AY Honor Stars Answer Key used by

General Conference
< AY Honors | StarsAY Honors/Stars/Answer Key
Jump to:navigation, search
Other languages:
Deutsch • English

Stars
Nature

Skill Level
123

Approval authority
Year of Introduction
North American
1928
Division

See also
Naturalist Master Award
Stars - Advanced
Space Exploration

 Overview
 Requirements
 Answer Key

1
Answer the following questions:

1a
What is the earth's nearest celestial neighbor?

The Earth's nearest celestial neighbor is the Moon, which has an average distance
from the Earth of about 240,000 miles (386,000 kilometers).

1b
What is its distance from the earth?

1c
What governs the tide?

The tides are governed by the Moon, and to a lesser extent, by the Sun. The
gravitational pull from these bodies moves the water.

1d
What causes an eclipse?

An eclipse is caused when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in a direct line with one
another. When the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, we see a lunar eclipse,
which is the Earth's shadow falling on the moon. When the Moon is between the Sun
and the Earth, we see a solar eclipse, which is when the Moon's shadow falls on the
Earth (blocking the Sun).
1e
What is a shooting star?

A shooting star is not a star at all, but rather a meteor. A meteor is any celestial body
(usually quite small) that falls to the Earth. Most burn up in the atmosphere before
reaching the surface, leaving a bright, short-lived streak in the sky.

To discover more see the Meteorites honor.

1f
How fast does light travel?

Light travels at 186,000 miles per second (not miles per hour), or 300,000 kilometers
per second. In one year, light will travel 5.88 trillion miles (9.4 trillion km). This
distance is also called a light-year. How far is that?

Earth orbits the sun at an average of 92,955,807 miles (149,597,870 km). This distance
from Earth to the sun is called an astronomical unit, or AU. It takes light from the Sun
about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the distance from the Sun to the Earth.
There are 63,239 AUs in a light-year since light can travel 63,239 times further in an
Earth year than it takes to get from the Sun to Earth.

AUs are easy to work with in our solar system. Jupiter, for example, is 5.2 AU from the
Sun or 5.2 times further from the Sun than the Earth is, while Neptune is 30.07 AU
from the Sun.

However, when you move outside our solar system the distances get much larger.
The distance to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is about 268,770 AU and the
numbers get bigger from there. To express such long distances, astronomers use the
light-year. At 63,239 AU to the light year, that closest star Proxima Centauri is about
4.25 light-years away, which means it takes 4.25 of our years for its light to reach our
eyes. When we star gaze we are really looking back in time.

In 2016 scientists announced they found a galaxy they called GN-z11 which they
estimate is 32 Billion light-years away. If you ever wondered if God and his creation is
really eternal without beginning or end, think about the fact God created a galaxy
before 32 Billion years ago.
2
Make a diagram showing relative positions and movements of the earth,
sun, and moon. Show positions and movements for eclipses of the sun
and moon.

One may demonstrate by using an orange, walnut, and marble, or similar objects, to
show positions and movements of the earth, sun, and moon when there is an eclipse
of the sun and when there is an eclipse of the moon.

Place the "sun" model in the center. Place the "earth" some distance from the sun,
and show how it travels in a near circle around the sun. The moon travels around the
earth, but it always shows the same face to the earth (it's rotation on its axis takes the
same amount of time as its orbit around the earth.

3
Make a diagram of our solar system and be able to name the planets in
order from the sun.

Solar System diagram showing the relative sizes of the planets (plus Pluto, a dwarf
planet)

The planets in our solar system, starting from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto was also considered a planet from
1930 until 2006 when the International Astronomer's Union (IAU) was prompted by
the discovery Eris, a body larger than Pluto, to come up with a formal definition of
the word "planet." For years leading up to this announcement there had been
rumblings in the scientific community that classifying Pluto as a planet had been a
mistake, much as the classification of Ceres, the largest asteroid had been a mistake
in the 1800's. After the discovery of Ceres, more and more asteroids were discovered,
and it became increasingly clear that it was not a planet. The same thing began to
happen in the late 1900's when astronomers began to discover several Pluto-like
objects in the Kuiper belt. The debate came to a head with the discovery of Eris,
which has a diameter that exceeds Pluto's by 70 miles (110 km). The IAU would have
to either recognize Eris as the tenth planet or "demote" Pluto. The demotion of Pluto,
though not popular with the general public, makes the most scientific sense and
demonstrates that science is capable of correcting its errors.

The new definition of a planet requires that an object a) orbit a star (such as the Sun),
b) not orbit another planet (such as a satellite), and c) dominate the vicinity of its
orbit. Pluto did not make the cut because its orbit is dominated by Neptune, and
there are many objects orbiting in its vicinity that Pluto has no effect upon.

There are a number of mnemonic phrases that are easily memorized for
remembering the names of the planets, including
"My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Noodles.

4
Identify in the sky eight fixed stars. What is the difference between
planets and fixed stars?

The word planet means wanderer because the planets appear to wander about the

sky relative to the stars. The stars do not move in relation to one another (although
they all appear to move together because of the Earth's rotation on its axis).

Which eight stars you choose to teach your Pathfinders to identify will depend on the
season (spring, summer, winter, or fall), although some stars are visible year-round.

Stars visible in the Northern Hemisphere

Polaris
Finding Polaris
Polaris is one of the most useful stars for a person in the Northern Hemisphere to be
able to identify, as it can tell you two things: which way is north, and what is your
latitude (if your latitude is 38°, Polaris will be 38° above the horizon).

Capella
Finding Capella
Capella can be found by following the line made by the two stars in the Big Dipper's
handle and extending it across the Dipper's bowl.

Arcturus

Position of Arcturus
Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the third brightest star
in the night sky. Arcturus can be found in the summer by following the arc made by
handle of the Big Dipper (away from the dipper's bowl).
5
What is a constellation? Name and point out six. Name two constellations
visible throughout the year.

A constellation is any one of the 88 areas into which the sky - or the celestial sphere -
is divided. The term is also often used less formally to denote a group of stars visibly
related to each other in a particular configuration or pattern.

Ursa Major
Ursa Major is better known as the Big Dipper. It appears in the north and is fairly
easy to identify. It is illustrated in a previous requirement.
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor is better known as the Little Dipper. Use the instructions given
previously for finding Polaris, which is the end of the Little Dipper's handle.
Unfortunately, the stars that make up Ursa Minor are relatively dim, making this
one a bit more difficult to find.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopiea is illustrated in the next requirement and is generally visible (at some
time during the night) all year round. It is on the opposite side of Polaris from
the Big Dipper.
Boötes
Instructions for finding Arcturus, and thus the constellation Boötes are given in a
previous requirement.

The Summer Triangle, including, Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra), and
Altair (in Aquila)
 Cygnus, Altair, and Lyra
These are easily identified summer constellations. The brightest stars in each of
these three make up the Summer Triangle. Once the stars are found, it is easy to
find the constellations they are part of. Vega is the brightest star in the Summer
Triangle, and it is a member of the constellation Lyra. Cygnus is also known as
the Northern Cross. The triangle is completed by Altair which is a member of the
constellation Aquila.

The Winter Circle is made up of several bright stars visible in the

Northern hemisphere's winter. The easiest constellation to find in the
Winter Circle is Orion. Following Orion's belt will lead to Sirius, the
brightest star in the sky and a member of Canis Major (the "big
dog"). Canis Minor (the "little dog") is clockwise from Sirius.
Continuing clockwise, we come to Gemini, Auriga, and Taurus.

The constellations that are visible throughout the year are the ones
near the celestial poles:

Northern Hemisphere:

 Ursa Minor
 Ursa Major
 Draco
 Cepheus

Southern Hemisphere:

 Octans
 Mensa
 Hydrus
 Chameleon
 Volans
 Pavo
 Musca

6
For the Northern Hemisphere: draw a chart of the Big
Dipper, Cassiopeia, and the North Star. For the Southern
Hemisphere: draw a chart of the Southern Cross, Orion and
Scorpio.
 Northern Hemisphere
These stars and constellations can be seen from anywhere north of the tropics in
the Northern Hemisphere (they are more difficult to see in the tropics, and the
North Star cannot be seen at all from the Southern Hemisphere). The North Star
never appears to move at all, and it can be found due north. The Big Dipper and
Cassiopeia will rotate around the North Star (also known as Polaris, since it is
directly above the North Pole). When drawing the diagram, be sure to include
the seven stars in the Big Dipper, the five in Cassiopeia, and the North Star.
Make sure that the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper's "bowl" point to the
North Star. Cassiopeia should be shaped like a somewhat flattened "W".