THE CONSTELLATIONS:

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THE CONSTELLATIONS

• Laurentian Universitys Lets Talk Science
  Partnership Program

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What is a constellation?
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What is a constellation?

• Constellation (astronomy) any of various groups
  of stars imagined to represent outline of a being
  or thing.
• The official constellations recognized by
  international astronomical societies are derived
  from Greek and Babylonian astronomy.

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What constellations do you know?
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What constellations do you know?

• The Big Dipper is inside Ursa Major - The
  Great Bear

The bowl Big Dipper to the Micmac Indians is a
Bear and the handle is hunters
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What constellations do you know?

• The Little Dipper is inside
• Ursa Minor The Little Bear

Kocab
Polaris
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What constellations do you know?

• Orion - The Hunter

Betelgeuse
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What constellations do you know?

• There are 88 constellations!

NOTE Constellations were inserted randomly
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Ojibwe Constellations Equivalents to Greek
Constellations
http//www.fdlrez.com/education/teacherpages/msbuc
ar/files/Ojibwe20Constellations202.doc Note
that this site is from Minnesota.
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The Zodiac Astrological Constellations
From - http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp
//www.physics.hku.hk/
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How were the Zodiac Constellations determined
There is a line that circles the sky known as the
Ecliptic. The Sun appears to move along the
ecliptic as the earth orbits the Sun each year.
The Zodiac are the twelve constellations that
lie along the Ecliptic.
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How were the Zodiac Constellations determined
In astrology there are 12 zodiac
constellations. Each of them are approximately
30o in width across the sky 12 x 30o 360o
Because all the planets orbit the sun in the
same plane as the Earth, the planets always
stay within the Zodiac constellations too.
http//horoscope.moisttowelettemuseum.com/zodiac3.
jpg
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The Zodiac Constellations
The Earth spins on its axis. As it spins,
different locations on the Earth see different
stars at different times in the sky throughout
the night. The Earth travels in space around
the sun. Thus different stars are seen in the
night sky throughout the year.
                   
http//horoscope.moisttowelettemuseum.com/zodiac3.
jpg
http//www.starlight-theatre.ca/images/013.JPG
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How were the Zodiac Constellations determined
2000 years ago, the zodiac sign that was rising
in the night sky as the sun was setting was the
zodiac constellation for that month. Because
the Earth wobbles on its axis the zodiac rising
in the night sky corresponds to the month
http//horoscope.moisttowelettemuseum.com/zodiac3.
jpg
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Precession

• Precession, the wobble of the Earth's spin on its
  axis in a 26,000 year cycle. Precession is like
  the wobbling of a spinning toy top. Because of
  precession, the exact position of any star in the
  sky on a given day not be the same over the
  1000s of years . Thus 2000 years ago, Aries was
  the constellation that rose in the East when the
  Sun set on March 21 set but now Pisces rises in
  the East on March 21.

http//www.mhhe.com/physsci/astronomy/fix/student/
images/03f15.jpg
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How did the constellations get their names?

• Constellations can be named after characters in
  ancient stories such as Orion, who was a hunter
  and had a great big dog (Canis Major).
• Zodiac constellations Aries, Taurus, Gemini,
  Cancer, Leo, Virgo etc were the stars that
  first rose in the sky in the East during their
  corresponding month 2,000 years ago
• The Shape Some constellations get their names
  from shapes such as Corona Borealis (Northern
  Crown)

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Why should one know the names of the
constellations?
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Why should one know the names of the
constellations?

• Life skill for navigation and orienteering
• Careers Space Agencies, Outdoor Adventure
  Camps, teaching, writing, astrophotography,
  astronomy equipment (sales or innovations)
• Great Hobby join an astronomy club and meet
  lots of interesting people
• Interesting knowledge be a life long learner -
  it takes a long time to learn the skies and the
  knowledge you can share makes for interesting
  dinner conversations

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Before written history, how might constellations
have been taught?

• There are 6,000 stars visible in the night sky
  not subjected light pollution!
• That is a lot of knowledge to pass down, without
  computers, let alone having no paper and ink

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Before written history, how might constellations
have been taught?

• Elders or knowledge-keepers may have passed the
  information about the constellations down to next
  generation through storytelling.

Homer and a student Circa 800 BC
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Constellation Activity

• You will be given a constellation on a piece of
  paper.
• Draw a picture around the stars that you see.
  Think of a story that might go with picture.
• Colour the picture, cut it out and paste it on
  one of the constellation maps (the maps without
  lines)
• Please clean up your work area when you are done.
• Take a look at the posters and books in the room
  if you wish