Why can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?

A. As the stars move aroud the earth , different constallation are visible.



B.As the earth moves around the sun different parts of the sky come into view.



C. As the sun moves though the sky ,it makes different constellations visible.



D. As the moon moves around the earth it blocks different constellaton inthe sky.Why can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?The answer closest to correct would be "B", but the question itself is flawed.



In reality, people in the United States, including the New York area where I live, can see Canis Major in autumn, at the end of summer, and in the early days of spring as well as in winter. In fact, you can see it this evening!



The constellation, known in English as the Big Dog, first appears in the dawn skies, a couple of hours before sunrise, in early September. By November 1st, you easily can it rising around midnight (Daylight Saving Time). It's at its highest in the evenings in February, around 10 p.m. In early April, it at last sets just after sunset and is gone again for the next five months, at least here in the northern states. In Florida and south Texas, you could add a couple more weeks of viewing, so that it would come into view as early as mid-August and set for the last time in late April.



Why? What keeps you from seeing Canis Major in the late spring/early summer is that the sun is in the same direction in the sky. You can't see stars, naturally, when the sun is out. Once the sun has moved away, as it does toward the end of summer, Canis Major comes out at some time during the night. In September, that time happens to be the morning. In April, it happens to be near sunset.



When I say the sun "moves away," I mean of course that the earth has moved in its orbit, so that when you look up you'll see the sun against a different background of stars. The patch of the sky where the sun had earlier been will now have become part of the night sky just before dawn, and so on through the year. That's why different constellations appear at different seasons.



If you really would like to impress you teacher (or get into really big trouble for getting people on Yahoo to do your homework for you (giggles!)) tell her that in places like Australia and South Africa, you can see Canis Major at some time of night at every season of the year, even June and July. The reason is because the months of June through August are winter in the Southern Hemisphere and the nights are longer. During those long nights, there's time for Canis Major to rise before the sun comes up or after sunset, even in months when we up north can't see it. In fact, in parts of Antarctica, this constellation never sets.



P.S.



One writer, who has since removed his answer, may have confused Canis Major, the Big Dog, with Ursa Major, the Great Bear or Big Dipper. From mid-northern latitudes the Big Dipper can be seen any night of the year, but I don't think the question you're trying to answer is about the Big Dipper. No one in the Northern Hemisphere would ever have a reason to ask why the Big Dipper could be seen "only in the winter."Why can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?
Hi. B. The tilt of the Earth makes some constellation not visible in the night sky. They are up though in the daytime. Sirius would be visible through a telescope if you were aimed at it.Why can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?There is no need to be ethnocentric on this. The entire Earth has to same experience, and with Canis Major almost on the equator, nearly the entire planet either sees it or not depending on season. In northern hemisphere winter/southern's summer the Sun is in the opposite direction from CMa, and so it is visible. In northern's summer/southern hemisphere winter, the Sun is in Gemini, which lies above CMa. Thus the contellation is up during the daytime, and so not visible.Why can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?
aWhy can people in the United States see the constellation Canis major only in the winter ? why?a