4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit Circumpolar Constellations Miss Saginaw Grade 4 Buffalo Elementary Solar System Unit 2001

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit What does it mean? Circumpolar means “circling the pole” –What pole are we talking about? Polaris.Directly above the magnetic North Pole lays the star Polaris. Polaris is what scientists call the North Star. The stars in the night sky appear to be circling around Polaris.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit Apparent Motion We say the stars appear to move around Polaris in a circular motion. Look at the picture to the right. –What do you see? –How did the photographer do that?

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit What Are Constellations? Constellations are pictures made up of bright stars which appear close to each other in the sky. Like a game of connect the dots, if you use your imagination when you look at the stars, you may see a dog or a cat or some other interesting figure.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit People long ago, like the ancient Greeks, did the same thing, although they saw the stars as pictures of gods and goddesses or of stories from their culture. Many peoples noticed that the planets, the moon, and comets moved through the sky in a different way than the stars.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The motion of the Earth and the motion of the Sun in our sky affect the stars and the constellations that we see in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Some constellations never rise or set, and they are called circumpolar. All the other constellations can only be seen during certain seasons.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The 5 Circumpolar Constellations Little Dipper –Ursa Minor Big Dipper –Ursa Major The Dragon –Draco The King –Cepheus The Queen –Cassiopeia Click here 

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The Little Dipper Ursa Minor Ursa Minor is usually called the Little Dipper. There is also a constellation called Ursa Major, which is called the Big Dipper. In many different myths, the two are bears. In Greek mythology, Hera turned Callisto into a bear because she was jealous of her. Zeus put the bear in the sky along with the Little Bear, which is Callisto's son, Arcas. The tail of the Little Bear ends with the North Star, Polaris. It is called the North Star because it is at the celestial north pole. Just below the star is a small circle of stars called the "engagement ring". They can be seen using a telescope or binoculars. To find Polaris, first find the Big Dipper. Imagine a line drawn connecting the right edge of the "bowl". If you keep drawing the line north, it will come to the North Star. Pretty neat!

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The Big Dipper Ursa Major Ursa Major is a very famous constellation. It is also called the Great Bear. Ursa Minor is the Little Bear. The body and tail of the Big Bear make up the Big Dipper. There are a lot of myths about this constellation. The Greeks say that Zeus was in love with Callisto. When his wife, Hera, found out, she turned Callisto into a bear. Zeus put her in the sky with her son Arcas, who is the Little Bear. Some Native Americans thought the bear was being chased by three hunters. The hunters were the three stars in the handle of the dipper.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The Dragon Draco Draco the dragon is a long constellation found in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a circumpolar constellation, which means it revolves around the North Pole. People in the Southern Hemisphere can't see it. The head is made of four stars. You can find it north of Hercules. The body slithers around and ends between the Big and Little Dippers. One myth about the dragon comes from Greece. In the story, the dragon Ladon protects the golden apple tree from thieves.

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The King Cepheus Cepheus was a king in Greek mythology. His wife was Cassiopeia and his daughter was Andromeda. Cassiopeia once said some things to make the sea god angry. A monster was sent up to eat Andromeda, but Perseus saved her. Today, all five objects are constellations. Cepheus looks like a house. The roof's tip is a special star called a cepheid. It is used by scientists to measure long distances. Another cepheid is just below the constellation. This red star would be the North Star if we lived on Mars! Cepheus is full of neat things like nebulae, clusters and galaxies. You will need a telescope to see them!

4th Grading period 2001Lesson 3, Solar System Unit The Queen Cassiopeia Cassiopeia was the queen of an ancient land. She and her husband, Cepheus, had a daughter named Andromeda. Cassiopeia would always say she was prettier than the sea nymphs. A monster called Cetus was sent to punish her. It was about to eat Andromeda, when Perseus saved her. All five are now constellations. Cassiopeia is easy to find because it looks like a "W"! It's a circumpolar constellation, so you can see it all year long. If you use a telescope, you can find lots of cool objects around the constellation.