Patterns in the Night Sky Section 8.6

Constellations Two Definitions: Astronomical – a region in the sky Traditional - A group of stars observed from Earth often forming shapes. The signs of the zodiac, mythological figures and other shapes. They are different in the different hemispheres…

The Stars are Moving… We are still able to see the same constellations as the ancient people, however the stars are not in the exact same location as they once were. This is because the stars are moving away from each other due to the expanding Universe. Also, because of Earth’s rotation the stars (and the constellations) always appear to be moving in the sky.

Constellation Confusion! Complete The Constellation Confusion Worksheet

Pointer Stars… The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper are called the "Pointer Stars" because a line drawn between them points to Polaris, the North Star. The Big Dipper is a circumpolar asterism, which means it stays above the horizon all night long as it apparently rotates around Polaris due to the Earth's rotation.

Star Maps Shows the relative positions of the stars in a particular part of the sky. There are “apps for that” or you can use yours that you are going to create today!

The Celestial Sphere It is the imaginary sphere that rotates around Earth, onto which all celestial objects are projected.

Navigation using Stars Celestial navigation – the use of positions of stars to determine location and direction when travelling. The Big Dipper and Polaris played an important part in the story of the Underground Railroad which helped slaves escape their captivity by fleeing north to Canada.

Today’s Task Building and using a star map Pg. 333 #1-2, 4-6 Homework: Find at least one constellation in the sky tonight!

Culture Connection Mayans – built a pyramid (El Castillo) and on the solstices at sunset the shadow formed looks like a snake Stonehenge – may have been used to predict the motions of the Sun (an astronomical calendar) Aboriginal – have many legends relating to astronomy (stars formed because the Sun spit sparks, lunar eclipses because monsters swallowed the Moon, the Sun goes to sleep so its brother the Moon rises in the east to give light during the night)