Name:
Using Stellarium to Probe the Sky
Part 1: Setting Your Location and Time in Stellarium
The purpose of the first few exercises is to help users set their location and
time information in Stellarium. Stellarium uses your latitude and longitude
to accurately display objects that can be seen in the night sky. Luckily,
information for many major cities has been included, including ChampaignUrbana.
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Setting the Location and Time
Move the mouse to the bottom left of the screen. A toolbar will
become visible. Select the Location Window button.
Type “Urbana” into the search box at the top right of the Location
Window. Select “Urbana, United States” from the list.
Click on the “use as default” checkbox, and close the location
window.
Again, move the mouse to the bottom left of the screen. A toolbar
will become visible. Select the Date/Time Window button (see
below).
Location
Window
Button
5. The values for year, month, day, hour, minutes and seconds can be
changed by typing new values, by clicking the up and down arrows
above and below the values, or by using the mouse wheel. Set the
date and time to September 4, 2015 at 8:00:00 PM. But be careful!
Stellarium uses a 24-hour clock (e.g., 8:00 AM is 8:00, 8:00 PM is
20:00).
6. Why is it important to set Stellarium to your specific
a. location?
b. date?
c. time?
Part 2: Naming Objects
Humans have observed the stars for millennia. The ancients named the
bright stars, as well as large groups of stars – also known as constellations –
after mythological beasts, gods, demigods, and ordinary household objects.
Astronomers continue to use the names of the constellations first recorded
by ancient astronomers thousands of years ago. It is here that we may
begin to learn about where objects are located in the sky and how they are
named.
Astronomers officially recognize 88 constellations today. From the midnorthern latitudes, you can see over half of them. Most are visible every
night from your location at some time during the night. Stellarium helps
you to find them, so you can go outside on any clear night throughout the
year and look for them yourself.
Exercise A: Finding Constellations
Find the Constellation Cassiopeia
1. Be sure your location and time are set to Urbana at 8 PM on
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September 4, 2015.
Show the constellation names by clicking the Constellation Labels
button
on the main toolbar.
Optional: Press the ‘B’ key to turn on the constellation boundaries.
These will appear as dashed lines.
Find the constellation Cassiopeia. You may need to look around; use
the mouse or cursor keys to explore the sky.
Look at the bright stars in Cassiopeia. Can you make a picture in your
mind by “connecting the dots”? If so, what image do you see in the
stars?
6. Go to the main toolbar and click on the Constellations button
. A
stick figure of the picture the constellation is supposed to represent
will appear. Using the stick figure as a guide, what image do you see
now?
7. Finally, go to the main toolbar and click on the Constellation Art
button . The classical image of the constellation will appear.
Historically, what is Cassiopeia supposed to represent?
Find two more constellations on September 4
1. Turn off the constellation lines and art.
2. Make sure the date and time is set to 8 PM (20:00) on September 4,
2014.
3. Find a constellation visible in the evening on this day(other than
Cassiopeia). Which did you choose?
4. Display the Constellation art. What does the constellation you chose
represent?
5. Go back to step 1 and repeat each step for a constellation other than
Cassiopeia and the one you already chose.
Exercise B: Finding Stars
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Find the Bright Star Antares
Make sure your date and time are still set to September 4th, 2014 at
8pm!!
Click on the Search window button
on the side toolbar.
Enter “Antares” into the Search Dialog and click the “find” button.
Stellarium will point you at that object in the sky.
In which constellation is Antares located?
5. What is the color of the star? Compare it to the nearby and very
bright star Arcturus.
6. When Antares is selected, there should be a box of information in the
upper left corner of the Stellarium window. What is the distance to
Antares in light-years?
Exercise C: Finding the Planets
1. Click on the Sky and Viewing Options window button
on the side
toolbar.
2. In the Labels and Markers/Sky section, slide the Planets bar all the
way to the right. This will ensure all Solar System bodies are labeled
(including planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids).
3. The Sun sets this evening around 7:45 PM (19:45). Set your date and
time to a little bit after this, so around 8:15 PM (20:15).
4. Scan all around the sky. What planets are visible in the sky at this
time, and in which constellations are they located (it will help to turn
on the constellation lines – press C or click )?
5. Now set your time to later in the night, at 11:30 PM (23:30). What
planets are visible at this time tonight, and in which constellations
are they located?
6. Press the ‘ , ’ button. This turns on the ecliptic, which will appear as a
red line running across the sky. Remember, this is the path the Sun
takes across the sky over the course of the year.
7. Where are the planets visible tonight located with respect to the
ecliptic? Look at different times throughout the night so you can see
more than one.
Part 3: Circumpolar Constellations
Exercise A: The North Star, Polaris
1. Set your date and time back to tonight at 8:00 PM (20:00).
2. Click on the Search window button
on the side toolbar.
3. Enter “Polaris” into the Search Dialog and click the “find” button.
4. In what cardinal direction (North, South, East, or West) is Polaris?
5. In which constellation is Polaris located?
6. Turn on the constellation art. What does this constellation
represent?
Exercise B: The Constellations
1. Set your location and time to tonight at 8:00 PM (20:00) in Urbana.
2. Use the cursor keys or the mouse to pan around until you are facing
north.
3. Go to the main toolbar and click on the Constellations button
and
the Names button
if they aren't displayed already.
4. Go to the main toolbar and click the Time Rate Increase button
a
few times and watch the daily motion.
5. List the constellations that do not go below the northern horizon.
These circumpolar constellations are visible every night throughout the
year.