The Teaching of Elementary Astronomy

Extract

Mr. J. A. Edgar: On beginning the study of astronomy it is imperative for the student to gain familiarity with the brightest stars and with the classical constellations and their relative positions. The stars apparently all shift their positions westward during the night, and there is further a seasonal drift due to the annual revolution of the earth about the sun, so that a permanent acquaintance with the principal groups must depend on an intimate knowledge of their relative positions. In imparting this knowledge it is tedious and inefficient to point out the groups to the student, and published star maps are usually confusing, as they present too many configurations at once. Much can be gained by the student constructing his own maps. In this way the star chart grows, gradually extending familiarity with the sky. The first chart to construct is that showing the circumpolar group of stars. For this purpose polar graph paper must be used, and coordinates analogous to latitude and longitude are adopted.