{"id":676,"date":"2014-12-09T21:02:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-09T21:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.austrinus.com\/?p=676"},"modified":"2025-01-17T05:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T08:11:18","slug":"astronomia-noche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/astronomia-noche\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomy at night"},"content":{"rendered":"

Below you will find observational experiments that do not require optical instrumentation, to be practiced at night. Some require few observation and monitoring sessions to become aware, others merit continuous recording. The exercises are designed to simulate the total absence of astronomical knowledge, with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible to identify phenomena of this nature using only naked eye observation and reasoning.<\/p>\n

Astronomy experiments without a telescope (at night):<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) The stars describe an apparent movement, but relative to a particular "fixed" point.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoIf you do the exercise of contemplating the apparent movement of the stars, even for a few minutes, it is possible to see that they all move in the same direction (East-West), but by examining more closely, for a few hours, it is possible to notice that in some sectors the stars move much more slowly, and that they seem to be describing a curve, instead of a continuous line, and around a particular fixed point; in other words, in one area of the sky the stars seem to be "revolving around something<\/em>\u00ab. By observing the apparent motion of stars for several nights in a row, it is possible to observe that this zone of "curved motion of the stars" is always the same, and that throughout the night, the stars always appear to be rotating around that point.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Discovery of the Celestial Pole<\/strong><\/em>. The Earth, as we know, rotates around its axis in space, which gives rise to the existence of a North and South Pole, according to each hemisphere. Although an observer is unaware of this point, the terrestrial poles are projected into space in a name called the Celestial Pole, which can be North or South, which respectively are the points around which the stars appear to rotate during the night. This lays the foundation for understanding rotational dynamics, even when this rotation is associated with the starry background instead of the Earth's rotation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

2) This point and its opposite constitute geographical orientation points.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoBy closely examining the apparent motion of stars around a particular point and comparing it with the phenomenon of "rising" and "setting" of the Sun, Moon and stars at another point on the horizon, it is possible to see that these points intersect with each other relatively, and determine 4 basic geographic orientations. A point from which astronomical objects emerge, another point from which they set, another point around which stars appear to rotate during the night, and the opposite point to this one. This allows establishing stellar orientation references, which if accompanied by extensive monitoring of stars and constellations (regions of several stars), makes it possible to determine their position at a certain time of the year.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion. Basic celestial orientation<\/strong><\/em>. Even for an observer who has not moved to another geographical location, or is lost in the cardinal points, simple observation allows determining the basic direction orientations on the Earth's surface. This supports the evidence of a rotational system, which can either be understood geocentrically (understanding the apparent motion of the stars rotating around the Earth) or by making the inverse association, that it is the Earth that rotates and makes it appear that they are the stars. the ones that do it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

3) There are regions of brighter stars that I can use to orient myself, and some coincide with the "band" where the Sun and Moon transit.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoStars have always been distributed in the same way, at least in a way that can be considered "fixed stars," in contrast to celestial bodies like the Sun and the Moon, and "wandering" objects, the planets. By observing the night sky for several months, it is possible to notice areas with stars that are brighter and more noticeable than others. Even without knowing anything about modern constellations, an observer can easily invent his own "constellations," which are nothing more than regions of space with a group of stars that are "dominant" in brightness, which one can arrange in imaginary figures, or "asterisms." Supplementing this with the knowledge of the naturally discovered cardinal points, an observer will be able to use the constellations to orient himself in space and time, but will also notice that several of them are located just in that special "band" of the sky, which has already been identified as the path described by the Sun and the Moon.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Discovery\/invention of constellations<\/strong><\/em>. Here we conclude the discovery of certain "patterns" in the stars according to their luminosity, as simple as a straight line formed by 3 stars, or a square formed by 4. This leads to the invention of the first constellations and imaginary figures (asterisms), whose purpose is simply to orient oneself in the night sky, with those located in the band that we know today as the ecliptic gaining special relevance.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

4) Some star regions appear increasingly "delayed" in relation to sunset, and new ones appear increasingly "advanced".<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoTo notice this phenomenon, an observer must record the night sky for at least a year, since in that time all the possible constellations for a geographic region will have appeared. The determining factor is that, once the observer has identified and invented his own asterisms of bright stars, at some point he will realize that they appear closer and closer to sunset, to the point of being difficult to observe due to the obscuring sunshine. In the same way, it is discovered that other groups of stars, which previously did not appear during the night, are now emerging further ahead of dawn, to the point of being visible for longer during the night, as much as the first asterisms were before. identified.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Discovery of the movement of constellations during the year<\/strong><\/em>. By observing the night sky for a full year, and paying attention to the different groups of "fixed stars", it is possible to observe that these groups vary over the months. These fixed stars actually move around, showing new groupings and making others "disappear", which in reality end up being blocked by sunlight. If the monitoring is extended to 2, 3 or more years, it becomes clear that this "renewal of constellations" simply follows a cycle that repeats itself after 12 months.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

5) Based on the above, I can use specific objects (e.g. Pleiades) to establish cycles and section time according to the moment of their appearance.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoThe invention of figures and patterns in the stars according to their luminosity can lead to giving them names or personalities according to some mythological figure typical of a culture. Simulating an observer who does the same, he can establish that any group of stars (e.g. the now known Pleiades cluster) is his guide to section time, once he knows that this group of stars reappears in a point on the sky after a certain time (thus, this experiment requires at least 1 year of observation). Knowing the time it takes for that group of stars (e.g. Pleiades) to reappear in the same position (e.g. above a mountain), added to the knowledge of days, lunar phases or other temporal guides, an observer can sectioning time into longer spaces, either for everyday life purposes (e.g. harvest time) or astronomical purposes (e.g. knowing that when the Pleiades appear lower on the horizon, another group of known stars is about to appear) .<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Using constellations to measure time<\/em><\/strong>. Constellations have not only served as a guide in time, but also as a time-segmenting tool. Once the "renewal" of constellations during a year is known with precision, it is only necessary to make a few calculations to predict when a particular group of stars will appear again, and in the same way, to associate this prediction with some important event in the daily life of the observer who is guided by the stars.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

6) There is a whitish spot that moves along with the starry background, and therefore it is not a cloud or part of the planet.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoAnyone who has seen the Milky Way on a clear night knows that its appearance at first glance is similar to that of a "cloud" that extends across the entire sky (depending on the time of year and geographic location). Assuming an initial lack of knowledge of what the Milky Way is, an observer could initially identify it as a cloud, but after vast experience comparing "fixed stars" and "non-fixed" stars (Sun, Moon, "wandering" objects), the observer will come to the conclusion that that whitish spot "moves" in the same way as the fixed stars during the year, and therefore is not a cloud of the many that are seen in the sky, but also can determine, in the second instance, that since it behaves in the same way as the "fixed stars" it is located much further away than the "non-fixed" stars.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Discovery of the Milky Way<\/strong><\/em>. Although verifying what that "whitish spot" really is is beyond the scope of observation, its continued observation allows us to determine that it is located at a great distance (due to its behavior equivalent to that of fixed stars), but it also allows us to verify that in the surroundings of this "stain<\/em>\u00bb there are a greater number of stars, indicating at least that this whitish spot has "something" to do with the fact that that region of space is more starry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

7) There are other bright points in the sky that move differently from the rest of the "fixed" stars and can be followed in time.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoAlthough Venus and Mercury were already discussed in the \u201cDaytime Astronomy\u201d experiments, this exercise includes the discovery of all the planets. The \u201cwandering\u201d planets are simply characterized by moving differently than the rest of the \u201cfixed\u201d stars during the night, and that is why a thorough examination of these objects (which are also characterized by not \u201cflickering\u201d in contrast to the stars) reveals that there are 5 in total that can be observed with the naked eye, and that each of them requires more or less time to perceive that it is moving relative to the background of stars. Just as some objects make their movement evident after a short time (Mercury and Venus), others require several months to notice that they are moving (Jupiter and Saturn). Likewise, if these follow-ups are extensive (for 2, 3 or more years) it will also be possible to notice that this movement is not constant, but suffers certain \u201csetbacks\u201d and then \u201cadvances\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Discovery of the planets and their movement<\/strong><\/em>. Planets have historically been studied by ancient cultures because they stand out against the background of "fixed" stars. Their greater luminosity and lack of "flicker" makes them easier to locate, but discriminating their movement is a task that requires a lot of observation time. In the case of discovering "setbacks" and "advances" in the movement of a planet (e.g. Mars), this attests to nothing less than the phenomenon of\u00a0retrograde movement<\/em>, which only happens on the outer planets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

8) Based on the movement of these points against the starry background, it will be possible to predict their position at a future time.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoWhen it has been determined that planets move relative to the background of "fixed" stars, a first distinguishable factor is that the rate of displacement is not the same for all. Some can travel more space in less time than others, and this allows for the assignment of "predictions" as to the time that must pass for a planet to position itself in a certain sector of space. If the monitoring includes witnessing retrograde movements, it is even possible to determine future retrograde movements, through mathematical calculations that diagram the position of the planet in relation to the Earth. If to this is added a discrimination of the changes in brightness, it is possible (although to a lesser degree) to make a speculation about the distance at which the object may be located (of course without\u00a0measure the distance itself<\/em>, just speculating if the object is further away or closer). These positional predictions, as they become more complex, exponentially increase the required tracking time.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Orbital determination of the planets<\/strong><\/em>. This conclusion remains independent, so far, of a hypothetical observer who considers the Universe geocentric. However, the crucial factor is to witness the retrograde motions, which only occur in outer planets. Since this is a problem for a geocentric model, a follow-up of several years would eventually result in a model where the Earth is also orbiting, and where the only reason for some planets to "recede" at certain intervals is because the Earth is "overtaking" them in its orbit.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

9) That these points also move along the same "band" as the Moon, the Sun and certain regions of stars.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoWith this exercise, the importance of that imaginary line in the sky, the ecliptic, is finally defined, since it not only delimits the path that the Sun follows in the sky, but also the Moon, some constellations that the observer has invented along the way. over time, and also of the now identified planets, which persistently move through this sector of space, which now gives strong indications that all these objects are associated with each other, and are subject to some type of ordered movement that can be diagrammed , in some way, in a mathematical system capable of predicting its position at any moment.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Final significance of the ecliptic line<\/strong><\/em>Although the ecliptic is nothing more than an imaginary line, sustained observation of the stars that move independently of the "fixed" stars provides concrete information about the movements that occur around the Earth. Although these observations are not sufficient to cast doubt on a geocentric system (except for the retrograde motion of the outer planets), they do allow the environment outside the Earth to be ordered and formalized in a deterministic and predictable way.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

10) The combination and prolongation of these observations will lead to precisely establishing the time scales that govern the planet.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"ExperimentoWhen all the observations made by the naked eye, whether by day or by night, and over several months or years, are added up, the main conclusion to be drawn is that many phenomena are impossible to determine by observing them at a single instant. Just as a full day can be demarcated by sunrise following sunrise, the measurement of longer time scales can only be determined by systematic observation of the sky, and this is how one can come to identify time scales such as the "month" or the "year" on purely astronomical grounds. If the role of planetary observations is added to this, these time scales can somehow be extrapolated to the other planets, whose movements follow such a precise and orderly pattern that they indirectly provide the clues necessary to form a complete model of the Solar System.<\/p>\n

\n

Preliminary conclusion: Astronomical-based time measurement<\/strong><\/em>. Just as the Egyptians, Babylonians and Mayans once did, sustained astronomical observation allows us to define, without the need for complex instruments, the measurement of time. This is how calendars emerged, and how the first models of the Solar System emerged, as a result of observations over years and years. It was these same observations, complemented by their mathematical expression, that laid the foundations for positioning the Earth in the known Universe, although not confirmed as "Heliocentric" until Galileo's observations, the surprising observational astronomical evidence was enough for Copernicus to decree it so in 1543.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Below you will find observational experiments that do not require optical instrumentation, to be practiced at night. Some require few observation and monitoring sessions to become aware, others merit continuous recording. The exercises are designed to simulate the total absence of astronomical knowledge, with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible to identify phenomena of this nature using\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-como-observar"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg","large":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"Farid","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e8aa07b0d16e13c8408ea413c009fc7da05f4cbb36da0d568b4235b1eaee6b?s=96&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"A continuaci\u00f3n encontrar\u00e1s experimentos observacionales que no requieren de instrumentaci\u00f3n \u00f3ptica, a practicarse durante la noche. Algunos requieren pocas sesiones de observaci\u00f3n y seguimiento para advertirse, otros ameritan un registro continuo. Los ejercicios est\u00e1n pensados simulando total ausencia de conocimientos astron\u00f3micos, con el objetivo de demostrar que es posible identificar fen\u00f3menos de esta \u00edndole usando…","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["C\u00f3mo observar"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2750,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":15,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"Farid","author_link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/author\/farid\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e8aa07b0d16e13c8408ea413c009fc7da05f4cbb36da0d568b4235b1eaee6b?s=96&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"C\u00f3mo observar<\/a>","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"large":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",207,150,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/austrinus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/astronomia-noche-icon.jpg",18,12,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Farid","author_link":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/author\/farid\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A continuaci\u00f3n encontrar\u00e1s experimentos observacionales que no requieren de instrumentaci\u00f3n \u00f3ptica, a practicarse durante la noche. Algunos requieren pocas sesiones de observaci\u00f3n y seguimiento para advertirse, otros ameritan un registro continuo. Los ejercicios est\u00e1n pensados simulando total ausencia de conocimientos astron\u00f3micos, con el objetivo de demostrar que es posible identificar fen\u00f3menos de esta \u00edndole usando…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5185,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions\/5185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austrinus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}