
1.5 metres [5 ft] in diameter represents the Sun. The Earth is positioned 1 city
block away [500ft] away and is a size of grape. The Moon is the size of a grape
pip and orbits one foot away from Earth. Jupiter (grapefruit sized) is 5 blocks
away from the Sun with ‘orange’ sized Saturn 5 blocks further still. Uranus and
Neptune (lemon sized) are 20 and 30 blocks respectively away from the Sun.
A human being placed in this model would be approximately the size of an

atom.
In total the Solar system consists of one star (the Sun), nine planets and the 67
or more different moons that orbit the planets, uncountable asteroids, comets
and a vast amount of dust and gas.

The Sun
The Sun is classified as an ordinary G2 yellow dwarf star and is one of more than
100 billion in the Milky Way Galaxy. It was named Helios by the Greeks and Sol
by the Romans (hence Solar system)
Diameter : 1 390 000 km [863 190 mi]

Mass : 1.9 x 10 30 kg (330 000 times the mass of the Earth)
Temperature : 5527?C [9981 ?F] – at the surface
15 600 000 ?c [28 080 000 F] – at the core
The Sun is basically an enormous sphere of burning gases (75% hydrogen, 25%
helium and other gases).
Every second the following occurs:
?? 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted into 695 million tons of helium by
nuclear fusion
?? 5 million tons of energy in the form of light and other radiation is

released
?? The Sun loses 5 million tons in mass
The amount of energy released from the Sun does not remain constant however
and since the formation of the solar system has increased in output by some
40%. Therefore the Sun’s time is running out although not for a considerable
period of time on the human scale. In approximately 5 billion years hydrogen
will be depleted and helium will start to burn and an enormous expansion of the
Sun will occur. The Sun will expand to its red giant stage similar to Aldebaran in
Taurus.
When this occurs the Earth will be destroyed along with the other inner planets.
Warning – never look directly at the Sun with or without binoculars. It is

extremely bright and permanent eye damage can result

Mercury
The second smallest planet after Pluto and closest to the Sun. Mercury
derives its name from Roman mythology and is named after the ancient god of
commerce, travel and thievery.
Diameter : 4880 km [3030 mi.]

Mass : 0.055 x Earth (3.3 x 10 23 kg)
Temperature : -180? to + 430?c [- 292 ?F to 806 ? F]
Orbit (average) : 58 million-km [36 million mi.] from the Sun
Mercury day : 58 ‘days’ – turns on its axis
: 176 ‘days’ – Sunrise to Sunrise
Mercury year : 88 ‘days’
NB. Earth days have been shown as ‘days’ to avoid confusion with the days of
the other planets
Due to its small size it would take 18 Mercury’s to make one Earth
Mercury’s orbit around the Sun is not circular and it varies from 46 million-km to
70 million-km
As can be seen from the above table, Mercury’s day is longer than its year!
Because it is so close to the Sun it is only seen from Earth in the morning or
evening twilight and many people including astronomers, have never seen
Mercury.
To find Mercury look for a small pinkish ‘star’ close to the Sun. In binoculars it
would show phases like the Moon.
It has a rocky surface that is heavily pockmarked with craters although it has
some relatively smooth regions. It looks remarkably like the Moon

Venus
Venus’s orbit is the most circular of any planet varying less than 1% in distance
between its closest orbit (perihelion) and furthermost orbit (aphelion)
Diameter : 12 100 km [7562 mi]

Mass : 0.81 x Earth (4.8 x 10 24 kg)
Temperature : 465?C [869?F]
Orbit (average) : 108 million-km [67 million mi] from the Sun
Venus day : 243 ‘days’ – turns on its axis
: 117 ‘days’ – Sunrise to Sunrise
Venus year : 224 ‘days’
This is the closest planet to Earth, and is the brightest celestial body after the
Sun and the Moon. It is often referred to as the Evening or Morning Star as it is
seen either in the evening just after Sunset or in the morning just before Sunrise.
It can only be viewed for a maximum of two hours in the dark sky before it sets in
the evening or is no longer visible in the morning. Venus can be seen during
the day with the naked eye if its position is known.
Venus is known as the sister planet to Earth as it similar in size. Its atmosphere
is however very different as it is composed mostly of carbon dioxide with a
sulphuric acid haze. These account for the planet’s extreme temperature and it
is caught in a runaway Greenhouse Effect.
The planet was named after the goddess of beauty and love.

The Earth and Moon
Earth
It might be unusual to learn that the Earth was only discovered in the 16th
Century. This was accomplished by the renowned astronomer Copernicus who
was the first to put forward the idea that the Earth was just another planet - not
the centre of the Universe.
Diameter : 12 756 km [7972mi]

Mass : 1 Earth (5.9 x 1024 kg)
Temperature : -70 ?C to +55?C [-94 ?F to +131?F]
Orbit (average) : 149.6 million-km [93 million mi.] from the Sun
Earth day : 23 hours 56 min – turns on its axis
: 24 hours – Sunrise to Sunrise
Earth year : 365 ‘days’
The Earth is the only planet that does not derive its name from Greek or
Roman mythology, but rather from Old English and German.
Moon
The Moon is the closest celestial body to the Earth, being only 385 000
kilometers away [240 000 miles]. The Amazon Jungle would cover one whole
face of the Moon. The movement of the Moon gives rise to the tides, solar and
lunar eclipses.
Diameter : 3 476 km [7972mi]

Mass : 0.012 x Earth (81 moons to make one Earth)
Temperature : -155 ?C to +105?C [-247 ?F to +221?F]
Orbit (around Earth) : 27.3 days
Lunar day : 27.3 days – turns on its axis
: 29.5 days – new moon to new moon
Due to its orbital period and day being the same length, the Moon always shows
the same face towards the Earth. Because the orbit is elliptical up to 59% of the
Moon’s surface can however be seen at some time.

Mars
Named from the Greek god of war, this distinctive red planet varies in
brightness due to its orbit and can thus be difficult to locate. Of all the planets
Mars is the one that most resembles Earth, and its day is almost exactly the
same length.
Diameter : 6 786 km [4241mi.]

Mass : 0.11 x Earth (6.4 x 1023kg)
Temperature : -120 ?C to +25 ?C [-184?F to 77 ?F]
Orbit (average) : 227.9 million-km [142.5 million mi.] from the Sun
Mars’s day : 24 hours 37 min – turns on its axis
: 24 hours 38 min – Sunrise to Sunrise
Mars’s year : 687 ‘days’
Mars’s surface is very rugged and is covered in red dust. The whole planet is
often buffeted by global dust storms. There are polar ice caps, which are
composed mainly of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice). There is clear evidence of
past erosion of the Martian surface, so at one time Mars appears to have had
large amounts of free flowing surface water either in large lakes or oceans.
Mars has the largest known volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons that is
three times higher than Mount Everest.
The thin atmosphere (less than 1% of the Earth) on this planet consists of 95%
carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen 1½ % argon as well as trace amounts of oxygen
and water vapour.
Mars has two moons, (Phobos and Deimos) but these are not visible without a
telescope.

Jupiter
This is the largest planet in the Solar system, and is equal to two and a half
times all of the other planets together. Had it been 50 times larger it would have
been hot enough to fuse hydrogen and become a star.
Diameter (equatorial): 142 984 km [89 365 mi.]

Diameter (polar) : 133 708 km [83 567 mi.]
Mass : 318 x Earth (1.9 x 1027kg)
Temperature : -150 ?C at cloud tops [- 238?F]
Orbit (average) : 778.3 million-km [486 million mi.] from the Sun
Jupiter’s day : 9 hours 55 min – turns on its axis/ Sunrise to Sunrise
Jupiter’s year : 11.86 Earth ‘years’
Jupiter is the first of the giant gas planets moving outward from the Sun. It is
composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium and has no solid surface. What is
seen in photographs (or actual views) of the planet are its outermost layers of
cloud. It may posses some form of rocky core although there is no proof as yet.
The core temperature of the planet may be as high as 35 000 ?C [63 000 ?F] and
the planet gives off twice as much heat as it receives from the Sun.
The Great Red Spot seen on most Jupiter photographs is a region of high
pressure (three times the diameter of the Earth) where its clouds are higher than
surrounding areas. Galileo first saw the storm in 1609.
This giant planet has 60 moons and a fine dust ring. Four of Jupiter’s moons
may occasionally be seen when viewed with binoculars, and are known as the
Galilean moons because Galileo first saw them. The planet was named after a
Roman god.

Saturn
Although all of the Gas giants have rings, Saturn is known as the ‘Ringed
planet’. It is the name of this planet that gives us ‘Saturday’. Named for the
Roman god of agriculture.

Mass : 95 x Earth (5.6 x 1026kg)
Orbit (average) : 1.4 billion-km [875 million mi.] from the Sun
Saturn’s day : 10 hours 40 min – turns on its axis/ Sunrise to Sunrise
Saturn’s year : 29.46 Earth ‘years’
Saturn is another gas giant with a consistency of 95% hydrogen and 5% helium.
Like Jupiter it radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun. Its core
temperature is likely to be around 12 000 ?C [21 632 ?F]. Also like Jupiter this
energy is not generated by nuclear fusion (as in the Sun) but rather due to
gravitational compression.
Saturn’s most obvious features are its rings. These consist primarily of ice
particles and small amounts of rock. Although the rings look quite uniform and
solid, they are made up of billions of individual particles ranging from several
inches to a several feet across. Each particle has its own individual orbit. Moving
outward from the planet the rings measure a massive 274 000 km [171 250
miles] in diameter, but are only a maximum of 1 ½ km [1 mile] deep.
Astronomers have identified 7 individual rings. In addition this planet has 31

named moons. One of its moons, Titan is the second largest in the Solar
system.

Uranus
This recently discovered planet (1781) was named after the Greek god of the
Heavens.

Mass : 14.5 x Earth (8.7 x 1025kg)
Orbit (average) : 2.87 billion-km [1.79 billion mi.] from the Sun
Uranus’s day : 17 hours 14 min – turns on its axis/ Sunrise to Sunrise
Uranus’s year : 84 Earth ‘years’
Unlike the other gas giants, Uranus generates little heat of its own. Its
atmosphere is 83% hydrogen, 15% helium and 2% methane.
One of the most remarkable things about Uranus is that it is tilted almost at 90? to
its axis: it effectively orbits the Sun on its side.
This planet has 11 known rings (made up of some of the blackest material
known in the Solar system), 15 named moons and 6 as yet un-named moons
discovered in 1999.

Neptune
Neptune was ‘discovered’ some time before it was actually seen. This was
due to the fact that discrepancies were found in the orbit of Uranus that
inferred that there was a large mass (a planet) near by. Working on this premise
and mathematical inferences from Uranus’s eccentricities the planet was duly
found.
Diameter (equatorial): 49 528 [30 955 mi.]

Mass : 17 x Earth (1.0 x 1026kg)
Orbit (average) : 4.5 billion-km [2.8 billion mi.] from the Sun
Neptune’s day : 16 hours 7 min – turns on its axis/ Sunrise to Sunrise
Neptune’s year : 164.79 Earth ‘years’
This planet has a similar structure to Uranus and like a typical gas planet
harbours an atmosphere dominated by incredible winds. In fact Neptune’s
winds reach speeds of up to 2000kph. [1250 mph]. Neptune has 4 rings and 11
moons, one of which, Triton, is the largest moon in the solar system.

Pluto
This is the furthest and smallest of all the planets and the only one not to have
been studied by Earth spacecraft. It is a rocky body like the inner planets.
Diameter : 2284 km [1427 mi]

Mass : 0.0022 x Earth (1.3 x 1022kg) – smaller than the Moon
Temperature : -220 ?C [ -364?F]
Orbit (average) : 5.9 billion km [3.68 billion mi.] from the Sun
Pluto’s day : 6 days 9 hours – turns on its axis/ Sunrise to Sunrise
Pluto’s year : 248 Earth ‘years’
Pluto follows an odd orbit that ‘crosses’ Neptune’s from time to time. This
means that approximately every 200 years Pluto comes closer to the Sun than
Neptune. Their orbits, however, are in different spatial planes and therefore will
never collide.
Its composition appears to consist of a 70% rocky core and 30% water and
methane ice overlay. It may have a primarily nitrogenous atmosphere.
This tiny planet named after the Roman god of the underworld has one moon,
Charon. A large telescope is needed to view the planet.

Full Astronomy Course
If you have enjoyed this component and would like to learn more about
astronomy, Wildlife Campus offers a complete astronomy course. For your
convenience we have included the course outline below.
Module # 1 - Earth & Moon Module # 3 - Stars & Galaxies
Component # 1 - Astronomy & Astrology Component # 1 - Stars

Component # 2 - Earth & Seasons Component # 2 - Clusters
Component # 3 - Moon & Tides Component # 3 - Milky Way & Galaxies
Component # 4 - Constellations & the Zodiac Component # 4 - Quasars & Black Holes
Component # 5 - Orientation by the sky Component # 5 - The Universe
Module # 2 - Sun & Planets (Solar System) Module # 4 - Measurement & Equipment
Component # 1 - Sun (Sol, the closest star) Component # 1 - Units & Constants
Component # 2 - Inner planets (terrestrials) Component # 2 - Telescopes
Component # 3 - Outer planets (gas Giants) Component # 3 - Space craft
Component # 4 - Comets, asteroids & meteors Component # 4 - Light & the electromagnetic
Component # 5 - Other systems and planets spectrum
Component # 6 - SETI (extra-terrestrial life)

The Night Skies

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Night Skies

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Night Skies

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

WildlifeCampus – Game Ranging Course 1

The Night Skies

?? Understand the difference between Astronomy and Astrology

There are two reasons why astronomy is part of this course.

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Disclaimer: WildlifeCampus does not advocate any specific viewpoint when it

Because space is so vast, a new unit of measurement needed to be found as the

This is defined as:

This is approximately 9.46 trillion km’s

Astronomers know of galaxies that are 15 billion light years away.

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Rotation & Light

To make this a little more comprehensible: Assume that a person is standing on

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Milky Way (known as The ‘Galaxy’)

?? The Milky Way was formed approximately 15 billion years ago.

?? The centre of the Galaxy is beyond the stars of the constellation

?? The Sun has only completed 20 revolutions since its formation.

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Differences between Planets and Stars

?? The best way to understand the difference is to think of planets as

?? Stars produce their own energy and emit light.

?? The Sun is a small star known as a G2 yellow dwarf by astronomers.

?? Stars form out of these nebulae

?? Some of the nebulae are a 100 light years across.

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Constellations of the Southern Skies

1 Southern Cross (Crux)

?? The height of this point above the horizon measured in degrees

2 The Jewel Box (Kappa Crucis)

?? Using binoculars the star becomes an open cluster of multi-

3 The Coal Sack (Dark Nebula)

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Orion is one of the best-known and easily recognised constellations

9 Taurus (the Bull)

10 Pleiades, or Seven Sisters

This beautiful ‘asterism’ (distinctive pattern) of stars is sometimes

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Solar System

A human being placed in this model would be approximately the size of an

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Diameter : 1 390 000 km [863 190 mi]

Every second the following occurs:

?? 5 million tons of energy in the form of light and other radiation is

?? The Sun loses 5 million tons in mass

Warning – never look directly at the Sun with or without binoculars. It is

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Diameter : 4880 km [3030 mi.]

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Diameter : 12 100 km [7562 mi]

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

The Earth and Moon

Diameter : 12 756 km [7972mi]

Diameter : 3 476 km [7972mi]

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus

Diameter : 6 786 km [4241mi.]

The Night Skies © WildlifeCampus