Astronomy

• Zenith - top of the dome of the sky

• Horizon - where the dome meets the land

• Celestial Pole - point around which stars seem to turn

• How many degrees are in the “sky dome”?

Ecliptic: The path the Sun appears to take across the celestial sphere.

Ecliptic angle: The ecliptic is tilted 23.5° relative to the celestial equator causing seasons.

• Planet = “wanderer” in Greek

• Zodiac - This band of the sky is the 

• Constellations -  star patterns

• asterism - a recognizable pattern in a larger constellation

• Parallax - apparent motion of nearby objects due to the motion of the observer

• Precession - the direction that the Earth’s axis points changes slowly and regularly over time.

• Retrograde motion - temporary apparent westward motion of a planet

• Epicycles - circles within circles

• Astrology - belief that the positions of the planets in the zodiac hold the key to understanding the future

• Natal astrology - everyone’s fortunes can be told by astrology

Horoscope - shows the positions of the planets at the moment of birth of an individual