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Why do stars appear to move across the sky each night while the pattern of stars stays the same?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Every star in the sky has "proper motion", meaning its own motion in some direction, besides the apparent daily motion that's due to the rotation of earth.
Why don't we see any effects of this motion ? The answer is very simple, but still mind-boggling.
We don't see the effects of a star's proper motion during many human lifetimes because the stars are so far away. Any more than you could see a snail running for all he's worth across the road, 100 miles away.
Here are a few examples of the distances involved in space, coupled with the limitations of human perception:
-- The nearest natural body to the earth is the moon. Its distance from earth is about [1/4 of a percent] of the distance to the sun ! On an astronomical scale, we can practically reach out and grab the moon. Now, the moon is moving more than 2,000 miles per hour in its orbit. But we can look right at it and never notice that motion ... even though it's the nearest body in the universe to earth.
-- Now consider the nearest star to earth (aside from the sun). It's 4.4 light-years away from us ... more than 100 MILLION times as far from us as the moon is, and that's the NEAREST star to us.
If that star moved across our line of sight at the SPEED OF LIGHT, it would take 14 days to move the apparent size of the full moon.
If it moved across our line of sight at a speed of 1 million miles per hour, it would take almost 26 years to move the apparent size of the full moon.
And that's the NEAREST star to us !
That's why we don't notice the proper motion of the stars. If anybody is left in several thousand years from now, and if they have our records of how the sky used to look in the 21st Century, then they'll see the results of the motion of the stars. But we see essentially the same sky as the earliest humans who left us any records.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThe stars maintain their patterns for a long time, because they are so far away that it will take centuries to notice any movement.
The stars move across the sky due to Earth's rotation.
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What is The apparent daily motion of the stars in the sky due to the Earth's?
All the stars appear to go right round the sky every 23 hours and 56 minutes. But other than that, for example if you look every night at exactly midnight, all the stars go right round once a year.
Why is your galaxy called the milk way?
The Greek word Galaxy is "milk". The name Milky Way Galaxy is derived from the way intra-galaxy dust and clouds appear as they stream across the night sky.
What movie stars appear in the movie You Me and Dupree?
Movie stars that appear in You Me and Dupree include Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Owen Wilson, Michael Douglas and Seth Rogen. The movie came out in 2006.
What are the release dates for Night of Too Many Stars - 2003 - TV?
Night of Too Many Stars - 2003 - TV was released on: USA: 31 May 2003
What did the name 'shooting star' come from?
Whoever looked into the sky first. "Shooting Stars" are just pieces of rock that enter our atmosphere and burn up producing light and this has been happening for millions, if not billion/s of years.
What is a pattern of stars which seems to move across the night sky together called?
A pattern of stars which seems to move across the night sky together is called a constellation. Hope this helped :D
Explain why stars appear to move across the sky each night why are some stars only visible doing certain seasons?
Stars appear to move across the sky each night because the earth is moving, but not the stars. Also some stars are only visible during certain seasons because as the earth rotates, they become visible.
Why do stares appear to move across the sky during night?
cos some are shooting stars and comets! and stars move around
Why do stars appear to move across the Earth's sky each night?
because earth rotates on its axis
If you watched the night sky for several hours how would the stars appear to be moving?
when sitting for hours and watching the night sky, or watching the stars the stars would appear to be moving because the earth is rotating. when sitting for hours and watching the night sky, or watching the stars the stars would appear to be moving because the earth is rotating. welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll WHO KNOWS
Why do stars appear to move across the sky during the night?
stars don't move across the sky, we orbit the sun, as you should know, and as we orbit the sun we see the stars as moving but in all actuality we are just changing position and seeing the stars at a different perspective
Why do stars and constellation appear to move in the night sky?
Stars and constellations appear to move in the night sky because the Earth is rotating, while the stars and constellations stay there.
How did stars appear?
Stars in the sky appear at night time. If it is cloudy outside, stars will not be able to be seen by the naked eye. The moon also appears at night time.
Do factory lights cause sky appear red at night?
Lights in general cause an ugly orange glow across the sky that was out stars and galaxies
Why does Jupiter appear to move backwards across the pattern of stars?
There is no frontwards or backwards, it's just a frame of reference.That's the way Earth orbits and rotates.
The stars appear to move across the sky at night is this true?
YES!!! Because '- #1 the Earth is rotating so it appears that the stars move across the sky. #2 the Stars in their own right also move. Since most stars are so far away their movement is hard to detect. #3 the Planets, appear to be stars, because they are pin point spots of light. The planets move , notably Venus, which can be seen as the Morning Star, or at a different time of the year as the Evening Star. The word 'planet' comes from Classical Greece, and means 'Wandering Star'.
Why do stars appear in the night and not in the day?
The faint light of the stars is masked by the bright light of the sun.
