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Zodiac Party Games
Equipment Required
1. Laser pointer
2. Microphone
3. 12 zodiac banners
attached to
rope.(See photo at
right.)
4. The yellow SUN
BALL
5. Small earth globe.
6. Who am I? Riddle
cards
7. Galaxy Stage Lap
Top Computer
8. Spinning plate props
(Optional)
Brief Summary
Banners showing the twelve Sun sign constellations of the zodiac are placed in a square
around the audience space in the Galaxy Stage, with a model of the Sun in the middle.
Visitors will be directed to play five party-like games all related to the zodiac, the Earth’s
motions and the night sky. The teaching points are imbedded in the “rules of the game.”
The Five games are:
1. Who am I?
Working in to large Teams, visitors take turns reading riddles to each other and having
the opposite team guess the answer. Each answer is a constellation of the zodiac.
2. Morning Star/Evening Star
Using two visitors to represent Earth and Venus orbiting the sun, the MGG, the “Game
master” says “freeze”. Visitors have to say if Venus at that instant would be seen from
earth as the morning star, the evening star or in conjunction.
3. Pin the Tail on the Solstice
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Two volunteers are chosen from each team. One is blindfolded, the other gives
instructions to put a colored sticker on the banner at the place where the sun is on the
day of the winter or summer solstice.
4. Simon Says
Using the Simon-says format, the Game Master guides the visitors to find their sun
signs, shuffle around the circle to see what the sun looks like from their perspective
and see the connection between the seasons and the zodiac. In addition, visitors learn
about precession to explain the discrepancy between current and ancient sun signs.
5. Birthday Time
The Game Master has visitors take their places in a circle so that their Sun signs are
visible behind the Sun. The he or she determines which visitor’s birthday is closest to
today’s date. The group sings “Happy Birthday to that person.
Main Teaching Points
1. The Earth moves in three primary ways:
o it turns once daily on its axis.
o it orbits the Sun yearly.
o it precesses on its axis.
2. You see different constellations in the night sky at different seasons of year.
3. The celestial sphere (the dome of the whole sky) seems to move, but in reality, it is
Earth’s motion that creates the illusion that the celestial sphere is moving.
4. Venus is a morning star some time of the year and an evening star at other times.
5. The zodiac is a special set of 12 constellations that lie on the circle where the plane of the
solar system intersects the celestial sphere.
Educational Strategy
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Sensory saturation, especially physical involvement, in afun environment is a very
effective means to enhance the storage of knowledge in the LTM (Long Term Memory).
Zodiac Party Games are fun, and involve vision, kinesthetic sense, as well as listening.
REMEMBER THE OPERATIVE WORDS HERE ARE “PARTY” and “GAME.”
Science Background: Constellations of the Zodiac (For mythology, see last
section in this document)
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The zodiac is a belt of 12 constellations that surround the sky. They are significant
because they lie on the path that the Sun and planets take as they appear to move
across the sky.
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The zodiac originated from astrology, which is not a science, but science later adopted
the same names. Note, however, that scientists renamed two of these constellations,
replacing Scorpio with Scorpius and Capricorn with Capricornus.
In the chart below times of year that these constellations can be seen in the night sky
are given. This is different from the “zodiac sign” for your birthday. For example,
people born on April 7th have Aries as their “sign”, but Aries is seen in the sky in
winter.
Spring
Cancer (CNC)
Leo (LEO)
Virgo (VIR)
Libra (LIB)
Scorpius (SCO)
Sagittarius (SGR)
Capricornus (CAP)
Aquarius (AQR)
Pisces (PSC)
Aries (ARI)
Taurus (TAU)
Gemini (GEM)
Night sky constellations
Summer
Night sky constellations
Fall
Night sky constellations
Winter
Night sky constellations
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The hand drawn figures vary considerably from one artist to another. There are no
standards figures for the constellations. We have used the classic art of astronomerartist Johannes Hevelius from the 17th Century.
Our BANNER drawing for Cancer shows a lobster not a crab. This is the way the
figure was drawn by Hevelius.
Special Vocabulary
Consistent and correct use of terms in this demo is very crucial to success here.
Otherwise confusion sets in and undermines the experience for visitors. Here are the
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terms that should be learned very accurately by the presenter and used fluently without a
pause in the presentation.
NOTE: We’ve chosen to drop the word “revolve” entirely and use ORBIT instead in order
to avoid confusion with the term “rotate.”
o CONSTELLATION--A pattern of stars that appear to be grouped together.
o CELESTIAL SPHERE--The entire shell of stars that appears to form the dome of
heaven.
o ZODIAC--The set of 12 constellations located on a belt around the middle of the Earth.
(The zodiac is a circle of animals and that’s why it’s a celestial zoo or zodiac.)
o SUN SIGN--Any one of the 12 constellations such as Scorpius, Taurus or Libra in the
zodiac.
o YEAR--the period of time Earth takes to ORBIT the Sun once.
o DAY--The period of time required for the Earth to TURN AROUND ONCE on its axis.
o PRECESSION--The very slow wobbling motion of the Earth on its axis. This motion
has two effects:
1. It shifts the celestial sphere toward the east by one constellation every 2,200 years.
2. It alters which star, if any, is the North Star. A north star is a star that appears to be
located directly above the Earth’s geographical north pole. Currently, the star at
this location is Polaris, but 4,800 years ago, it was Thuban.
NOTE: It is better to avoid using pronouns such as “it” or “them” referring to the
constellations, and other objects in this demo. As you introduce new words, it is helpful to the
visitors to repeat the key phrases such as THE 12 CONSTELLATIONS OF THE ZODIAC,
and PRECESSION OF THE CELESTIAL SPHERE instead of using pronouns.
Motions of the Celestial Sphere
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Stars in the sky appear to be stuck to an inverted transparent bowl. This imaginary shell of
lights surrounding the Earth is called the CELESTIAL SPHERE. It contains all the stars,
the Sun and Moon, galaxies, planets, comets and other objects.
The CELESTIAL SPHERE appears to turn slowly around the Earth with three distinct
motions: a 24 hour cycle, a 365 day cycle and a 26,000 year cycle. Of course, we now
know that the celestial sphere itself doesn’t move, but that the Earth executing its
threefold motion gives the appearance of motion in the sky above.
The first motion of the CELESTIAL SPHERE is its nightly motion. It turns around the sky
once each night. Constellations rise and set each night in the same way the Sun rises and
sets each day and for the same reason, namely that the Earth is turning once each day.
However, the nightly turn of the celestial sphere falls one degree short of a completing a
360 degree circle in 24 hours. If a star passes through the overhead point (the ZENITH) at
nine o’clock tonight, it will be found at one degree to the east tomorrow night at the same
clock time. The shift of one degree is due to the Earth’s other motion: orbiting the Sun at
the rate of about one degree per day. (In fact, it was this motion that caused the
Babylonians to choose 360 degrees for a circle.)
The second motion of the CELESTIAL SPHERE is its yearly orbit around the sky. For the
Earth to travel once around the Sun and return to the place where a particular star is in
exactly the same place at the same time of night requires exactly requires 365.25 nights.
The celestial sphere’s third motion is PRECESSION. PRECESSION refers to the
wobbling motion of objects such as a toy top that causes its axis to draw a small circle in
the air above it. The Earth’s PRECESSION causes the celestial sphere to slide gradually
to the east one constellation every 2,200 years.
Setting Up the Demo
SETTING UP THE LAPTOP
1. On the stage laptop, go to the dock at the bottom of the screen, find the preset file
named cc, and click to open it.
2. To get rid of the borders from the screen, PRESS and HOLD DOWN THE fn key on
the lower left of the keyboard.
3. With this preset running, use the OCC to boot up SHOW 15 for the street theatre light
effect Select STAGE LAPTOP TO LEFT AND RIGHT SCREENS. This rolling image
will help to attract an audience.
SETTING UP THE DEMO SPACE
4. Re-arrange benches in the Galaxy Stage demo area into a square as large as
possible.
5. Take the A-Frame cart which holds the SUN SIGN BANNERS from storage and wheel
it down to lower left corner of the stage in the vicinity of HOOK # 1. (See below.)
6. Unreel the first several BANNERS from their pegs, and place the rope “leg” marked
LOOP # 1 onto HOOK # 1.
GALAXY STAGE
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HOOK # 4 
 HOOK # 1
WINTER NIGHT SKY
Ĵ
Ĵ
GEM
TAU
ARI
CNC
PSC
SUN
SPRING
NIGHT SKY
LEO
AQR
FALL
NIGHT SKY
BALL
VIR
CAP
LIB
SCO
HOOK # 2 
SGR
 HOOK #
SUMMER NIGHT SKY
3
Ĵ
Ĵ
ENTRY CORRIDOR
7. Roll the A-FRAME CART diagonally across the demonstration space to the area just
below HOOK #2, and unfurl the BANNERS in pairs as you go. Lay them gently on the
floor. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO STEP ON THEM!!
8. Place LOOP # 2 of rope over HOOK # 2.
9. Find LOOP # 3 place it on HOOK # 3. THIS REQUIRES GOOD FOOTING. MAKE
SURE A BENCH IS IN POSITION BEFORE YOU TRY THIS.
10. Place the long length of rope over HOOK #4, and pull it downward to relieve the
tension on the support rope. Slide LOOP # 4 onto HOOK #4. The BANNERS are
ready to go. This arrangement gives the demo space an artistic feel and helps attract
an audience.
11. Take the yellow SUN BALL from the A-frame cart and hang it from the SUN HOOK
above the center of the demo floor space. You are now ready to announce the show
and gather a crowd.
12. We are concerned that children might hang on the ropes or BANNERS or bat the
YELLOW SUN BALL Please have one MGG stationed in the demo area at all
times to minimize breakage.
Running the Games
1. WHO AM I? GUESSING GAME
Divide the crowd into two facing teams. Choose the littlest member of each team as
the captain (unless he or she opts out.)
a. Give each team six Who am I? cards.
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b. One team reads a Who am I card out loud. The other team listens to the clue,
then talks it over and has the captain give the answer.
2. MORNING STAR/EVENING STAR
a. With the sun in the middle, illustrate the earth’ daily and annual motion as
follows:
i. Pick a kid about 10 years old. Ask his or her name. Ask kid’s birthday
and place him or her in correct position (opposite his Sun sign).
ii. Ask how many times he or she has gone around Sun. (This number is
the same as the kid’s age.)
iii. Have the kid run around Sun that many times (counter-clockwise).
iv. Repeat with Venus which travels faster and completes an orbit about
25% sooner than earth.
v. Have the kid illustrate a day on Earth, by spinning once on its axis.
vi. Be sure to spin the person toward the east. ANs set this up as important
in the Simon Says Game.
b. Illustrate the background stars and explain the celestial sphere
c. Demonstrate the plane of earth’s orbit around the sun intersects the CS =
zodiac, the “Circle of Twelve”
d. What you see depends on both where earth is and where Venus is in its orbit.
e. Rules of the game: If Venus is to the left of the earth, V is a evening star. If
Venus is to the right, it’s an evening star. If Venus lines up with the sun, it’s in
conjunction.
f. When you say “freeze,” each side has to tell if Venus is a morning star or
evening star.
3. PIN THE TAIL ON THE SOLSTICE
a. Give the rules to this game. Using the small earth globe, and referring g to the
SNP Program, explain how the sun appears to move through the constellations.
b. Explain the game’s objective and how to do it: pining a tail on the Summer
solstice.
c. A pair is chosen from each team. One team member is given the “pinner” is
blindfolded.
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d. His or her team is given a card showing where the sun is on the solstice.
e. The “pinner” get a sticky dot blue = winter solstice, red = summer solstice.
f. The “pinner” is blindfolded and spun, then has to follow the instructions by his or
her team to put the sticker on the correct solstice spot.
g. If this works, repeat it the procedure with the equinoxes. Green dot = spring.
Yellow dot = fall.
4. SIMON SAYS
PARTS of the DAY: NOON, SUNSET, SUNRISE and MIDNIGHT
Use him or her to demonstrate parts of the day.
Noon – belly button faces Sun.
Midnight – away from Sun.
Hands out: Right hand = west; left = east. (When you see the Sun at your left hand,
the time of day is dawn, at the left hand, it is dusk.) Place your hand with “hitch hikers thumb”
on your navel to illustrate. The thumb here represents a person with the thumb being the
head. Noon = time of day when Sun is overhead.
Illustrate Noon – dusk – midnight – dawn – noon.
PARTS of the DAY and NIGHT SKY for the WHOLE AUDIENCE
Help the whole audience find places on the circle where they can see the Sun in front
of their Sun sign. (This is done by checking to find which dates on the BANNER contains his
or her Birthday.)
Have visitors rotate through Noon – dusk – midnight – dawn – back to noon
Everyone turns to midnight.
Point out that the constellations you see now on the banner represent the stars you
see at
night.
Ask a few visitors what stars they can see at night on their birthdays.
Have everyone shuffle half around the circle to represent moving through six months of
the year as Earth goes around the Sun.
Turn your back to the Sun so you can see the BANNERS. This represents
midnight: Ask, “now what stars do you see?”
a. Have the whole group move around in a circle and say what the sun looks like
from their perspective e.
b. Tell about precession to explain the discrepancy.
5. BIRTHDAY TIME
MOVEMENT OF THE ZODIAC Have visitors look at side screens showing the moving
zodiac constellations. The speed is 700,000 times normal. Note the Earth in the foreground
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and the moon whizzing by. Each moon cycle is a month long, so we can see that each
constellation is in the
center of the sky for about a month. In addition, each constellation can be seen to the
sides of the sky for several months before and after its optimum.
Explain to visitors what they are seeing: the apparent motion of the zodiac as the Earth
moves through one year
Name each constellation in the zodiac and give a short blurb of information about it.
(See Science Background section above.)
Have visitors recite names of zodiac signs in unison as they pass by.
Have visitors continue moving around the Sun till they get back to their original
birthday-spots.
Have visitors tell what sign they would see if there were an eclipse of the Sun and you
could see the see the actual constellation behind the Sun on your birthday.
Explain that on your birthday, your Sun sign is the constellation “behind the Sun.”
These zodiac signs you see now fit your birthday 2000 years ago. To see correct
positions now, take a giant step to left one Sun sign. (Clockwise)
(Optional) Use spinning plate to explain precession
Find out whose birthday is closest to the present date.
Have everyone sing “Happy Birthday” to visitors whose sign falls nearest to today’s
date. Sing: “Happy Birthday, dear Aries.”

Some Additional Content “Jelly Beans”—Warning: These are tasty little
morsels but too many will make the audience sick! In other words, don’t try to add ALL
these tidbits to the same show. That much factual knowledge will stop the show dead in
its ecliptic.
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At present (2004) the Sun passes through
o Virgo for the autumnal equinox
o Sagittarius for the winter solstice
o Pisces for the spring equinox.
o On the boundary line between Taurus and Gemini for Summer solstice, just
above the bright star Betelgeuse.
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To get to the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, head toward Scorpius’ stinger. With
telescopes, it’s hard to get good pictures of this part of the sky because of all the space
dust between the core of the galaxy and our current position.
Use plate to from spin demo illustrate the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy. Point out that
our solar system is located about ⅔ of the distance from the core to the edge.
To go out the top of the spiral galaxy, go toward the area just below the Big Dipper, which
is not shown in the set up, but would be overhead and closest to Gemini.
Orion is NOT a zodiac constellation, but lies right below Taurus. (Demonstrate his position
by kneeling on the floor on one knee with club in the right hand to whop Taurus between
the eyes.
There are a handful of bright stars in the zodiac (or near it).
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Star
Regulus
Constellation
Leo
Comment
The 18th brightest star in the northern hemisphere sky.
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Spica
Virgo
Antares
Scorpius
Aldebaran
Taurus
Betelgeuse Orion
Rigel
Sirius
Orion
Canis Major
A rare blue giant star, 11th in brightness in northern
hemisphere
Antares is a red giant star located very near the path of the
planets. The name Antares means rival of Mars, using the
Roman name for Mars (Ares) rather than the Greek.
Light from the V-shaped group of stars that forms the bull’s
head has been traveling through space since Abraham
Lincoln was president. Aldebaran is the bull’s eye star.
Orion’s right shoulder, a red supergiant star. The 7th
brightest star in the sky.
Orion’s left knee. Another rare blue giant
One of Orion’s dogs, the brightest star. When the Sun rises
near the dog star in July, we have the hot dog days of
summer.
POST DEMO WRAP UP
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Offer to stick around to answer questions and show some more clips on the laptop.
Put everything back into position the way you found it, and stow the props in their
designated places. To re-stow the BANNERS, reverse the procedure for installing them.
TO PRESERVE THE THESE VERY EXPENSIVE BANNERS PLEASE FOLLOW THE
STEPS CAREFUL AND IN THE RIGHT ORDER.
Operating Tips
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To avoid confusion, ask visitors frequently if they are with you. If not, repeat your
explanation, but try to approach the topic from a different angle, using slightly different
words. Often, this will go around learning blocks.
Be selective in telling facts about the Earth and night sky. Don’t let the pace get bogged
down.
You can add your own sky lore or “jelly beans” as long as they are well researched and
totally correct. But beware of the common urge to add more and more facts that will spoil
the pace of the show. REMEMBER THE OPERATIVE WORDS HERE ARE “PARTY” and
“GAME.”
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Remind visitors that they
should never look directly at
the REAL Sun.
Who Am I? Games cards for Zodiac Party Game
White board with box score tally??
Content of Riddle cards for Who am I? Guessing Game
Even in spring, I don’t rise so high,
A rectangle, a hook and a triangle am I.
I’m brave and I’m bright and I rise in the spring
Of all beasts on land or in sky I am king.
ANS: LEO
The star of my hearty stands alone in the sky
In the flower of youth, a maiden am I.
With no husband or twin in the Circle of Twelve
I watch over blooming of flowers in spring
ANS: VIRGO
Neither human nor beast, I rise in the east
On balance I stay; you use me to weigh
ANS: LIBRA
I climb and I crawl
up the sky or a wall
I’m no bee but I sting,
and the summer I bring.
ANS: SCORPIUS
If you call me a man, you be just half right
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I’m an archer, half beast an imaginary sight.
ANS: SAGGITARIUS
I’m bearded, but I never shave. I’m fishy, but I don’t have gills.
I’m high in September and all through the fall
Half goat and half fish, I’m no real creature at all.
ANS: CAPRICORN
I’m a strong noble servant, but my stars are all dim.
If you get thirsty, I have water to bring.
From the jar on my shoulder, I pour water as rain
In October in Greece when clouds come again.
ANS: AQUARIUS
A large constellation, I’m seen in late fall
Don’t think I’m bold or flashy at all
I’m two little fishes on a long V-shaped string
At each of the tips look for a little round ring
ANS: PISCES
Tiny dim and shy am I,
Just three bright stars in a cold winter sky.
With fleece of gold and crown of horn,
A ram am I, but not well known.
ANS: ARIES
Seven Sisters ride on my big, broad back
With a fury in my eye, I’m on the attack.
Watch out for my horns. Get out of the way!
I bull and I barge toward the Milky Way.
Who am I?
Equally bright through the long winter night.
Two sons of one mother born,
We brothers, Castor and Pollux sailed mythical seas.
Friends and warriors till one was to die
Now just like boys, we wade through in the sky.
ANS: GEMINI
No jaws, but two claws, I’m good to eat. Catch me if can as winter departs. Who am I?
ANS: CANCER
Questions and Answers
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1) What is a CONSTELLATION?
CONSTELLATION--A pattern of stars that appear to be grouped together. Generally
most of the stars in a constellation are similar in brightness, the BIG DIPPER for
example.
2) Are CONSTELLATIONS real?
The stars in a CONSTELLATION are really there, but the way we group them is more
related to the human perceptual process than the stars themselves. Each culture
groups the stars into constellations differently. It is a curious fact that groups widely
separated such as Polynesians, the Maya of Mexico and Europeans, all named
constellations after animals in their environments. Why do you suppose this
happened?
3) I can never find the constellations, especially my Sun sign. Where are they?
Only a handful of the constellations look much like the figures you see on the
BANNERS. Most other constellations such as Hercules are just semi-imaginary
representations of well-known story characters rather than visible outlines. Scorpius,
Leo and Taurus in the zodiac are easy to spot; north or south of the ecliptic you can find
the bright constellations Orion, the Big Dipper and Cygnus. Be patient and don’t expect
the Disney-like figures to hover in the sky. Also, start by learning the easy few
constellations, then later go for the rest of the constellations of the zodiac which are
some of the hardest constellations to find because they have so few bright stars. Also,
the zodiac is often near the horizon where clouds and haze obscure them.
4) Why can we see some constellations such as the BIG DIPPER every clear night all year
long, but other constellations such as ORION only appear in certain seasons?
Imagine a circle in the sky hovering directly above the Earth’s equator. This line is
called the CELESTIAL EQUATOR. Any constellation that lies close to the celestial
equator is a seasonal constellation. Those stars that lie far from the CELESTIAL
EQUATOR and near Polaris, the NORTH STAR are all year round stars.
5) What were the first constellations to be named?
ANS LEO, SCORPIUS and TAURUS already had names in pre-history. They are easy
to pick out and these constellations represented sacred creatures (a lion, a scorpion and a
bull) to the people of the ancient Near East.
6) What does it mean for the sun to be IN a constellation?
ANS. That the sun appears to be in front of the constellation, though the sky is too bright
there to see any of the stars in that that constellation in the daytime. The sun requires
about one month to pass from one side of a constellation to the other.
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7) If you can’t see the sun in a constellation during the day, why didn’t the people of
ancient times choose a constellation that you can see at night?
In the early dawn you can see what constellation the sun is in, so that was good enough
to know what constellation the sun was in. To people of the ancient Near East, the sun
was the most important object in the sky. They believed that the stars are the
residences of human souls before birth. At birth, human souls passed down from
heaven through the constellations, close enough to the planets, that they picked up
astral influences from the heavenly bodies along the way. The sun had the most
influence, so its position more than anything else defined the influence that the soul felt
at birth.
8) Who made these drawings of the constellations shown here?
A 17th Century astronomer, artist, and mayor of Danzig, Poland named Johannes
Hevelius [Hev-ELL-ee-us] (1611-1687) These elaborate drawings come from his book, a
sky atlas published posthumously in 1690 with the title: (Firmamentum Sobiescianum)
9) Who named the constellations?
No one person named them all. It was a group effort over many centuries. Also, these
names should be called the “European constellations” or “astronomer’s constellations,”
because Native Americans, Polynesians, Aborigines of Australia and many other
cultures had different names. These European names came along gradually. One Greek
author, Aratus, (about 315 BC–240 BC) wrote a poem explaining the names of the
constellations and many of these names have stuck. Though the Egyptian astronomers
had a good knowledge about constellations, none of the Egyptian names got into the
current catalog.
10) What is a SOLSTICE?
A SOLSTICE occurs twice a year, whenever sun’s arcing path across the sky in a day
reaches an extreme point either in the north or the south. Because of a leap year day
and other factors, the solstice dates always occur on or near June 22 (in the northern
hemisphere this is the summer solstice) and Dec 22 (in the northern hemisphere this is
the winter solstice). In the southern hemisphere the seasons are reversed as compared
to the northern hemisphere.
11) Where is the sun on the night of the WINTER SOLSTICE?
In Sagittarius
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12) Where is the sun on the night of the SUMMER SOLSTICE?
ANS: In Gemini
13) What is an EQUINOX?
ANS: The two days a year when the length of day and night are equal. Because of a
leap year day and other factors, the equinox dates always occur on or near March 20
(vernal or spring equinox) and September 23, (autumnal or fall equinox.) Everywhere n
Earth on these days the sun rises due east and sets due west. The latitude of a place on
Earth equals the angular distance between the sun’s position at noon on the equinoxes
and the zenith point (the point directly overhead.)
14) Where is the sun on the night of the SPRING (or vernal) EQUINOX?
ANS: In Pisces
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15) Where is the sun on the night of the AUTUMNAL (or fall) EQUINOX?
ANS: In Virgo
16) What is the ECLIPTIC?
It’s the path across the sky that the sun takes in a year. (It’s a circle if you see it from
space) This path does not change from year to year. The planets, being in orbit around
the sun, stay near this track, so if you want to find a planet, you have to look along the
ecliptic. The moon has a slightly different path or ecliptic, and this path itself slowly
revolves around the sky. (The lunar ecliptic requires 18⅔ years to revolve once around
the sky and return to its original location.) This means the moon can see seen as far as
five degrees north (ten lunar diameters) of the solar ecliptic and five degrees south of
the solar ecliptic.
17) What is the ZODIAC?
ZODIAC is the belt of 12 constellations located on the ecliptic that runs around the
middle of the Earth on a tilted circle. All but two of the figures in this belt of
constellations are animals. The word ZODIAC derives from “a circle of animals” and
that’s why it’s a celestial zoo or zodiac.
18) What is the CELESTIAL SPHERE?
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The CELESTIAL SPHERE is the entire shell of stars that forms the dome of heaven as
well as the stars in the sky on the opposite side of Earth. The stars all appear to be
about the same distance from us, but that is an illusion since the closest star is 4.3
light years away. The farthest star visible to the naked eye, Deneb, is 1600 light years.
Other dimmer stars are much farther away.
19) Is the CELESTIAL SPHERE real?
The stars are really there, but the way we see them as a hemispherical dome of lights
rather than a three dimensional field of stars is more related to our perceptual process
than the stars themselves.
20) What’s a western (or eastern) ELONGATION of a planet?
ELONGATION refers to the angular distance between the sun and another object such
as a planet or the moon. The elongation of Mercury is almost the only time you can see
this close-to-the-sun planet.
21) What is CONJUNCTION?
The time when the sun, the earth and a planet form a line. It also refers to the time when
planets or the moon passes near another one (or in the case of Venus & Mercury
behind the sun or in front of the sun.) When a planet is in conjunction with the sun, we
can’t see it. Also Mars or other planets can be in conjunction with the moon, etc.
22) What is OPPOSITION?
Opposition means that two objects are opposite in the sky from each other. The full
moon, for example, is in opposition with the sun. Mars opposition is a good time to look
for it because it is up at sunset, bright and full.
23) What is a FALLING STAR?
A small piece of rock that enters the Earth’s atmosphere form space at a very high
velocity, around 75,000 miles per hour, more than Mach 100. By comparison the fastest
jet fighter plane flies at only about Mach 3.0. Most “falling stars” or meteors burn up or
split apart in the atmosphere before they reach the ground.
24) What is PRECESSION?
PRECESSION is the very slow wobbling motion of the Earth on its axis. One cycle
requires about 26,000 years to complete.
25) How does PRECESSION affect the constellations we see in the night sky?
It shifts the celestial sphere toward the east by one constellation every 2,200 years, so
the constellation behind the sun at the spring equinox changes. Historically, this point
was called the first point in Aries, but the spring equinox point has moved.
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26) How does PRECESSION affect the north star?
It alters which star, if any, is the North Star. A north star is a star that appears to be
located directly above the Earth’s geographical North Pole. Currently, the star at this
location is Polaris, but 5,000 years ago, it was Thuban.
The Earth’s axis
does not change its
tilt, but the wobble of
the axis causes the
axis to point at
different places in
the sky over a cycle
of 26,000 years.
Seen from Earth looking up at the
precession circle, the north stars
slowly changes from today’s north
star called Polaris. Other future
north stars include Deneb, Vega
and Thuban.
27) Is astrology a science? Does it work?
Scientists refer to astrology as pseudoscience, or false science. Astrology’s central
belief is that the position of the stars and planets affects human behavior and human
fate. Within a framework of science, this belief is not grounded in any observable and
reproducible results, for example, why don’t people born in the same hospital at the
same time have parallel lives? The heavenly bodies do affect human life though, for
example, the moon and the sun cause the ocean tides, and can trigger earthquakes, if
an earthquake is ready to happen already
28) If astrology doesn’t work, then why does every culture worldwide have so many
astrologers, more numerous in fact than astronomers?
Good question, one better answered by a psychologist. Possibly it’s because the little
newspaper horoscope predictions are gentle suggestions that guide a person toward
wiser behavior; for example, “don’t make any rash purchases today,” or “though people
you deal with today will cause you stress, you should not let them bother you, because
you will have rewards later this month.” Seems appealing to have daily reminders to act
for the long-term gain rather than the short term impulse.
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Other Cool Stuff to Try
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
In the demo it is possible to illustrate why the seasons happen, though the extra
information may put your audience over the top as far as information is concerned. Be
careful to make sure you have a fairly well informed audience before launching into
that complex topic.
This demo can lead into many post demo discussions using SNP.
Fast Facts


It was probably the Minoans, the sea-faring ancestors of the Greeks, who first mapped
out the zodiac more than 3,000 years ago. The Scorpion, the Bull and the Lion go
back to 4,000 BC.
The zodiac concept apparently spread in prehistory from culture to culture because
you can find similar representations of the zodiac from the Maya of Ancient Mexico to
Egypt to China, though the Chinese animals are mostly farm animals: horse, duck, pig,
snake, etc. rather than wild animals and mythical beasts.
Potential Problems



Moving too fast. Better to edit the material down so that visitors walk away with just
one clear understanding than several ill-formed ones. Fuzzy understanding is very
quickly erased from the memory and has no lasting effect except to discourage visitors
from trying to understand the material the next time they encounter the material.
Lack of coordination of the parts. With props and a laptop to manage, rehearsal of the
sequence of this show is important.
Getting into a lecture or even an extended question and answer period. It’s better to
keep up the pace and not let this demo go over 10-12 minutes.
Mythology of the Zodiac Constellations
Constellations
(ABBREVIATION)
Aries (ARI)
Month of
peak
visibility
December
Taurus (TAU)
January
Gemini (GEM)
February
Blurb about the myth and configuration in sky
The golden fleece from this ram was the prize that Jason
and the Argonauts sought on their voyage. At the time
the zodiac was invented more than 2000 years ago, the
year began with the “first point in Aries.”
The figure of the bull goes back to at least 4000 BC. It
represented strength and fertility. Taurus charges toward
Orion below the zodiac who holds up a shield to defend
himself.
After Castor died, his devoted twin brother Pollux was so
overwhelmed with grief, that Zeus took pity on him and
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Cancer (CNC)
March
Leo (LEO)
April
Virgo (VIR)
May
Libra (LIB)
June
Scorpius (SCO)
July
NOTE. The
scientific name of
this constellation
ends with IUS
Sagittarius (SGR)
August
Capricornus (CAP)
September
NOTE. The
scientific name of
this constellation
ends with US.
Aquarius (AQR)
October
Pisces (PSC)
November
reunited the twins in the night sky. The twins wade in the
stream of Milky Way.
Sent by the gods to aid Hercules in fighting the monster
Hydra, Cancer was crushed, but was rewarded with
immortality for his effort.
The first of Hercules seven tasks was to slay this
dangerous lion. The bright star Regulus means heart of
the lion, named after the king of beasts.
Virgo is associated with the goddess Ceres, who oversaw
planting of crops. The brightest star in Virgo, Spica,
means “ear of wheat.”
The scales (Libra) are one of the tools used by Astraea,
the goddess of justice when she decided cases.
Scorpius was sent by the gods to ward off Orion who was
after the goddess Artemis. To keep Scorpius and Orion
from fighting, the gods placed them as far apart as
possible in the sky. Scorpius grabs the scales in his
claws. The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is located
near Scorpius’ stinger.
Sagittarius was a centaur (half horse, half human) not
only a skilled archer, but also knowledgeable in medicine
and music. He aims his arrow at Scorpius. “The Teapot”
structure at the top of Sagittarius is entirely located in the
river of the Milky Way.
These last three constellations have the nickname “The
Sea” because they all have to do with water. Capricornus
is a goat with a fish’s tail. 2000 years ago, the Sun
reached its most southerly point on the ecliptic in
Capricornus. That point is now in Sagittarius.
Aquarius is Latin for “the water carrier.” This constellation
may refer to the beginning of the rainy season in the
Mediterranean area.
Venus and Cupid escaped a monster’s grasp by turning
themselves into fishes and swing away down the
Euphrates River.
Background materials (websites, videos, articles, digital
collections links)
Constellations
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html
http://www.emufarm.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html
Mythology of the Constellations
Constellations with explanations
Zodiac—Encarta Encyclopedia
The Constellations of the Zodiac
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1364/Constellations.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560429/Zodiac.html
http://www.griffithobs.org/IPSrealrealconstellations.html
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The Eight Motions of the Earth http://geology.50megs.com/space/earth8/earth8.html
Peterson Field Guides: Stars and Planets—An excellent resource on stars, constellations and
Earth’s motion.
Self assessment suggestions
After doing the ZODIAC PARTY GAME demonstration several times, complete the checklist,
then highlight the box in the rubric that best describes your performance. Have your team
leader observe your demo then complete an identical rubric. Discuss your presentation
technique with your team leader along the lines of the rubric.
Assessment for ZODIAC PARTY GAME DEMO
PRESENTER_______________
DATE________
Checklist of pre-requisite skills
1. Can set up, operate & put away all props and media equipment
2. Can articulate in layman’s terms the three motions of Earth: daily, yearly and
precessional.
3. Fully understands the concepts of motions of the Earth, celestial sphere, the zodiac
and Polaris.
4. Can incorporate Starry Night Pro preset seamlessly into your presentation
5. Knows the sequence of this demo 1) Gather your audience 2) illustrate yearly and
daily motions 3) Place one visitor in the circle according to his or her Sun sign 4) Have
entire group do daily motions 5) Have group look at what stars they can see in the
night sky at different times of year 6) Explain precession 7) Sing “Happy Birthday” to
the visitors with the appropriate Sun Sign.
B. Rubric for ZODIAC PARTY GAME
QUALITY

TRAITS 
LEVELS
OK
EXCELLENT
Presentation style
Can gather and engage a
crowd.
Knowledge of the
background science
Can answer visitor questions
correctly
Effectiveness using
props
Can make a smooth
presentation using each prop
at some time during the demo
Presents a step-by-step
Presentation sparkles. Injects fun.
Enthusiasm, humor, connection
with crowd all make this an
amusing and informative event.
Can go beyond visitor question
and add interesting facts gleaned
from various resources
Can do the demo using several
different approaches and can
incorporate props in any order
Uses a step-by-step approach and
Educational strategy
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Fluency with media
explanation, allowing visitor to
digest one concept before
going onto another one.
Can boot up and use all
specified media bits without
delay
actively insures visitor is ready to
move on by asking appropriate
questions
Can also use other media
resources for enrichment