What are constellations?

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What are constellations?
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Definitions (Write)

• Astronomy Study of the motions and properties of
  objects in space
• Constellations Observed pattern people use to
  mark the position of stars in the sky

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Some Info (do not write)

• Ancient people did not have much light pollution
  so they could see lots of stars
• Stars do not have a pattern, but ancient people
  thought they saw patterns
• They associated patterns with traditions and
  legends that were a part of their culture
• Scientists today have divided the sky into 88
  regions, with each region being paired with a
  constellation

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• Different constellations are visible to us at
  different times of the year due to our location
  on our orbit around the sun- further proof of
  Earths revolution

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• The Zodiac
• There are many different forms of astrology and
  many different ways of interpreting a chart. But
  at least all Western astrologers agree on
  something as basic as the Zodiac. Don't they? If
  only it was that simple...

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• What Is The Zodiac?
• The Zodiac is in effect a map of the heavens on
  which the positions of the planets can be
  plotted. An imaginary band around the Earth is
  extended outwards along the plane of the ecliptic
  through which (more or less) the planets rotate.
  This band is then divided into a number of
  sections, each of which is named after one of the
  stellar constellations. As the

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• Earth and the planets move, the apparent location
  of each planet within the Zodiac changes over
  time. Since the Earth revolves around the Sun,
  the Sun appears to move through the Zodiac
  regularly throughout the year. The apparent
  movement of some of the other heavenly bodies is
  less simple.

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Astrology Definitions- DO NOT WRITE

• Astrology (dont have to write) The study of the
  positions and aspects of celestial bodies in
  belief that they have an influence on the course
  of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs
• Horoscope An astrological forecast, as of a
  person's future, based on a diagram of the aspect
  of the planets and stars at a given moment.

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Astrology Definitions Continued

• Zodiac an annual cycle of twelve stations or
  "signs" along the ecliptic, the apparent path of
  the Sun across the heavens

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Shifting of Constellations (write)

• Constellations appear to rise and set just as the
  sun does
• Constellations appear to move one degree of a
  circle per day, completing a full circle each
  year
• In a half of a year, the constellation will be
  half way around the celestial sphere (the part of
  the sky we can see)

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• Throughout the year, the apparent diameter of the
  sun changes in a cyclic fashion due to the
  Earths slightly elliptical orbit
• As the Earth revolves around the sun, it is
  moving towards a star for half the year, away
  from the star the other have, resulting in a
  blue-shift/red-shift effect on the starlight

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Orion N. Hemisphere Winter Constellation (do not
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• Orion The most famous stories come from Greek
  and Roman myths. Orion was a famed hunter, and in
  one story boasted that no creature could kill
  him. Hera then sent a scorpion to sting the
  hunter. Orion smashed the animal with his club,
  but not before he was poisoned. Both are now on
  opposite sides of the sky. They cannot be seen at
  the same time.

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Ursa Major (Great bear)

• Probably the most famous constellation, with the
  exception of Orion. Also known as the Great Bear,
  it has a companion called Ursa Minor, or Little
  Bear. The body and tail of the bear make up what
  is known as the Big Dipper. Also called names
  such as the Plough, the Wain and even the Wagon,
  this constellation has a lot of history behind
  it.
• Several different cultures saw a big bear in the
  sky. The ancient Greeks had a few different
  stories to explain how the animal ended up there.
  In one story, Hera discovered Zeus was having an
  affair with Callisto and turned her into a bear.
  Zeus put her in the sky along with her son,
  Arcas, who became the Little Bear.

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Ursa Minor (little bear/little dipper)
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Leo

• The constellation Leo is known as the Lion. Leo's
  head and mane make up an upside-down question
  mark called the Sickle. One of the brightest
  spring stars, Regulus (Latin for "little king"),
  is at the base of the question mark. The rest of
  Leo's body, legs, and tail extend to the east.
  During the dry season in ancient Egypt, the lions
  of the desert came close to the valley of the
  Nile when the river flooded, which used to happen
  when the Sun was in Leo. Some have interpreted
  this as the origin of the name of the
  constellation. The ancient Sumerians,
  Babylonians, Persians, Syrians, Greeks, and
  Romans, all recognized this constellation as a
  lion.

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Taurus (The Bull)

• Taurus passes through the sky from November
  through March. Taurus was a very popular
  constellation in ancient times, so there are many
  myths about it.
• The Greeks thought the stars represented Zeus in
  disguise as a white bull. He tricked Europa into
  climbing on his back. He then swam out to sea and
  carried her to Crete. In Egypt, the constellation
  was a reminder of Apis, the Bull of Memphis. He
  served as a servant to Osiris, god of the Sun.
• Just as famous as Taurus is the group of stars
  within it. The Pleiades are a group of seven
  stars that lie on the Bull's shoulder. The Greeks
  believed these were the Seven Sisters, daughters
  of Atlas and Pleione. It was told that they asked
  Zeus to place them in the sky to escape Orion,
  who was desperately pursuing them. Little did
  they know that Orion would be placed right next
  to Taurus in the night sky!

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• History Channel Constellations
• Bill Nye on Astrology

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Astrology Activity 1 Comparing horoscopes

• Read the three horoscopes for the same sign out
  of three different newspapers
• Answer the following questions
• 1. How well do the predictions of different
  astrologers agree?
• 2. How specific are the newspaper statements?
• 3. In what ways could the statements apply to
  different people?

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Activity Two Find your horoscope

• Directions Read the horoscopes below. Try to
  find the one for your sign. If you arent sure,
  pick the one youd want to be yours. Write the
  number of the horoscope you believe to be yours
  on the line below
• My horoscope is horoscope number ________

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Activity Three Was Your Horoscope Right?

• Directions The horoscopes in Activity Two were
  from Saturday October 31, 2009. After finding out
  which horoscopes are for which sign, write a
  brief paragraph comparing your day on Saturday to
  the kind of day your horoscope forecasted for
  you. Was the horoscope accurate? Do you buy
  into astrology?