Stars and Constellations

When you look at the night sky, you can see many beautiful stars. On a night when the Moon is not bright, you can see many stars. The longer you look at the sky, the more stars you will see. Some stars are bright; some are hard to see. Even though stars look small, they are very big. They are so far away from the Earth that they look like tiny specks in the sky. Stars

If you are out in the country, camping in the mountains, or in the desert away from the city lights, you may see thousands of them. You can’t see the stars during the day because the Sun is so bright in the day sky. They are still in the sky; they are just not visible to our eyes. Microsoft. (Designer). (2010). Camping at night [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/. Stars

Stars You may even be able to see part of the Milky Way. The Milky Way looks like a milky streak in the night sky. The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our solar system. It got its name because it looks like a milky streak going across the night sky. The Milky Way contains many more stars (about 200 billion) than we can see from Earth. NASA (Photographer) (2012). Milky Way [Print]. Stars

In a town or city, you can't see nearly as many stars because the city lights create a glow that hides the stars.  City lights at night , sometimes called light pollution, make the stars in the sky less visible. The term refers to wasted light that goes up into the sky instead of illuminating the ground. Almost everyone on the planet has seen it; anywhere near a city, the glow from all that light goes into the sky, washing out the stars. Microsoft. (Designer). (2010). Night sky [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/. As more city lights drown out the stars, children will no longer relate to the nursery rhyme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Stars

A constellation is a group of stars visible in a particular place in the night sky. This is part of the Alaskan flag. Courtesy of Open Clip Art Library. Constellations

Constellations The Seven Sisters Pleiades or Seven Sisters NASA (Photographer) (2004). Pleiades [Print]. Constellations

Orion NASA (Photographer) (2004). Constellations [Print]. Constellations

Some were named after animals and some mythological characters. Picture credit: 15th century Medieval book Constellations Leo

Constellations can be viewed after sunset and before sunrise. You can't see constellations during the day because the Sun's light is too bright to see star light. Refer to the flashlight demonstration discussed in the lesson. Microsoft. (Designer). (2010). Night sky [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/. Constellations

As the Earth turns, you can see different constellations. NASA (Photographer) (2004). Tadpole nebula [Print]. Constellations