Constellations
What are constellations?
Goal:
Goal:
Constellations are not just pretty to look at, they have been the subject of stories and have helped people, too. Click through the slides to find out more about constellations.
Stars at Night
We can see the stars only at night because the Sun is so bright. Lots of stars are larger than the Sun, but they are much farther away.
Nine star constellation patterns: big dipper, little dipper, cygnus, Cassiopeia, orion, perseus, canis major, gemini, andromeda
Patterns in the Sky
Stars make patterns in the sky called constellations. Long ago, people looked for pictures in the patterns and told stories about what they saw. You can see the same patterns today.
Constellations
People all over the world see the same constellations, but they see them at different times of the year. Farmers used to use the stars like a calendar to keep track of time. When they saw certain constellations, farmers knew it was time to plant or harvest.
The North Star
Even though it looks like the stars move, they don’t. Earth is what is moving. There is one star that never seems to move, though. It is the North Star, also called Polaris. It can be found right above the North Pole. Sailors used to use this star to help guide them home.
The Big and Little Dippers
The Big Dipper and Little Dipper are also known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Ursa Major means big bear, and Ursa Minor means little bear. The last star of the handle of the Little Dipper is Polaris, the North Star.
Question
What are constellations?
Constellations are patterns in the night sky made by the stars.