CONSTELLATIONS THINK ABOUT IT Have you ever looked
CONSTELLATIONS
THINK ABOUT IT. . • Have you ever looked at the sky and seen pictures in the clouds or stars? • Look at the ceiling of your classroom. Can you make a picture out of the dots in the ceiling tiles? What do you see?
CONSTELLATIONS • Since the beginning of time, people have imagined pictures in the groups of stars they observes in the night sky. • Such imaginary star pictures are called constellations. • Many constellations are named for animals or mythological characters. • The big dipper is one of the most well-known constellations. It is part of the Ursa Major constellation, which means big bear. • The North Star is found in a straight line from the end of the bowl of the Big dipper and has been used as a point of reference by navigators for centuries. The other stars appear to rotate around this point. • Astronomers recognize a total of 88 constellations. • We do not always see the same constellations all the time. Why?
THE NIGHT SKY • Stars do not move. They stay in place in the universe. However, the Earth does move! • The earth rotates on its axis. Just as the sun appears to rise and set during the day, the stars also rise and set during the night. • The earth revolves or orbits around the sun. this means the earth is in different positions in space during different times of the year. • The night sky changes during the year, just as the seasons change. As earth revolves around the sun, the constellations we see appear in different places in the sky throughout the year.
THE ZODIAC • Of the 88 constellations, 12 of them are particularly special. They are known as the Zodiac constellations. • Astronomy vs. Astrology • Astronomy: the scientific study of the universe. • Astrology: the study of the positions of objects in the universe and their affect on human behavior. • The constellations of Zodiac are in a band that wraps around the Earth like a giant belt. • Each of the 12 constellations in the Zodiac represents a time of year roughly a month long. The ancient Greeks believed (and some people still believe today) that a person’s personality is affected by the constellation or “sign” that the sun was passing through at the time of his or her birthday.
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