Star Patterns

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Star Patterns

• Chapter 3
• Lesson 13
• TCAP Coach

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Star Patterns

• People long ago imagined that groups of stars
  formed pictures.
• The pictures were often thought to be gods,
  characters in ancient stories, and animals or
  other objects.
• These patterns of stars became known as
  constellations.

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Constellations

• A constellation is a pattern of stars imagined by
  people to represent objects or living things.
• Egyptian people described constellations
  thousands of years ago. Ancient Chinese people
  did, too.
• Almost 2000 years ago, the Romans described 48
  constellations along with their names. Those are
  the names and star patterns we refer to today.

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Uses of Constellations

• People often use constellations to describe where
  to find something in the night sky.
• Imagine that you want to tell someone where to
  look for the planet Mars. You might say that Mars
  is now in the constellation Leo (the lion).
• You mean that Mars has moved so that it appears
  in the same part of the sky as the stars of Leo.

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Uses of Constellations

• The drawings below shows the star pattern of Leo
  the Lion.

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Uses of Constellations

• Constellations can also be used to find
  particular stars.
• Say you want to find the star Rigel. Its the
  sixth brightest star in the night sky. What can
  you do? You can find the constellation Orion
  (the hunter)

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Uses of Constellations

• Rigel is at the bottom right end of the
  constellation.

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Uses of Constellations

• People who live in Earths Northern Hemisphere
  can find directions of the compass (north, west,
  south, ad east) by using constellations as
  guides.

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Uses of Constellations

• Look at the picture below. It shows the Big
  Dipper and Little Dipper.
• If you draw an imaginary line in the night sky as
  shown by the arrow, you will find the North Star,
  which is also called Polaris.

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Uses of Constellations

• Polaris lies just above Earths North Pole. So,
  if you face Polaris, you are facing north. To
  your right is east. To your left is west. And
  behind you is south.

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Constellations and the Seasons

• Different constellations occupy the night sky in
  different seasons.
• This is because Earths night side faces
  different parts of the sky as it revolves around
  the sun.
• Which constellations can you see in the winter,
  spring, summer, and fall? You can find the
  answers in the star charts.

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Constellations and the Seasons

• Star charts show the positions of constellations
  in different seasons.
• First, find the star chart for the season you are
  in.
• Hold the star chart in front of you and turn it
  so that the direction you are facing is the
  bottom of the chart.
• Then hold the chart over your head.
• The constellations on the chart should match the
  constellations in the sky.

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Constellations and the Seasons

• The star chart below shows the winter sky as seen
  from Earths Northern Hemisphere.

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1. What is a constellation?

• A. a pattern of planets
• B. a star
• C. a pattern of stars
• D. a story

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1. What is a constellation?

• C. a pattern of stars

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2. If you are facing north, which direction is
directly to your left?

• A. west
• B. east
• C. south
• D. down

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2. If you are facing north, which direction is
directly to your left?

• A. west

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3. How might you find a planet in the night sky?

• A. Figure out what part of the constellation it
  makes up.
• B. Find out which constellation it now appears
  closest to.
• C. Find out whether it is a star.
• D. Look for it near the sun.

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3. How might you find a planet in the night sky?

• B. Find out which constellation it now appears
  closest to.

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4. How should you hold a star chart so that it
matches the constellations in the night sky?

• A. Hold it so the direction you are facing is at
  the top of the chart.
• B. Hold it so the direction you are facing is at
  the right of the chart.
• C. Hold it so the direction you are facing is at
  the left of the chart.
• D. Hold it so the direction you are facing is at
  the bottom of the chart.

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4. How should you hold a star chart so that it
matches the constellations in the night sky?

• D. Hold it so the direction you are facing is at
  the bottom of the chart.