Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Utah State University

Astrophysics and Astronomy

Astronomy class activities

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Annual Solar Motion And Spy Satellites, Margaret Jensen, Shane L. Larson Jan 2014

Annual Solar Motion And Spy Satellites, Margaret Jensen, Shane L. Larson

Browse All Undergraduate research

A topic often taught in introductory astronomy courses is the changing position of the Sun in the sky as a function of time of day, and season. The relevance and importance of this motion is explained in the context of seasons and the impact it has on human activities such as agriculture. The geometry of the ob- served motion in the sky is usually reduced to graphical representations and visualizations that can be difficult to render and grasp. Sometimes students are asked to observe the Suns changing motion and record their data, but this is a long-term project requiring several …