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Observe the pictures of a pattern of stars at 8:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 a.m. Why do the patterns of stars appear to move in the sky?

a pattern of stars in the bottom left hand corner of the sky

a pattern of stars in the upper left corner of the sky

It is caused by the rotation of Earth.
It is caused by the stars moving closer to Earth.
It is caused by the stars moving at night.
It is caused by the sun rotating around Earth.

2 Answers

10 votes
rotation of the earth
User Andre Artus
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Answer: It is caused by the rotation of Earth.

Explanation: The patterns of stars appear to move in the sky because of the rotation of the Earth. As the Earth rotates on its axis, different parts of the sky come into view. This causes the patterns of stars to appear to move across the sky from our perspective.

Let's break it down step by step:

1. The Earth rotates on its axis, which is an imaginary line passing through the North and South Poles.

2. This rotation takes about 24 hours to complete, giving us the cycle of day and night.

3. As the Earth rotates, different parts of the sky come into view from different locations on the Earth's surface.

4. When we observe the stars at 8:00 p.m., we are looking at a specific section of the sky.

5. However, when we observe the stars again at 6:00 a.m., the Earth has rotated, and we are now looking at a different section of the sky.

6. This change in our perspective gives the illusion that the patterns of stars are moving in the sky.

User Shaun McCready
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