Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Astronomy, Topic 6: Celestial Observation (summary)

Physics with Keith

Topic 6 – Celestial Observation Specification:

• Be able to recognise the following astronomical phenomena visible to the naked eye, including:
🡒 Sun
🡒 Moon
🡒 stars (including double stars, constellations and asterisms)
🡒 star clusters
🡒 galaxies and nebulae
🡒 planets
🡒 comets
🡒 meteors
🡒 aurorae
🡒 supernovae
• and artificial objects, including:
🡒 artificial satellites
🡒 aircraft
• Be able to recognise and draw the following constellations and asterisms, including their most prominent stars:
🡒 Cassiopeia
🡒 Cygnus
🡒 Orion
🡒 Plough
🡒 Southern Cross
🡒 Summer Triangle
🡒 Square of Pegasus
• Understand the use of asterisms as pointers to locate specific objects in the night sky, including:
🡒 Arcturus and Polaris from the Plough
🡒 Sirius, Aldebaran and the Pleiades from Orion’s Belt
🡒 Fomalhaut and the Andromeda galaxy from Square of Pegasus
• Understand why there is a range of constellation, asterism and star names among different cultures
• Be able to use information from star charts, planispheres, computer programs or ‘apps’ to identify objects in the night sky
• Understand the causes and effects of light pollution on observations of the night sky
• Understand the meaning of the terms:
🡒 celestial sphere
🡒 celestial poles
🡒 celestial equator
• Understand the use of the equatorial coordinate system (right ascension and declination)
• Understand the use of the horizon coordinate system (altitude and azimuth)
• Understand how the observer’s latitude can be used to link the equatorial and horizon coordinates of an object for the observer’s meridian
• Understand how the observer’s meridian defines local sidereal time and an object’s hour angle
• Be able to use information on equatorial and horizon coordinates to determine:
🡒 the best time to observe a particular celestial object
🡒 the best object(s) to observe at a particular time
• Understand, in relation to astronomical observations, the terms:
🡒 cardinal points
🡒 culmination
🡒 meridian
🡒 zenith
🡒 circumpolarity
• Understand the diurnal motion of the sky due to the Earth’s rotation
• Be able to use a star’s declination to determine whether the star will be circumpolar from an observer’s latitude
• Understand the apparent motion of circumpolar stars, including upper transit (culmination) and lower transit
• Be able to use information about rising and setting times of stars to predict their approximate position in the sky
• Be able to find the latitude of an observer using Polaris
• Understand naked eye techniques such as dark adaptation and averted vision
• Understand the factors affecting visibility, including:
🡒 rising and setting
🡒 seeing conditions
🡒 weather conditions
🡒 landscape
• Understand the appearance of the Milky Way from Earth as seen with the naked eye

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