Topic 1:Celestial Body

• Celestial body= is any natural body outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. Easy examples are the moon, sun, &
the other planets of our solar system. Any asteroid in space is a celestial body.
• Asteroids= are small, rocky objects that orbits the Sun, most of them are located in the main asteroid belt-a
region between the orbits of Mars & Jupiter
• Classification of celestial bodies:
• 1.stars
• 2.planets
• 3.satellites
• 4.comets
• 5.asteroids
• 6.meteor &meteorites
• 7.galaxies
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• Astronomy= the study of objects & matter outside the earth’s atmosphere & their physical & chemical
properties
• Celestial navigation= is the ancient & continuing practice of position fixing using stars & other celestial bodies
that enables a navigator to accurately determine their actual current physical position in space
• For sailors , celestial navigation is a step up from dead reckoning. This technique uses the stars, moon, sun, &
horizon to calculate position & very useful on the open ocean, where there ae no landmarks. They also need an
accurate clock and an almanac giving the position of celestial bodies.
• The theoretical accuracy of celestial position fix is within 0.1 mile of your true position. In comparison a
modern GPS should be able to give you accuracy of less than 1 meter
• What star do sailors use to navigate? It is called the Polaris or the North Star. It is directly overhead the North
Pole. This means that whenever we point towards the spot of the horizon directly below the North Star, we
must be pointing North.
• Why do navigator look the Polaris when lost? If a sailor was sailing north, he would notice Polaris increasing in
ht. in the sky. If a Polaris was decreasing in ht. then a sailor know he was headed south. Eventually measuring
the angle of Polaris in the sky would give them their approximate latitude
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• What are the 3 most important criteria in the selection of the celestial bodies to be used in navigation?
• 1. choose a set of reasonable celestial bodies for measurement based on visibility, azimuth & altitude
• 2. measure observed altitudes of the set of celestial bodies at known times
• 3. correct altitude measurements for effects such as refraction, height of eye
• What is the impact geographical position of celestial body in position determining?
• Using the Geographical Position of a celestial body by measuring the altitude of a celestial body, we are able
to calculate the zenith distance w/c will give us the distance in nautical miles from the observer’s position to
the geographical position of the body.
• The sun is the only celestial object that has a gravitational pull, the most massive object in our solar system
• Is Saturn the only planet w/ a ring?
• Saturn is not the only planet to have rings but none are as spectacular or ascomplicated
• Moon is the celestial body closest to earth. The moon is at a distance of 384400 from Earth
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• Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system

• What is considered a celestial body? An aggregation of matter in the universe such as planet, star or nebula
that can be considered as a single unit
• Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall is the largest celestial object in the universe
• Heavenly bodies = are natural objects visible in the sky eg. Planets, stars, moon, comets, meteors, &
asteroids
• Galaxy= a huge system of stars w/c is a gravitationally bound system of stars, interstellar gas, dust, stellar
remnants, & dark matter ranging in size from very small having a few hundred million stars to giants w/ one
hundred trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy’s centre of mass
• Venus= is the brightest planet in the universe
• What is the most recognizable constellation of all? Orion the Hunter is arguably the most recognizable
constellation in the world. Orion lies on the celestial equator, making it visible from both the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres.
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• The largest constellations in the sky are Hydra, Virgo, Ursa Major, Cetus and Hercules. The largest northern
constellations are Ursa Major, Hercules, Pegasus, Draco and Leo, and the southern ones are Hydra, Virgo, Cetus,
Eridanus and Centaurus.
• What does the big dipper constellation mean?
• Is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major ( The Great Bear). One of the most familiar shapes in the northern sky.
• What celestial bodies move around the planets?
• Satellites are the objects that revolve around a bigger object in a fixed orbit in space. There are different types of
satellites namely natural satellites and artificial satellites. Moon orbiting earth is an example of a natural satellite. Most
of the planets have their own natural satellites revolving around them.
• A heavenly body that has a head and tail?
• The celestial body having a star like head and a long luminous tail is called a comet. 
• What is the hottest planet?
• Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system
• Stars are the celestial bodies having their own heat & light, w/c they emit in large amounts