ast101 notes

asteroid belt

between mars and jupiter

jupiter (largest planet in our solar system) has a gravitational force strong enough to prevent these from forming into another planet

kuiper belt

ring or disk of comets orbiting beyond Neptune

made from leftover material from the formation of the solar system

in the kuiper belt, comets orbit in the same plane and direction as planets

oort cloud

in the oort belt, comet orbits have random tilts and eccentricities

earth’s rotation

Since the Earth rotates towards the East, stars rise over the Eastern horizon and set over the West horizon

See things rising → looking East

See things setting → looking West

exposure photos

the further from the equator and closer to 90 degrees north the latitude is, the more circular the orbit of stars you will see in the shot

celestial pole

altitude of celecstial pole = observers latitude so for ex: latitude = 2°S, celestial pole is 2° below horizon and if latitude = 30°N, celestial pole is 30° above horizon

variations in weather

• when the axis tilt is farther from 0 degrees and 180 degrees, variations are more extreme

• when the axis tilt is closer to 0 and 180 degrees, less extreme variations

sunlight angles

• When a hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun (e.g., northern hemisphere during summer), the Sun’s rays strike that hemisphere more directly. This increases the energy per unit area, making it warmer.

• When a hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun (e.g., northern hemisphere during winter), the Sun’s rays strike at a lower angle, spreading the energy over a larger area and making it cooler.

length of day

• When tilted toward the Sun, the sun is high in the sky during the day and a hemisphere experiences longer days, allowing more sunlight and heat to accumulate.

• When tilted away, the sun is low in the sky during the day, and results in shorter days which also result in less accumulated sunlight and heat.