Stars, Galaxies and Constellations

Objectives
● Define: Sun, star, galaxy, Universe, constellation.
● Compare the relative sizes and distances of objects in space
Starter Task: Complete your
crossword
Complete the sentences below in your book for
today's key words. 
 a. galaxies
The universe contains thousands of clusters of stars called __________.

heat
b. Stars are spheres of gas that give out energy including ______ and
light
______. 

Sun is the nearest star to Earth. 

c. The _____

Stars
d. _______ are visible from Earth because they are lights sources.
constellation
e.  A group of stars in the sky is called a ____________.

Key Words: Stars heat Sun light galaxies constellation 

 Sizes Order
You have 5 minutes to research with your partner the following words. 
Put them in size order from smallest to largest and define at least 3
words. 
• Universe
• Moon
• Galaxy
• Asteroid
• Solar system
• Star
• Planet
Extension: Are there any other key space words missing? 
Galaxies 
A galaxy is a collection of stars, the remains of stars,​ gas and dust, and the
mysterious dark matter. 
There are many different types and sizes of galaxies, ranging from ‘dwarf
galaxies’ containing as few as 10 million stars, to giant galaxies containing one
trillion stars. Our Galaxy, The Milky Way, is a fairly average galaxy, thought to
contain several hundred billion stars. 
Galaxies 
There are two shapes of galaxies.
• Spiral galaxies are disk-shaped and have dusty arms. 
• Elliptical galaxies have a more featureless brightness profile, and look
smoother. 
What type is the Milky Way? 
 Galaxies 
Galaxies tend to look mostly blue or red in colour, and this can give us a clue
to their age. The colour is primarily due to the stars from which the galaxy is
made up. Stars come in a range of sizes, from objects about 1/10 the size of
the sun, up to massive stars, perhaps 150 times as big as our sun. Not
surprisingly, the more massive a star, the hotter it will be and this means it
will generally be bluer in colour. 

What do we have in our science lab that also burns blue when it is hotter? 
Galaxies 
What might be surprising though is that the massive stars burn up their fuel
more quickly and die sooner than smaller stars.

Consequently, as a population of stars ages, it will become redder in colour

because all the blue massive stars die out and we are left with just the red
stars. 

Why do astronomers call big red ellipticals "red and dead galaxies”?
The red ellipticals must be older than the blue spirals and have left energy. 
Who is feeling strong?
Person 1: Hold 3 trays with your arms out straight. 

Person 2: Hold 3 pieces of paper with your arms out straight. 

Who burns energy the quickest – the large mass or the smaller mass? How
does this link to stars? 
Task: Match the words with their definitions then put
them in size order.  
A ball of shining gas, made mostly of hydrogen and helium,
held together by its own gravity. Turning hydrogen into helium
creates the energy that makes stars shine.
Sun
A collection of thousands to billions of stars held together by
gravity. The galaxy we live in is called the Milky Way.
Star
A group of stars in the sky. They're often named after an
Galaxy animal, object, or person. The stars form certain patterns based
on where you are.

Universe The star in the centre of our solar system.

Constellation All of space and time, and everything in it. It’s everything ever!
Extension 
Create a diagram showing the life cycle of a star.  

Create the galaxy pinwheel https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/pinwheel-galaxy/en/