Understanding the Night Sky

Ever since the existence of data keeping and records, it is evident that Human being has kept looking up in space to find the answers to the questions he was puzzled about. The shining points of light in the sky, moving from one direction to another, rising and setting, Moon changing shape, every night next to a new star, stars forming different patterns, the group of stars which looked fuzzy and ultimately, the rise and setting of Sun which brought the heat and light for the life on Earth which translated days and night. The Mankind has always looked up in the sky and finally understood the motion of the sky, how one fixed star gave them the sense of direction, orientation, embarked them on long journeys, how the motion of the Sun and the Moon made them realise the reasons behind eclipses.

Today observing star is not only education or profession but also a hobby. People interested in Astronomy love to go outside, away from the city and also find dark spots where they actually could see the stars. In this module, we will try to help you explain how you can learn and understand the night sky while taking this course.