Constellations 210525062341

Stars, Constellations
and the Universe

The Universe
 The Universe is made up of everything
that exists in space, such as planets,stars
and even us!
 The universe was created over 13 billion
years ago by a large explosion called The
Big Bang.
 It is hard to imagine how enormous the
universe is. The universe is made up of
many different galaxies
What is a star?
 A STAR is a large sphere of glowing dust and
gases such as helium and hydrogen.
 Stars change over time.
 The stars we see from Earth belong to a galaxy
known as the Milky Way
 Which is the closest star to Earth?
 THE SUN!
 The sun is a medium sized star
 MUCH, MUCH larger than Earth
How are stars created?
 Stars are formed when spinning

balls of gas form inside large
clouds of gas and dust. The
gases heat up and light and heat
are created
Why do stars Twinkle?
 Stars twinkle in the night sky because
the light has to travel through the Earth’s
atmosphere. The movement of air in the
earth’s atmosphere make the light bend
as it travels from the star to earth.
Which stars are brightest
 Stars can have different

colours such as red, white or
blue. The hottest stars are
blue, the coolest stars are red.
How many stars are in the
universe?
 There are over a hundred

billion billion stars in the
universe.
What shape are stars?
 Stars are not really star- shaped.
They are round like out sun.
 Artist draw them using a star
shape to reflect the way that they
shine in the night sky.
 No two stars are exactly the same
Constellations
Stars as Tools for Navigation
 The North Star is called Polaris and located directly
above the North Pole. This star appears in the same place
every night all year long.
 In the Northern Hemisphere, if you find Polaris you
will be able to tell which direction is north.
The Southern Hemisphere does not have a star to help

you find its pole. Instead it has what is known as a
Southern Cross.
 The Southern Cross consists of 4 bright stars and
some dimmer ones. All of these together point to the
south pole.
Stars as tools for navigation
 North Star  Southern Cross
People of ancient
A pattern or time saw the
group of stars in constellations as
the sky is called character or animals
a constellation. in the sky. They
made up stories to
explain how the
object, animal, or
character came into
the night sky.
Star Patterns
The Big Dipper
Myth: The “Big Dipper” is a constellation.
In fact, the Big Dipper is an asterism.
 Constellations are used to split the celestial

sphere into different sections that aid in locating
objects in the sky, kind of like landmarks on a
map.
 An asterism, on the other hand, is a popular

grouping of stars easily recognized by the
casual star observer. Asterisms, which may be
part of a recognized constellation, are not
constellations themselves.
The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great
Bear).
In Ireland we call ‘The Big Dipper’
‘The Plough’
Orion- The Hunter
 This Constellation was named after the
Greek hunter Orion and is one of the
latgest groups of stars in the sky.
 Orion is in the shape of a man holding a

bow and is easily recognisable by the row
of three bright stars that make up is ‘belt’
Taurus
 Taurus is located in the Northern
Hemisphere, directly above Orion.
 The Greeks saw this constellation as a bull
 Taurus is one of 12 constellation that
make up the zodiac
 Astrologists believe that each person
comes under a particular sign of the
zodiac, depending on their date of birth
I was born in December, I am a
Sagittarius
 What does your star sign constellation

look like?
Constellations
 Earth rotates on its axis, this makes most
constellations appear to rise in the east and set in the
west during the night.
 Most constellations appear in many different positions

in the sky as the Earth revolves around the sun.
 There is a group of stars that appear in the sky all night

long and all year long. It seems that these stars do not
rise and set, but circle the Earth’s north pole each night.
These stars are called circumpolar.
STAR CHARTS
How can we identify constellations in the

night sky?
The use of a star chart can help us!
A STAR CHART is a map of the

stars in the night sky.
STAR CHARTS
On a star chart, lines often connect the
stars that might make up a constellation.
Different star charts must be used at

different times of the year and in different
places on Earth.
Many stars visible from the Southern

hemisphere cannot be seen from the
Northern hemisphere.
STAR CHARTS
What other tools can help us
identify constellations?
 STAR CHARTS are the BEST for
identifying a constellation in the sky.
 A COMPASS is the BEST for locating

DIRECTION (North, South, East, and
West) You need to know direction before
you can use a star chart correctly.
What other invention helps us view
items in space?
 A telescope!

Constellations 210525062341

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Constellations 210525062341

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Constellations 210525062341

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Stars, Constellations

and the Universe

 Which is the closest star to Earth?

 Stars are formed when spinning

 Stars can have different

 There are over a hundred

The Southern Hemisphere does not have a star to help

 Constellations are used to split the celestial

 An asterism, on the other hand, is a popular

 Orion is in the shape of a man holding a

 What does your star sign constellation

 Most constellations appear in many different positions

 There is a group of stars that appear in the sky all night

How can we identify constellations in the

The use of a star chart can help us!

A STAR CHART is a map of the

Different star charts must be used at

Many stars visible from the Southern

 A COMPASS is the BEST for locating

You might also like