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Circumpolar Constellations
Miss Saginaw Grade 4
Buffalo Elementary
Solar System Unit 2001
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
What does it mean?
• Circumpolar means “circling the pole”
– What pole are we talking about?
• Directly above the magnetic North Pole lays the star Polaris.
Polaris is what scientists call the North Star.
• The stars in the night sky appear to be circling around Polaris.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
Apparent Motion
• We say the stars appear to
move around Polaris in a
circular motion.
• Look at the picture to the
right.
– What do you see?
– How did the photographer
do that?
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
What Are Constellations?
• Constellations are pictures made up of bright stars which appear
close to each other in the sky. Like a game of connect the dots,
if you use your imagination when you look at the stars, you may
see a dog or a cat or some other interesting figure.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
People long ago, like the ancient Greeks, did the same thing,
although they saw the stars as pictures of gods and goddesses
or of stories from their culture. Many peoples noticed that the
planets, the moon, and comets moved through the sky in a
different way than the stars.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The motion of the Earth and the motion of the Sun in our sky
affect the stars and the constellations that we see in spring,
summer, fall, and winter. Some constellations never rise or set,
and they are called circumpolar. All the other constellations can
only be seen during certain seasons.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The 5 Circumpolar Constellations
• Little Dipper
– Ursa Minor
• Big Dipper
– Ursa Major
• The Dragon
– Draco
• The King
– Cepheus
• The Queen
– Cassiopeia
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4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The Little Dipper
Ursa Minor
•
Ursa Minor is usually called the Little Dipper.
There is also a constellation called Ursa Major,
which is called the Big Dipper. In many different
myths, the two are bears. In Greek mythology,
Hera turned Callisto into a bear because she
was jealous of her. Zeus put the bear in the sky
along with the Little Bear, which is Callisto's son,
Arcas.
•
The tail of the Little Bear ends with the North
Star, Polaris. It is called the North Star because
it is at the celestial north pole. Just below the
star is a small circle of stars called the
"engagement ring". They can be seen using a
telescope or binoculars.
•
To find Polaris, first find the Big Dipper. Imagine
a line drawn connecting the right edge of the
"bowl". If you keep drawing the line north, it will
come to the North Star. Pretty neat!
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The Big Dipper
Ursa Major
•
Ursa Major is a very famous
constellation. It is also called the
Great Bear. Ursa Minor is the Little
Bear. The body and tail of the Big
Bear make up the Big Dipper. There
are a lot of myths about this
constellation. The Greeks say that
Zeus was in love with Callisto.
When his wife, Hera, found out, she
turned Callisto into a bear. Zeus put
her in the sky with her son Arcas,
who is the Little Bear. Some Native
Americans thought the bear was
being chased by three hunters. The
hunters were the three stars in the
handle of the dipper.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The Dragon
Draco
•
Draco the dragon is a long
constellation found in the Northern
Hemisphere. It is a circumpolar
constellation, which means it
revolves around the North Pole.
People in the Southern Hemisphere
can't see it.
•
The head is made of four stars. You
can find it north of Hercules. The
body slithers around and ends
between the Big and Little Dippers.
•
One myth about the dragon comes
from Greece. In the story, the
dragon Ladon protects the golden
apple tree from thieves.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The King
Cepheus
•
Cepheus was a king in Greek mythology.
His wife was Cassiopeia and his daughter
was Andromeda. Cassiopeia once said
some things to make the sea god angry.
A monster was sent up to eat
Andromeda, but Perseus saved her.
•
Today, all five objects are constellations.
Cepheus looks like a house. The roof's tip
is a special star called a cepheid. It is
used by scientists to measure long
distances. Another cepheid is just below
the constellation. This red star would be
the North Star if we lived on Mars!
•
Cepheus is full of neat things like
nebulae, clusters and galaxies. You will
need a telescope to see them!
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit
The Queen
Cassiopeia
•
Cassiopeia was the queen of an
ancient land. She and her husband,
Cepheus, had a daughter named
Andromeda. Cassiopeia would
always say she was prettier than the
sea nymphs. A monster called
Cetus was sent to punish her. It was
about to eat Andromeda, when
Perseus saved her. All five are now
constellations.
•
Cassiopeia is easy to find because
it looks like a "W"! It's a circumpolar
constellation, so you can see it all
year long. If you use a telescope,
you can find lots of cool objects
around the constellation.
4th Grading period 2001
Lesson 3, Solar System Unit