An introduction to the celestial sphere, describing its . apparent rotation and the special role of the pole star. ... This lesson plan supplements the web page listed below. Originally named "The sky above us" , it was split into two parts, each of which now has a lesson plan. ... Celestial sphere, constellation, zodiac, celestial pole, the Pole Star ("Polaris"), celestial equator, rotation of the Earth, planets [theodolite, equatorial axis]. ... What makes the Pole Star special? ...

Aristarchus of Samos, around 200 BC, proposed that the Earth revolved around the Sun, but found few supporters. ... For a discussion of the discovery of the solar system which includes a "moving picture" illustrating retrograde motion, click here . ... The Sun and Moon, he claimed, obviously moved around Earth. ... The full story of the discovery of the solar system--of Copernicus, Galileo, Tycho and Kepler--is long and would take this discussion too far afield. ... Nicolaus Copernicus . ...

Educator's Guide to Eclipses . ... In a solar eclipse you observe the Sun (using only safe methods, of course). ... In a lunar eclipse you observe the Moon. ... Because of the geometry described below, you can only view a solar eclipse when the Sun is up, and the Moon is nowhere to be seen. ... Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. ... In a solar eclipse the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun. ... In a lunar eclipse the Moon moves into Earth's shadow. ...

Cosmic Research, Vol. 42, No. 5, 2004, pp. 435­488. Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 42, No. 5, 2004, pp. 453­508. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Veselovsky, Panasyuk, Avdyushin, Bazilevskaya, Belov, Bogachev, Bogod, Bogomolov, Bothmer, Boyarchuk, Vashenyuk, Vlasov, Gnezdilov, Gorgutsa, Grechnev, Denisov, Dmitriev, Dryer, Yermolaev, Eroshenko, Zherebtsov, Zhitnik, Zhukov, Zastenker, Zelenyi, Zeldovich, Ivanov-Kholodnyi, Ignat'ev, Ishkov, Kolomiytsev, Krasheninnikov, Kudela,