Follow the Drinking Gourd, Based upon Follow the Drinking Gourd, a children’s book, by Jeanette Winter Power Point and astronomy by Brenda Rogers

Stars can be grouped together to form a pattern.

A large group of stars is called a constellation. Ursa Major, the Big Bear A large group of stars is called a constellation.

The Big Dipper inside of the Big Bear A smaller group of stars inside a constellation is called an asterism. The Big Dipper is an asterism.

The slaves called the Big Dipper “The Drinking Gourd.”

The Big Dipper or Drinking Gourd is always seen in the night sky.

Constellations can be used to tell direction. The two front stars of the Big Dipper’s cup point to the North Star, Polaris.

Constellations are used in stories and songs. There is a book written about the song the slaves sang. The song is “Follow the Drinking Gourd”.

Here in our country, from about 1830 to 1862, astronomy helped lead people to freedom…

Some plantation owners loved their slaves. They treated the slaves well. However, most of them did not love their slaves. These people treated the slaves very badly.

It doesn’t matter if they were treated well or not. All people have the desire and the right to be free.

Harriet Tubman was a slave who escaped. She ran away from a plantation. She was a brave heroine because she returned to rescue others. She taught slaves how to follow the stars to freedom in Canada.

Harriet Tubman taught the slaves to look for the Big Dipper, or the “Drinking Gourd.”

by following the “Big Dipper” Over 60,000 slaves were freed by following the “Big Dipper” as they traveled the underground railroad.

The underground railroad did not have tracks. It was a group of people who did not believe in slavery. Running for freedom, slaves traveled by night following the “Big Dipper.”

Many times it would take a full year to walk from the South to the North. They got to see the Big Dipper or Drinking Gourd circle the North Star.

There are really two dippers in the sky. The North Star is at the handle of the Little Dipper.

The Big Dipper pointed to the North Star and led them to Canada where they could find freedom.

We’re going to learn a song. To understand the song… “When the Sun comes back…” is talking about Winter turning into Spring.

“…and the first quail calls” A quail is a bird that migrates. It lives in the South during the winter and flies North in the Spring.

Joe The “old man” is talking about “Peg Leg Joe.” Peg Leg Joe met them at the river and guided them along their way.

The song tells the slaves to follow the bank of the Tombigbee River heading north. They had to look for dead trees with special marks. A picture of a “left foot and a peg foot” were carved into the dead trees.

Why were there peg leg and left foot marks carved into the trees?

To show them the way to “Peg Leg Joe,” their guide.

When the escaped slaves reached the headwaters of the Tombigbee, they were to keep heading North. When they crossed over the hills they would see another river. Then they were to travel north along the Tennessee River.

The Tennessee River meets the Ohio River. They had to cross the Ohio River that was too deep, too wide, and had a swift current. But if the running slaves left in the winter like they were told to in the song, then they would reach the Ohio River in the winter. This river freezes! They could walk across! A guide from the Underground Railroad met the travelers on the North side of the Ohio River.

Now… Let’s sing the song… “Follow the Drinking Gourd”

Verse 1: When the sun comes back and the first quail calls Follow the Drinking Gourd

The old man is a waitin’ for to carry you to freedom, If you follow the Drinking Gourd

Chorus: Follow the Drinking Gourd Follow the Drinking Gourd

For the old man is a waitin’ for to carry you to freedom, If you follow the Drinking Gourd

Verse 2: Now the river bank’ll make a mighty good road. The dead trees will show you the way.

Left foot, peg foot, travelin’ on. Follow the Drinking Gourd

Chorus: Follow the Drinking Gourd Follow the Drinking Gourd

For the old man is a waitin’ For to carry you to freedom, If you follow the Drinking Gourd

Verse 3: Now the river ends between two hills. Follow the Drinking Gourd

There’s another river on the other side. Follow the Drinking Gourd

Chorus: Follow the Drinking Gourd Follow the Drinking Gourd

For the old man is a waitin’ For to carry you to freedom, Follow the Drinking Gourd

Sing it slower this time.. For the old man is a waitin’ For to carry you to freedom, If you follow the Drinking Gourd

Constellation: Ursa Major, The Big Bear Asterism, The Drinking Gourd, The Big Dipper

XXXXXXXX Constellation, Ursa Minor, The Little Bear Asterism, The Little Dipper

Zenith is the portion of sky that is directly over your head, no matter where you are.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Earth rotates from the West to the East. This makes sky objects appear to rise in the East.

Think of the celestial sphere as a great big bowl around the Earth. This system is used to locate all objects in the night sky.

Zenith (straight up) Celestial Sphere Only half the sphere is visible at a time. The ground on which we stand slices the celestial sphere in half. We see the upper half, but not the lower half.

North Pole Axis Equator South Pole Just as the Earth’s sphere has a north pole, a south pole, and an equator, so does the celestial sphere.

The Earth’s equator extended out into the celestial Celestial Equator The Earth’s equator extended out into the celestial sphere creates the celestial equator.

Remember latitude, and longitude? All these lines are imaginary, but very helpful in finding an exact location on the Earth.

In astronomy, we extend these same lines out into space into what we call the “Celestial Sphere”.

North Celestial Pole = NCP South Celestial Pole = SCP Celestial Equator South Celestial Pole = SCP

The earth is tilted on its axis 23.5°. because of that the North Celestial Pole points to Polaris. Polaris

The NCP is in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Bear). SCP The SCP is in the modern constellation Octans. However no particular star is close.

The altitude of Polaris above the horizon will also tell you your latitude.. Here in Huntsville, Alabama, Polaris is about 34° above the horizon. What is your current latitude?

Polaris is considered to be a jewel in a small semicircle of faint telescopic stars. This formation is called the "Engagement Ring"

The Polaris System is a Trinary Two stars orbit each other at close range. A third star, more distant, is orbiting the center two. The star Polaris is yellow like our Sun.

If you are ever lost, look up. You can find which way is north! Remember... If you are ever lost, look up. You can find which way is north!

Standing at the equator, Polaris would be on the horizon. As you head North from the equator, the “apparent” altitude of Polaris increases. If you were standing at the North Pole, where would Polaris be? As you move North from the Earth's equator (0° N), the apparent altitude of Polaris (the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper) also increases.

Circumpolar means to circle around the pole. Circumpolar stars or constellations daily trace circles around the NCP, without setting or dipping below the horizon. They move in a counterclockwise direction.

Polaris is NOT the brightest star in the sky. The reason that Polaris is important is because it is very close to the NCP. If it stayed dark for 24 hours, you could watch the Big Dipper go around the North Star.

The Earth rotates 15º on its axis every hour which makes the stars “appear” to move.

Circumpolar Constellations Ursa Major, the Big Bear Ursa Minor, the Little Bear Cassiopeia, the Queen Cepheus, the King Draco the Dragon

Circumpolar stars and their constellations never set. They appear to go around and around the pole year in, year out. As our planet rotates, stars appear to go around Polaris.

Because of the rotation of the Earth, you can get a special effect when taking pictures of stars with a timed exposure. The effect is called… “Star Trails”

Star Trails at the NCP Let’s pretend you are at the North Pole.... You set up a camera on a tripod. You aim your camera straight up at Polaris. If you take a timed exposure, the image of each star will become part of a circle. All the circles will be centered around the pole.

Remember... the stars are not moving. We are! Our Earth is rotating!

Star Trails among Yosemite Trees As the sky rotates, the stars will trace circles onto your camera’s film. At the poles, the circles would be small. The further from the pole, the larger the circle. What size would the star trails of circumpolar stars be if you and your camera were at the equator?

3.5 hr exposure from Mt. Kilimanjaro Africa

Mt. Veronica, Peru 20 min. exposure, Polaris, From Mono Lake, California

Lake Wanaka, New Zealand Palau

The human eye can only detect about 3,000 stars above the horizon of each hemisphere.

Our Milky Way Galaxy When we have a clear night and little or no light pollution, we can see a part of our galaxy.

The Whirlpool Galaxy is 23 million light years away near the last bright star of the Big Dipper’s handle.

Optical (Visible Light) Composite Image NGC 3359, in constellation Ursa Major

NGC 3359, in constellation Ursa Major

miles across. (590 quadrillion miles.) How big is the Milky Way? 120,000 light years across or... about 590,000,000,000,000,000 miles across. (590 quadrillion miles.)

Artwork

Our Solar System is located in the Orion spur.

Estimates are 100 billion to 400 billion stars per galaxy. There are bigger galaxies. And there are gigantic galaxies! But that is another show....

Learn about your universe at your local planetarium!

Credits: Photographers: Dan Heller David Malin, and Jan Curtis NASA ESA

The Winter Triangle The Winter Triangle is an asterism because it includes stars from different constellations. It is not circumpolar. It is found on the celestial equator.

The Winter Triangle The Winter Triangle is formed by one star from each of the 3 stars in constellations we looked at tonight: Betelgeuse in Orion Sirius in Canis Major Procyon in Canis Minor

The Winter Triangle An equilateral triangle has 3 equal sides and 3 equal angles. The Winter Triangle has these. Image by Tunc Tezel Although you can make a triangle out of any 3 stars in the sky, the Winter Triangle is special for 2 reasons: The 3 stars form a nice equilateral triangle. It is made up of three of the brightest stars as seen from Earth.

CONCEPTS: Stars are grouped together in patterns called constellations. Constellations can be used to tell direction. Constellations are used in stories and songs. The treatment of slaves. The desire and the right to be free. 6. The Underground Railroad.