An Example Constellation in the SDSS Data
Here is an example to get you started. The picture below shows the "Rudolph Constellation,"
near ra = 219.75, dec= 0.3. You can find this area by opening the
Navigation Tool, entering the coordinates, and clicking Get Image. Look for the
red star - that's Rudolph's nose!
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| The Rudolph Constellation |
The Rudolph constellation consists of 6 stars. To learn
more about the stars, open the Navigation Tool and click on each star to see
its data. What can you learn about these stars from studying SkyServer data?
Does the Rudolph constellation look like a red-nosed reindeer to you? What would you call it?
Now it's your turn. Use the
Navigation tool to look through the SDSS data to find constellations.
E-mail them to us and we'll put them up
on these pages! Send us your notebook, or tell us the ID RA and Dec of each star or galaxy in your constellation.
Then, tell us what the constellation looks like to you - use your imagination! If you
like, you can tell a story about why the constellation is there, like the Greeks and
Chimu did.
Your constellations won't be officially used by astronomers, who use the SDSS's ID
numbers to identify stars and galaxies. But you'll be able to look through the
data and see constellations that you named - patterns that you discovered in the stars.
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