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Article: Tracking planets around the Sun.(SCOPE ON THE SKIES)(Report)
- Article from:
- Science Scope
- Article date:
- March 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National Science Teachers Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Since this series about the solar system began last September, the six visible planets, as well as the other two planets too distant to be seen with unaided eyes, have traveled along their respective orbital paths. In the process, the planets have, in some instances, shifted from visibility during the evening in the west, to being visible in the morning skies in the east. This is occurring regularly and the changing locations of the planets can be tracked in a variety of ways using any of several celestial coordinate systems.
In earlier columns, the celestial coordinate system of hour circles of right ascension and degrees of declination was introduced along with ...