1. Stars and Constellations By: Terri Downs, Mary Fuson, and Carrie Robison

2. What Are Stars? Stars are balls of gas that release energy from inside themselves. In order to be recognized as a star, it has to have two characteristics: –be self-bound by gravity, –it has to radiate energy.

3. How are Stars Formed? They are formed in space in large clouds of gas and dust called nebulae. Atoms inside the nebula accelerate inward due to the force of gravity and they collide rapidly with each other, causing the center of the nebula to become very dense and hot, causing the temperature of the protostar to rise. The object switches to become a “true star” and it is then able to make its own heat and light. The life of the star then depends on its mass.

4. Colors of Stars The color of a star measures its temperature. –Red=the coolest, –Yellow=an intermediate temperature, –Blue=the hottest temperature A star can appear bright just because it is really bright, or because of its closeness to the Earth.

5. Constellations What are constellations? –They are names for groups of stars that appear to form shapes in the sky. –They were designed to help us remember which stars are which. There are 88 constellations that divide up the sky.

6. Some Common Constellations that You Might Know…

7. Cassiopeia The Queen

8. Orion The Hunter

9. Ursa Major The Great Bear

10. Ursa Minor The Little Bear

11. Gemini The Twins

12. Andromeda The Chained Princess

13. Group Activity 1. Make a group of 3 people. 2. Recreate your constellation that has been given to your group using glue, marshmallows, and poster board. 3. Read about your constellation and be prepared to tell the class about it and show us your poster board.

14. Can You Identify The Following Constellations? The first group to identify them receives a treat!!

15. This is Ursa Minor!

16. This is Orion!

17. This is Gemini!

18. This is Andromeda!

19. This is Cassiopeia!

20. This is Ursa Major!