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Constellations
By Clarice Duyck
Questions:
• Have you ever looked up into the night
sky?
• What did you see?
• Do you see any pattern to the stars?
What Exactly is a
Constellation?
Long ago
astronomers
created patterns
out of the stars to
help find their way
around the sky.
These patterns
were called
constellations.
http://www.cinemashop.com/images/nu/constellation_map_img0010.gif
There are Maps for the Sky?
Yes, there are
maps of the
sky. Usually
they are
divided into the
northern and
southern
hemispheres.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/the_universe/images/starmaps/map_6_large.jpg
There are Maps for the Sky?
However, just
as the moon
has phases,
so do the
constellations
.
http://ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast110_06/ea/01p7a.jpg
Why Do You Think That People
Wanted to Map the Sky?
Signpost Stars
Southern Cross (Crux)
Big Dipper and Little Dipper
(Ursa Major and Minor)
Did You Know That
Constellations Tell Stories?
Orion
• Orion has more bright
stars than any other
constellation
• Betelgeuse is a red
supergiant reaching
the end of its life
• Rigel is a young
bluish-white
supergiant
http://www.slowbut-sure.me.uk/images/astro/orion_ani.gif
Ursa Major (The Great Bear)
• The Big Dipper is only
a part of Ursa Major
• The second star in the
tail is actually two
stars that are so close
that they touch
• Ursa Major is known
as the bear in many
cultures. The bear of
the Native Americans
had no tail, but rather
three hunters chasing
after it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Mizar_and_Alcor.jpg/200px-Mizar_and_Alcor.jpg
Scorpius
• Antares means “the
rival of Mars” it is the
thirteenth brightest
star in the sky.
• Antares is slowly
evaporating due to
fierce winds that
blow from it’s
surface.
• The Polynesians saw
Scorpius as a simple
fishhook.
http://www.barransclass.com/astr1070/const/Yoneguchi/Scorpius.jpg
Andromeda
• Andromeda contains a whole galaxy
that is twice as big as the milky way. The
galaxy is called the Andromeda Galaxy
and can be seen with the naked eye.
Zodiac Signs
• Zodiac means “circle
of animals.”
• The zodiac
constellations are
located on the ecliptic
(the path the sun
follows through the
sky).
• There are actually
thirteen zodiac
constellations.
Making Your Own Constellation!
• Take a piece of black paper and drop
some stars onto it.
• Glue the stars where they land and
connect the dots with chalk to create a
picture.
• Write a story about your constellation