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Science
Quarter 3 – Module 7:
Stars Apparent Movement
in the Night Sky
Science – Grade 9
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 7: Stars Apparent Movement in the Night Sky

First Edition, 2021

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writers: ELVIN QUILLOPE
Editors: MARGIE B. ENANORIA
Reviewers: MARGIE B. ENANORIA
Layout Artist: CARLA L. KONG
Subject Area Supervisor: MERIAM T. ABADILLA
Management Team: RONALD G. GUTAY
ESTELA B. SUSVILLA,
MARY JANE J. POWAO
AQUILO A. RENTILLOSA,
CRISTINA T. REMOCALDO
ADM Coordinator: RYAN B. REDOBLADO

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education – Region VII Central Visayas

Office Address: Department of Education – Carcar City Division
(Learning Resources Management Section)
P. Nellas St., Poblacion III, Carcar City, Cebu
Telefax: (032) 487-8495
E-mail Address: carcarcitydivision@yahoo.com
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Science
Quarter 3 – Module 7:
Stars Apparent Movement
in the Night Sky
Introductory Message

This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to
understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if
you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better
understanding of the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer
the post-test to self-check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each
activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how
they can best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and
tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

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 What I Need to Know

A clear night sky offers an ever-changing display of fascinating celestial objects to

see like stars, constellation, the moon and sometimes special events like meteor
showers. The term night sky which usually associated with astronomy refers to the
sky that we see at night.

In your previous lesson you have learned the different characteristics of the stars.
You were engaged with different activities that helped you answer questions like, why
do stars have colors, what are the factors that affect stars’ brightness and many
more. You were also introduced to different stars pattern, the constellations. In this
module you will study more on the stars, the constellation and their uses. After going
through this module, you are expected to:
1. discuss why stars appear to move in the night sky;
2. explain why we can see different star pattern at different time of the year; and
3. cite practical uses of stars and constellations.

What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. It is the illusion of something that is not moving to like it is moving, like the
rising and setting of the sun.
a. Apparent Motion c. Apparent Movement
b. Illusion Motion d. Apparent Illusion
2. Which statement BEST explains why Cygnus is visible to an observer in
Manila in September but not in March?
a. Earth spins on its axis c. Cygnus spins on its axis
b. Earth orbits the Sun d. Cygnus orbits the Earth
3. The constellation Pisces changes position during a night. Which motion is
mainly responsible for this change in a position?
a. Revolution of Earth around the Sun
b. Rotation of Earth on its axis
c. Revolution of Pisces around the Sun
d. Rotation of Pisces on its axis

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 4. Stars appear to move in the sky because
a. The earth is rotating on its axis
b. The universe is expanding
c. The night sky is rotating
d. New galaxies are formed
5. How do stars appear to move in the night sky?
a. From East to West c. From West to East
b. From North to South d. From South to North
6. One practical use of constellation is navigation. Which of the following
constellation helps sailors to navigate at the sea?
a. Pisces b. Sagittarius c. Ursa Minor d. Polaris
7. Which of the following local constellation signifies the start of rainy season in
the Philippines?
a. Balara b. Buwaya c. Lepu d. Balatik
8. Which of the constellation below indicates that the cold season is coming?
a. Andromeda b. Lynx c. Orion d. Ursa Minor
9. If you are located in the North Pole, where will you see the Polaris?
a. Overhead c. Around 450 from the horizon
b. Just above the horizon d. You will not see Polaris in the North Pole
10. Why can we see different parts of the sky at different times of the year?
a. Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis
b. Due to the rotation of the Earth
c. Due to the revolution of the Earth
d. Due to the rotation of the moon.

What’s In

Characteristics of Stars:
A star is a huge ball of burning gases which emits energy in the form of heat and
light. The stars differ in colors, sizes, brightness and distance from the Earth.
o Star Colors
The color of the stars depends on its size and temperature. The size of a star
is directly proportional to its temperature meaning the bigger the star the
hotter it become.

The color of the smaller and coolest star is red while the most massive and
hottest star is blue. The colors of the stars between red and blue are orange,
yellow and white.

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 o Star Brightness:
The brightness of the star as seen from the Earth depends on two factors –
distance and actual brightness (absolute brightness) of the star. The star’s
brightness as seen from Earth is its apparent brightness.

Constellation:
When you look at the sky, do you see images of animals or objects?
Constellation is any group of stars that were imagined by ancient observers to form
pictures or images of animals or objects in the sky.

You have observed that the stars in the night sky differ in brightness and color. But
the questions are:
• Do these stars appear in a fixed location through the night sky?
• Can we see the entire constellations throughout the year or just a few of them
at certain month throughout the year?

You will find the answer of the above questions after going through the lesson.

Lesson
Stars Apparent Motion in
1 the Night Sky
When we look at the night sky, we see thousands of stars. We see stars of different
sizes, brightness, and color.
In your previous lesson you study the different characteristics of the stars- color and
brightness. You also study the different constellations that appear in the night sky
through the night year-round. In this lesson you will study more of the stars,
constellations, and their uses.

What’s New

Activity 7.1 Apparent Movement of the Stars through the Night

Objective:
o Describe the apparent motion of stars at night.

Procedure:
1. On a clear night sky, look at the stars from 7 pm to 11 pm.
2. Focus on one particular star.
3. Look at the stars clearly every hour of the night, from 7 pm to 11 pm.

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Guide Questions:
1. Compare the position of the stars in the sky. What do you notice?
2. Are the stars visible at 7 pm still visible at 11 pm in their “original position”? Why is
this so?
3. How do stars move? Describe the movement of the stars in the night sky.
4. How is the motion of the stars similar to the motion of the sun?

Doing the activity, you found out that the stars do not appear in their fixed or on their
“original position” through the night. The stars in the night sky seems to move from
east to west. Just like the rising and setting of the sun, stars

What is It

Stars Apparent Movement:

If you look at the stars in a clear night sky you will observe that these stars seem to
be moving from east to west direction. The movement of these stars are called
apparent motion. Apparent Motion is an illusion of something that is not moving to
look like it is moving. The stars appear to move in the night sky because the Earth is
rotating on its axis.

Under the same sky each night you will observe that stars rise and set from east to
west. But if you are patient and observant you will observe that the stars do not
appear on the same position where it was located a week or a month ago. Because
the earth is revolving around the sun, we can see different star and star patterns
(constellations) at different times of the year.

Star Patterns at Different Times of the Year:

The earth’s movement around the sun causes different star patterns to be seen at
different times of the year. Figure 7.1 below shows the different star patterns seen at
different times of the year.

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 Bootes, Cancer, Crates,
Hydra, Leo, Virgo

March

Sagittarius,
Aquila, Orion, Cetus,
Cygnus, Eridanus,
Hercules, Lyra, Gemini,
June December Perseus,
Ophiuchus,
Scorpius Taurus,
Canis Major

September

Pegasus, Andromeda,
Aquarius, Capricornus, Pisces

Practical Use of Stars and Constellation

o Time
The stars appear to move in the night sky from east to west. Just like the
rising and setting of the sun, stars are also used to tell the time at night.
o Calendar
Constellations are often associated with religion, but before the calendars,
ancient people used stars pattern to determine the time when to sow or
harvest. To remember the patterns, they gave the pattern names and stories.
The naming of the constellations helped them recognize and interpret
patterns in the sky easier. For example, Gemini is seen in the Philippines
during the months of April and May. Farmers interpreted the appearance of
Gemini as the end of the planting season and signified rich harvest.

The table below shows how the Matigsalug Manobo of Bukidnon used the stars and
constellations in relation to their agriculture.
Table 7.1: Stars and Constellations Used by Matigsalug Manobo of Bukidnon
Local Name Month of Related Western
Appearance Agricultural Activity Equivalent
1. Baha December to Clearing of forest Taurus
February
2. Pandarawa January Start of planning Pleiades
what kind of crops
to plant and how
wide the area for
planting should be

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3. Balatik February Start of planting Orion’s Belt
and setting of traps
to protect the crops
from animals
4. Malihe March Planting rice, corn
or vegetables
5. Gibbang April and May End of planting Gemini
season; signifies
rich harvest
6. Malara May Stop planting Canis Minor
7. Lepu Late May Time to clean or Aquila
clear the fields
while waiting for
harvest time
8. Buwaya June Start of the rainy
season

o Navigation:
The Polaris is widely used in navigation because it does not change its
position at any time of the year. Also, one can figure out his/her latitude just
by looking at how high Polaris appears in the night sky. This allowed sailors to
find their way as they sail across the seas.

To deepen your understanding about the stars pattern throughout the year, do the
next activity.

What’s More

Activity 7.2 Different Star Patterns throughout the Year

Objective:
Explain why some constellations are not seen at certain months.

Materials:
Photographs of the night sky at different months (Cebu)
Print-out (or drawings) of Constellations.

Procedure:
1. Look at the series of photographs below. This is how you see the night sky in
Cebu at different months.

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Figure 7.2a March Night Sky (9 p.m.)

Figure 7.2b June Night Sky (9 p.m.)

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 Figure 7.2c September Night Sky (9 p.m.)

Figure 7.2d December Night Sky (9 p.m.)

Guide Questions:
1. Compare the photographs. What do you notice?
2. Why are some stars visible in March but not in September?

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 What I Have Learned

Answer the following questions using the mini-skirt principle (long enough to
cover the subject but short enough that make it interesting)
1. Stars appear to move in the night sky because
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. Stars move from east to west in the night sky because (Hint: Relate the stars’
motion direction to Earth’s rotation)
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. Explain why we can see different star patterns at different times of the year.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Activity 7.3 Night Sky Model

Under the dark night sky, you can see thousands of stars. If you are patient and
observant, you will observe that these stars appear to move. The movement of this
star is from east to west and is called as apparent motion. The earth’s rotation on its
axis causes the apparent motion of these stars. We can see different star pattern at
different times of the year because of the Earth’s movement around the sun.

Task:
o Create a model to show the relationship of the visible stars to the position of
the Earth on its axis.

Criteria for rating Night Sky Model

Category 4 3 2 1
Appearance of The project’s The project’s The project’s The project’s
the project appearance is appearance is appearance is appearance is
professional and quite somewhat poor quite poor with
polished without professional and with some many distractive
distractive polished with distractive elements
elements few distractive elements
elements

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Knowledge The model The model The model The model
demonstrates a demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates
thorough good some very little
knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of the
the subject the subject the subject subject
Content Facts The project The project The project The project
content is content is good content is content is poor
exemplary and and suggests fair/poor and and suggests the
suggests the the student has suggests the student has not
student has discovered student has not sufficient
discovered important ideas discovered research.
important ideas on the topic most of the
on the topic important facts.
Organization Display is Display is Some part of Display is
and Style interesting and interesting and the display is uninteresting, not
attractive. attractive. interesting, not tidy. Materials
Materials are Materials are tidy. Some are incomplete
complete and complete and materials are and not
organized to organized to complete and organized.
present the idea present the idea organized. Presentation has
well. well. Presentation no sequence or
Presentation has has sequence plan evident.
sequence and and plan is
plan is evident. evident.
Creativity The project is Good creative Some attempt Little attempt was
excellently effort. The was made to made to add
presented project is neat add color and color or
reflecting and shows originality. originality.
creativity and lot evidence of time Project is neat Project has
of thought spent on it. sloppy
appearance.

Assessment

Multiple Choices: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What do you call the east to west movement of the stars in the night sky?
a. Apparent Motion c. Apparent Movement
b. Illusion Motion d. Apparent Illusion
2. The Earth’s rotation on its axis causes
a. The different brightness of the star
b. The different colors of the star
c. The apparent motion of the stars
d. The visibility of the stars in the sky

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 3. Which of the following is TRUE on how the stars appear to move in the night
sky?
a. Stars move from east to west c. Stars move from north to south
b. Stars move from west to east d. Stars move from south to north
4. All of the following are the practical uses of constellations EXCEPT:
a. Time b. Calendar c. Religion d. Navigation
5. The constellation Pisces changes position during a night. Which motion is
mainly responsible for this change in a position?
a. Revolution of Earth around the Sun
b. Rotation of Earth on its axis
c. Revolution of Pisces around the Sun
d. Rotation of Pisces on its axis
6. Which statement BEST explains why Cygnus is visible to an observer in
Manila in September but not in March?
a. Earth spins on its axis c. Cygnus spins on its axis
b. Earth orbits the Sun d. Cygnus orbits the Earth
7. Which of the following explain why we can see different star patterns at
different times of the year?
a. Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis
b. Due to the rotation of the Earth
c. Due to the revolution of the Earth
d. Due to the rotation of the moon
8. Which of the constellation below indicates that the cold season is coming?
a. Andromeda b. Lynx c. Orion d. Ursa Minor
9. If you are located in the North Pole, where will you see the Polaris?
a. Overhead c. Around 450 from the horizon
b. Just above the horizon d. You will not see Polaris in the North
Pole
10. Which of the following local constellation signifies the start of rainy season in
the Philippines?
a. Balara b. Buwaya c. Lepu d. Balatik

Additional Activities

Activity 7.3 Constellation of the Month

We can see different star patterns at different times of the year because the Earth
revolves around the sun. In the ancient time, constellations were used as calendar to
determine when is the time to sow or harvest. To remember the different star
patterns that are visible at different times of the year, ancient people gave the
patterns names and stories.

Task: Search on the internet the different star patterns or constellations that are
visible on the month of May and give the practical use of the star pattern.

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 Answer Key

Assessment What's More

1. A 1. ANSWER MAY
2. C VARY
3. A
4. A
5. A
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. A
10. B

What I Know
1. A
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. C
9. A
10. C

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References
Science 9 Learner’s Module
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/philippines/cebu-city
educalingo.com
space.com

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Carcar City Division (Learning Resources

Management Section)

P. Nellas St., Poblacion III, Carcar City , Cebu, Philippines 6019

Tel. No. 4878495

Email Address : carcarcitydivision@yahoo.com

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