LEARNING MODULE IN SCIENCE 9

Quarter 4-Week 1
TOPIC: CONSTELLATIONS
MELC: Show which constellations may be observed at different times of the year using models
Learning Objectives:
After going through this module, you are expected to;
1. Define constellations;
2. Describe constellations at different patterns of the year; and
3. Value the importance of constellations in the sky.
Reference: Exploring Life through Science, Josefina Ferriols_Favico pages 348-453
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Introduction:
Stars from recognizable patterns in the sky. The sections of the sky that contains these patterns are called constellations. During
the Astronomical Congress of 1928, the International Astronomical Union recognized 88 constellations, which are astronomically regarded as 88
boundaries rather than real figures. Every star will be situated in any one of these boundaries. If you look out the sky and see all the stars forming a
maze of bright dots, you can “connect the dots” and create your own cluster arrangement of stars or constellation. Different cultures looked at the
same set of stars but saw other forms. Ancient civilizations looked up to these patterns as messages, guides 0r symbols from the heavens.

Constellations
Is a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure .
Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.

Patterns in the Sky

The patterns of stars seen in the sky are usually called constellations, although more accurately, a group of stars that forms a pattern in the
sky is called an asterism. Astronomers use the term constellation to refer to an area of the sky. The positions of stars with respect to each other’s
seem to be fixed and can be grouped together.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) divides the sky into 88 official constellations (these includes the 12 zodiac signs) with exact
boundaries, so that every place in the sky belongs within a constellation. Most of the constellations in the Northern Hemisphere are based on the
constellations invented by the ancient Greeks, while most in the Southern Hemisphere are based on names given to them by seventeenth century
European explorers

CELESTIAL SPHERE MODEL

By observing Sun's movement and position in the sky, we can tell what time of the day it is.

Celestial Sphere is a mechanical model to

explain the motions of the sky. Can we all see the same
stars? No, because Earth is round and just rotates on its
north-south axis, we only see the stars above the
Hemisphere in which we live. Earth seems to be in the
middle of a great dark ball, the celestial sphere.
The stars move from east (right) to west (left) as
the night deepens because of the rotation of the Earth on
its axis which causes the apparent nightly movement of
the stars across the sky.
So, as the seasons pass, we see different
groups of stars in a given direction , at any given time of
night.

Different Star Patterns through the Year

While the rotation of the Earth on its axis caused the apparent nightly movement of the stars across the sky, the revolution is responsible
for the fact that we can see different parts of the sky at different parts of the year.
An observer from Earth will be able to see the stars on the night side. The stars on the same side of the sun cannot be seen because
sunlight overpowers all the starlights.
During summer, in the Philippines, the constellations of Orion and Taurus are not visible at night. They will be visible again as the cold
season begin. During that time, Scorpius will not be seen in the night sky. As the Earth revolves around the sun, the stars that were concealed by the
bright light of the sun in the previous months will appear in the night sky. As the Earth revolves around the sun, we will be experiencing seasons.
The constellations that are visible in the night sky in the evening change from season to season because stars appear to move by 90
degrees across the sky every three months. Even though some constellations are circumpolar to northern or southern latitudes and can be seen
year round, the sky offers different sights from different locations at different times of year.
The stars appear to move about 15 degrees per hour on average, completing a full circle (360 degrees) every 24 hours. Some rise directly
east and set directly west, taking longer to cross the sky, but most of them follow shorter arcs, staying closer to the horizon before setting. As they
move across the sky, the stars stay in the same patterns. These patterns, which we know as constellations, may appear larger or smaller at different
times of the night or sideways or upside down at different times of year, but their shape never changes, at least not in our lifetime.
 Summer and winter constellations are different because stars in fact take a little less than an hour to move by 15 degrees, and they
complete an entire circle in 23 hours and 56 minutes. In other words, they rise and set four minutes earlier each night. The distance they cross in
those remaining 4 minutes is a little less than 1 degree, which means that they move about 361 degrees per day. These extra degrees eventually
add up and, as a result, the stars rise and set an hour earlier every two weeks, two hours earlier each month and, after a full year, we see them in
the same position as before. As the seasons pass, different constellations of stars are visible in different areas of the sky because the stars move by
about 90 degrees from one season to the next.
The term “seasonal constellations” usually refers to the constellations that are visible in the sky at around 9 pm in the evening or to
constellations that are best observed during a particular season . These, however, are not the only constellations that can be seen in the sky on any
given evening. For instance, Andromeda, a prominent autumn constellation, can be seen high overhead on summer evenings around midnight .
Orion, which dominates the winter sky in the evening, can also be seen in the late summer , when it rises just before dawn. It only means that not
only one season can a constellation may appear. It may appear twice in two different season or more.

Different Star Patterns throughout the Year

SELF-CHECK:
ACTIVITY 1. Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. How many constellations are there in the sky?
A. 27 B. 53 C. 15 D. 88
2. Which of the following does NOT show application of constellations?
A. To help locate stars C. To know when to plant crops
B. To keep track of the calendar D. To find best medicines for common ailments
3. What is a constellation?
A. A group of stars from the same galaxy. C. A group of visible stars that make a pattern when viewed from Earth.
B. A group of stars that are physically close to each other. D.All of the above
4. A group of stars in the sky form a _______________.
A. light year B. constellation C. galaxy D. solar system
5. If a star is located directly overhead, where is it found on the star map we used?
A. Along the eastern edge of the star map. C. Along the Southern edge of the star map
B. In the center of the circular star map. D. Along the western edge of the star map.
ACTIVITY 2. PERSONAL CONSTELLATION!
Directions:
1. The alphabet is written across the top (X axis) of the graph worksheet. Write your name vertically down the Y axis. (Skipping a space between
each letter of the name will spread the picture out better.) You can use any combination of first, middle, last or nicknames or initials.
2. Start with the first letter in the written name. Follow along that row parallel to the X axis until you come to the column with that letter of the alphabet
and draw a star in that square. Continue with the other letters.
3. Then, look at the stars and find a pattern. The paper may be held in any orientation, and one or several constellations could be created,
depending your imagination. 4. Connect the dots and draw a picture of your constellation.

After connecting the dots and forming your constellations, write a creative and very imaginative story below.

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