← Back to course
Astronomy Year / Week 06 / Monday
1/6
Week 06 · Star Pictures

Monday

What is a constellation?
// Constellations, the Little Dipper and Cassiopeia
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: What is a constellation?

Nova fills the room with tiny star lights.

"I see a bunny!" Rocket says. "No, a rocket ship!"

Raven smiles. "What do you notice? We each see different pictures."

Nova blinks. "Hint: sky watchers agreed on names for some star groups."

Named star groups

A constellation is a group of stars with a name.

Sky watchers use 88 official constellations.

The Big Dipper is not one of them.

It is an asterism inside the Great Bear.

The stars in a constellation only look close together.

Some are near us. Some are very far away.

CONSTELLATION CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
How many official constellations are there?
Is the Big Dipper an official constellation?
Star picture factTrue or false?
A constellation is a named group of stars.?
All stars in a constellation are the same distance away.?
The Big Dipper is part of the Great Bear.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEStar pictures are patterns we see from Earth.

Constellation or asterism?

A constellation is one of the 88 official star groups.

An asterism is a pattern people know that is not official.

An asterism can sit inside a constellation.

The Big Dipper sits inside the Great Bear.

SORT THE STAR GROUPS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The Great Bear is one of the 88. Is it a constellation?
The Big Dipper is not one of the 88. What is it?
Rocket saw a bunny. Raven saw a rocket ship. Who is right?
Are the stars in a constellation all close together in space?
FROM BIG TO SMALL
  • Start with the biggest.
  • Tap a card, then tap its spot.
1Biggest group
2Inside it
3Part of that
Try it
Sprinkle ten paper dots on a table.
Find a picture in the dots.
Ask your grown-up what picture they see.
Did you see the same thing?
Safety first
Keep small paper dots away from babies.
Nothing goes in your mouth.
Draw ten dots. Then connect some to make a picture.

You know what a constellation is! Tomorrow we meet the Little Dipper.