PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Examples of
Astronomical
Phenomena Before
the Advent of
Telescopes
QUARTER 4– LESSON 2
 LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to
astronomers before the advent of telescopes(S11/12PS-
IVa-4)

• enumerate the examples of astronomical phenomena

• differentiate lunar and solar eclipses; and
• appreciate the importance of astronomical phenomena
and how they affect.
Even before the advent of the telescopes, ancient
astronomers were able to observe the following:

1. rising and setting of the Sun in the east and the west,
respectively,
2. point where the Sun rises and sets in the horizon varies
in a year,
3. phases of the moon,
4. lunar eclipse,
5. solar eclipse,
6. daily and annual motion of the stars, and
7. planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Rising and Setting of the Sun

Babylonian and Egyptians

used a gnomon in
systematically observing the
motion of the star.
They observed that the sun rises in the eastern part
of the sky, reaches its highest point in midday, and
sets in the western part of the sky.
POINT WHERE THE SUN RISES AND SETS IN THE HORIZON VARIES IN A YEAR

SUNSET
SUNRISE

SUNSET

SUNRISE
Earth's axis is also not
perpendicular to the plane
of its orbit. Instead, Earth
is tilted on its axis
approximately 23.4°.
 When the North Pole is tilted toward
the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere
experiences summer, and the Sun is
high in the sky at noon.

During the winter, the North Pole is

tilted away from the Sun, and at
noon the Sun doesn't get nearly as
high in the sky.
Earth's tilt also
explains why the
longest day of the year
occurs on the summer
solstice (usually around
June 21). Likewise, the
shortest day of the
year occurs on the
winter solstice (usually
around December 21).
PHASES OF THE MOON
• It takes 27 days, 7 hours,
and 43 minutes for our
Moon to complete one full
orbit around Earth
• It takes the Moon about
29.5 days to complete
one cycle of phases (from
full Moon to full Moon)
ECLIPSES
 LUNAR ECLIPSE

The lining up of the earth, moon, and sun produces a lunar

eclipse when the moon passes into the shadow of the earth.
Usually, a lunar eclipse either precedes or follows a solar
eclipse by two weeks.
• A lunar eclipse may be
partial or total.
• All observers on the
dark side of the earth
see a lunar eclipse at
the same time.
• Interestingly, when the
moon is fully eclipsed,
it is still visible and
reddish.
 SOLAR ECLIPSE

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s shadow falls on the

earth. Because of the large size of the sun, rays of sunlight
taper to provide an umbra and a surrounding penumbra.
An observer in the umbra
part of the shadow
experiences darkness during
the day a total eclipse,
totality. The average time of
totality is 2 to 3 minutes,
and a maximum of 7.5
minutes.
LUNAR ECLIPSE SOLAR ECLIPSE
BOTH

Moon passes Sun’s light is

through the blocked by the
Earth’s shadow Moon

Happen during full Happens during a

Occur when
moon New moon
one space
object moves
Occurs about Occurs about
into the
twice every one twice every (3)
shadow of
(1) year years
another
Lasts for about an Last for a few
hour minutes
DAILY MOTION OF THE STARS

Diurnal motion is the

apparent daily revolution of
the celestial sphere around
the celestial poles as a direct
effect of the Earth’s rotation
on its axis.
 ANNUAL MOTION OF THE STARS

Annual motion is the apparent yearly movement of the stars

as observed from Earth as a direct effect of the Earth’s
revolution around the sun.
• The sun revolves 360 degrees a
year around a path on the celestial
sphere called the ecliptic.
• Sun’s altitude changes with season -
maximum during summer solstice
and at minimum during winter
solstice.
• Sunrise and sunset points in the
horizon changes with season - sun
rises north of east in the summer,
and south of east in the winter.
As the sun revolves around the ecliptic, different stars and
constellations appear on the horizon throughout the year.
These are known as the constellations of the Zodiac.
PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES

Precession of the Equinoxes

refers to the observable
phenomena of the rotation of
the heavens which spans a
period of 25,920 years.
Vernal or spring equinox
happens every March 20 while
autumnal equinox occurs
every September 22.

During an equinox, the length

of daytime is almost equal to
the length of nighttime.
Planets Discovered Before the Invention of Telescope
Mercury

• smallest and the fastest

planet
• 1 Revolution = 88 days
• 1 day =1407 hours (58
days Earth days)
• have either a very thin
atmosphere or none at all
• Mariner 10 was the first
spacecraft to land on
Mercury
Venus

• hottest planet
• morning/evening star
• 1 Venus day =243 Earth
days
• rotates clockwise on its axis
• twin sister of Earth
Mars

• home for the largest

volcano in the solar system
• 1 year in Mars = 685.98
days compared to Earth
• two moons – Phobos and
Deimos
• half of Earth’s diameter and
less density
Jupiter

• Jovian planet
• volumes is 1,300 times that
of Earth
• 1 revolution =11.78 years
• rotation = 9 hours 55
minutes
• has more than 60 moons
Saturn

• noted for its famous rings

• 1 year = 29.5 years on
Earth
• lowest density of all the
planet
• volume is 755 times greater
than the Earth
• has 82 moons