Constellations can be a useful way to help identify positions of stars in the sky. Constellations have imaginary boundaries formed by "connecting the dots" and all the stars within those boundaries are labeled with the name of that constellation.
Constellations Introduction: 1. Review the difference between a star, a constellation and a galaxy 2. Read several short examples of myths explaining constellations. There are several short myths on-line in the Universe activity section of StarChild.
Around 350 BC, the great Aristotle declared that the Earth was a sphere (based on observations he made about which constellations you could see in the sky as you travelled further and further away from the equator) and during the next hundred years or so, Aristarchus and Eratosthenes actually measured the size of the Earth!
Procedure: Initiate a discussion of constellations by reading to students (or directing them to read for themselves) the introduction to the Star Art activity found in Universe Level 2 of StarChild. Explain that many star groups were named for the people, animals, and objects our ancestors imagined seeing when they looked at the stars.
StarChild Question of the Month for August 1999 Question: What causes a "falling star"? Answer: A "falling star" or a "shooting star" has nothing at all to do with a star! These amazing streaks of light you can sometimes see in the night sky are caused by tiny bits of dust and rock called meteoroids falling into the Earth's atmosphere and burning up. The short-lived trail of light the burning ...
StarChild is a learning center for young astronomers ages 5-13 to learn about the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and the universe beyond. Use the links above to explore the site's topics. If you are looking for something a bit more advanced (ages 14+), then head on over to Imagine the Universe!
CONSTELLATIONS I can't believe I'm doing this This thread is dedicated to the main storyline and random snippet collection called 'Constellations'. It started after seeing comments about how Heresy AUs just repeat the same formula and how corrupt and rotten the Imperium is and how the Emperor was an awful father...now we have this thread.
