AI Summary
[DOCUMENT_TYPE: user_assignment]
This document is a lab assignment for PHYS 1404, Solar System, at Central Texas College. It’s designed for students to practice working with terrestrial and celestial coordinate systems, and to explore how Earth’s position relative to the sun creates seasons.
This lab is a key component of understanding how astronomers locate objects in the sky and how those locations change over time. It’s likely used after introductory lectures on coordinate systems and Earth’s orbit. Students will need this assignment to demonstrate their ability to apply these concepts using interactive simulators.
This assignment focuses on practical application within the provided simulators. It does *not* provide a comprehensive explanation of coordinate systems themselves – that foundational knowledge is assumed. It also doesn’t cover advanced astronomical calculations.
The full lab includes questions requiring students to: determine coordinates of locations on Earth using a flat map and globe explorer, identify the farthest extent of the US in different directions, convert coordinates between decimal and sexagesimal notation, and compare the relative sizes of Greenland and Australia as represented on different maps. It also includes interactive exercises using celestial coordinate simulators. This preview only describes the assignment’s scope and purpose.