#Fist from the heavens full#

The angular diameter of a full Moon is about 30', while the angular diameter of the Sun is around 32'. Remember to never look at the Sun directly without any eye protection! The Sun and the Moon are the only objects in the sky whose angular size is visible to the naked eye. Angular SizeДЄngular size or angular diameter of a celestial object is the angular separation between opposite edges of the object. With these simple measuring rules in your hand, you can not only understand basic stargazing jargon but also tell other budding stargazers where to look for a specific celestial object in the sky. It is important to note that such measurements are approximate вЂ“ not everyone has the same sized hand. Your little finger at an arms length is about 1В° wide.Your three middle fingers will span about 5В°.The tip-to-tip span between your index finger and your little finger is 15В°.The tip of your little finger and your thumb will span about 25В°. Open up your fist, stretch your little finger and thumb as far as you can and curl down the rest of your fingers.This means that angular distance or angular separation between the two stars is 30В°. The North Star (Polaris) and Dubhe, one of the northern pointers of the Big Dipper are 3 fists apart. This means that any two objects that are on the opposite ends of your fist will be 10 degrees apart. The width of your fist will approximately be 10 degrees. Make a fist, with the back of your hand facing you.Hold your hand at armвЂ™s length and close one eye. The zenith is always 90В° from the horizon. The point right above you in the sky is the zenith. The other half of the celestial sphere is below the horizon and cannot be seen. If you look above at the sky, you will see only half of the sky i.e. Imagine the sky as a big hollow sphere with the Earth at its center вЂ“ letвЂ™s call this the celestial sphere. There are 360В° in a circle or sphere, each degree is divided into 60' and each arc minute is further divided into 60'.

Like our modern-day timekeeping, the angular method is based on a sexagesimal system вЂ“ a numeral system with 60 as its base. While angular separation primarily describes the apparent distance between celestial objects, as seen from Earth, it can also be used to suggest their actual distance from one another. Known as angular distances or angular separation, distances are expressed in terms of degrees (В°), arc minutes ('), and arc seconds ('). Measuring AnglesД«ecause of this, astronomers measure the distance between celestial objects based on the angle they make with an observational point on Earth. Our conventional methods of measuring distances between two objects on Earth make very little sense when measuring the vast distances between celestial objects. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays)ДЄ handy way to measure distances in the sky.

Fist from the heavens