ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Setting circles

Okay kiddo, imagine you're looking up at the night sky and you see lots and lots of stars. Now, imagine you're trying to find a specific star or planet, but you don't know exactly where it is. That's where setting circles come in!

Setting circles are a tool that help you find specific things in the sky. They're like a map, but for the stars. They work by telling you where to look based on two measurements: right ascension and declination.

Right ascension and declination are like the addresses of the stars. They tell you exactly where the star is located in the sky. Right ascension is like the longitude on a map, and declination is like the latitude.

So, if you want to find a specific star, you need to know its right ascension and declination. Then, you can use the setting circles to find it. The setting circles are two circles with numbers on them that you turn to match the right ascension and declination of the star you're looking for.

Once you have the right numbers set on the setting circles, you can look through a telescope that is attached to them. The telescope will point to the exact spot in the sky where the star is located.

So, setting circles help you find things in the sky by acting like a map and giving you the exact location of a star or planet. They're really helpful tools for anyone who loves looking up at the stars!