Science 9
Offline Activity Sheet
April 1, 2024
CONSTELLATIONS CHANGING POSITION DURING THE NIGHT
AND AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR
Just as the Sun appears to move across the daytime sky, stars appear to move across the night sky. They appear
to move from east to west.The Earth spins on its axis and because it is spinning,the Sun and nearly all stars appear
to be moving across the sky.
Relationship of Constellation with the Orbit of the Earth
If you look at the night sky different times of the year,you see different constellations.This change is due to the
motion of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Each day,a few stars are visible in the east that were not visible the
night before. lf you were to measure how much the sky "shifted" from one day to the next, you would discover that it
"shifts" approximately one degree per day. This should not be surprising because, if you think about it, there are
365 days per year and 360 degrees in a circle. The sky does not actually shift but just another case of apparent
motion. The "shift" of the sky is really due to the motion of the earth around the sun.
Constellations or clusters of stars that can be Seen All Year Long
Polaris, also called the North Star is one star seen from the northern half of the
Earth that seems to stay in the same place.This star is found almost directly above
the North Pole. Those constellations that are nearly close to Polaris can be seen all
year round from the northern half of the Earth.The reason is because the paths
followed by such constellations do not dip below the horizon.A group of
constellations appears to circle Polaris due to the Earth's spinning.
Constellations that are not close to Polaris seem to "rise" and "set," just as the Sun
does.These constellations can be seen only at certain times of the year. As the
Earth rotates along its orbit,it faces different parts of the sky. That is why different groups of stars can be seen at
different times of the year. In the more likely situation that one lives around 45 degrees latitude,the North Star would
appear 45 degrees above the horizon and only stars within 45 degrees of it are visible throughout the year. This
would include constellations like Ursa Major (the Big Dipper),Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper),Cassiopeia,Draco,and
other so-called"circumpolar" constellations.
Constellations classified as winter constellations of Northern sky are composed of Orion,Perseus,Taurus,the
Pleiades Cluster,Canis Major,Cetus, Eridanus, and Gemini and summer constellations, made up of Cygnus,Lyra,
Aquila, Sagittarius, and Scorpius.
Winter Constellations Summer Constellations
Activity 1.
The zodiac signs we use today are actually names of constellations we ususally see in the sky. Let’s see how many
constellations you can correctly describe.
Instructions: Place the letter of the correct constellation on the space provided before its corresponding names.
___________1. Leo A. The Crab
___________2. Aries B. The Goat
___________3. Orion C. The Bull
___________4. Libra D. The Twins
___________5. Draco E. The Water Carrier
___________6. Taurus F. The Winged Horse
___________7. Pisces G. The Great Bear
___________8. Cancer H. The Scorpion
___________9. Gemini I. The Hunter
___________10. Aquarius J. The Scales
___________11. Pegasus K. The Ram
___________12. Sagittarius L. The Lion
___________13. Scorpius M. The Fish
___________14. Ursa Major N. The Archer
___________15. Capricornus O. The Dragon
Activity 2.
Instructions: Use complete sentences to answer the following questions.
1. Why does the position of a constellation in the night sky change?
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2. Do stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night? Whyt or why not?
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3. What contellations can you see during the summer times? During winter times?
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