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The Teaching of Elementary Astronomy*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2016

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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Mathematical Association 1937 

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Footnotes

*

A discussion at the Annual Meeting of the Mathematical Association, 5th January, 1937.

References

Page 262 of note * Note added in proof: Professor Russell’s long series of articles in the Scientific American make excellent material for talks on these topics.