Question

How does the position of the Sun on the celestial sphere change over the course of a year?

A) Its right ascension changes and its declination remains constant.
B) Both its right ascension and declination change.
C) Its right ascension remains constant and its declination changes.
D) Its celestial coordinates remain fixed.

Answer 1

The Sun's position on the celestial sphere changes throughout the year, with both right ascension and declination changing due to Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Step-by-step explanation:

The position of the Sun on the celestial sphere changes throughout the course of a year due to the Earth's orbit around it. The correct answer to the question is B) Both its right ascension and declination change. The ecliptic is the path the Sun appears to take around the celestial sphere each year, and this motion causes the Sun to rise about 4 minutes later each day with respect to the stars. This is because Earth must make just a bit more than one complete rotation to bring the Sun up again. The inclination of the ecliptic also accounts for the Sun's north and south movement in the sky as the seasons change.