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Skills
of Backyard Astronomy:
1)
Using
angles to maneuver on the sky.
This is the
most convenient means of positioning objects, and a good system for defining
angles and parts of angles is essential.
For
a Circle:
-
A full
Diameter is 360° (degrees)
-
One
Degree Divides into 60' (arcminutes)
-
One
Arcminute Divides into 60" (arcseconds)
-
Therefore
one Degree is 3600"
For
perspective consider that your eye can just resolve two objects
that are 1 arcminute apart (about 100 km on the Moon)
Some
Notable References Include:
-
The
Sun and Moon are both ½°
or 30' across.
-
Jupiter,
is 45" across.
That's the largest for a planet, but we still can't resolve
it).
-
The
two lower stars in the big dipper are 5°
apart.
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