Constellations

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Constellations

• By Clarice Duyck

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Questions

• Have you ever looked up into the night sky?
• What did you see?
• Do you see any pattern to the stars?

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What Exactly is a Constellation?

• Long ago astronomers created patterns out of the
  stars to help find their way around the sky.
  These patterns were called constellations.

http//www.cinemashop.com/images/nu/constellation_
map_img0010.gif
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There are Maps for the Sky?

• Yes, there are maps of the sky. Usually they are
  divided into the northern and southern
  hemispheres.

http//www.windows.ucar.edu/the_universe/images/st
armaps/map_6_large.jpg
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There are Maps for the Sky?

• However, just as the moon has phases, so do the
  constellations.

http//ifa.hawaii.edu/barnes/ast110_06/ea/01p7a.j
pg
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Why Do You Think That People Wanted to Map the
Sky?
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Signpost Stars
Southern Cross (Crux)
Big Dipper and Little Dipper (Ursa Major and
Minor)
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Did You Know That Constellations Tell Stories?
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Orion

• Orion has more bright stars than any other
  constellation
• Betelgeuse is a red supergiant reaching the end
  of its life
• Rigel is a young bluish-white supergiant

http//www.slowbut-sure.me.uk/images/astro/orion_a
ni.gif
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Ursa Major (The Great Bear)

• The Big Dipper is only a part of Ursa Major
• The second star in the tail is actually two stars
  that are so close that they touch
• Ursa Major is known as the bear in many cultures.
  The bear of the Native Americans had no tail, but
  rather three hunters chasing after it.

http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f
4/Mizar_and_Alcor.jpg/200px-Mizar_and_Alcor.jpg
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Scorpius

• Antares means the rival of Mars it is the
  thirteenth brightest star in the sky.
• Antares is slowly evaporating due to fierce winds
  that blow from its surface.
• The Polynesians saw Scorpius as a simple fishhook.

http//www.barransclass.com/astr1070/const/Yoneguc
hi/Scorpius.jpg
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Andromeda

• Andromeda contains a whole galaxy that is twice
  as big as the milky way. The galaxy is called the
  Andromeda Galaxy and can be seen with the naked
  eye.

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Zodiac Signs

• Zodiac means circle of animals.
• The zodiac constellations are located on the
  ecliptic (the path the sun follows through the
  sky).
• There are actually thirteen zodiac constellations.

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Making Your Own Constellation!

• Take a piece of black paper and drop some stars
  onto it.
• Glue the stars where they land and connect the
  dots with chalk to create a picture.
• Write a story about your constellation