Follow the Stars with an Astronomy Map
Posted in Astronomy 101, Astronomy Maps on October 8th, 2008 by adminThe stars are unbearably many. You can tell that when you look up at the sky. Yet, astronomers actually refer to each star by a name. The name may be proper, like Alpha Centauri, or it can be codes like C4H1 or the like. You might wonder how scientists can accurately pinpoint an individual star to name it, when they are as numerous as the ants that live below the earth.
That’s because astronomers have an Astronomy map. These are maps in which they plot the locations of known stars so they would know where Alpha Centauri is placed. They use this data to make observations focusing on one or two specific stars. An astronomy map is very accurate, and is printed in monthly versions since stars change locations every month due to the revolution of the Earth around the sun. Read more »