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Astronomy Year / Week 08 / Monday
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Week 08 · Orion the Hunter

Monday

Meet Orion
// A winter giant and a summer triangle
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: Meet Orion

Nova projects a giant star figure. "Meet Orion the Hunter!"

Rocket counts. "Three stars in a row in the middle!"

Raven tilts her head. "What do you notice about the shape around them?"

Nova smiles. "Hint: think of a sand timer, wide at both ends."

A winter star group

Orion is a bright star group.

It is high in the sky on winter evenings.

Seven bright stars make an hourglass shape.

Three stars in a row make Orion's belt.

Orion is easy to see from most of the world.

Its belt is a great first thing to find.

ORION CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
When is Orion high in the evening sky?
How many stars are in Orion's belt?
What shape do Orion's seven bright stars make?
Draw Orion: an hourglass of stars with three stars across the middle.
Orion factTrue or false?
Orion has a belt of three stars.?
Orion is high on summer evenings.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEKnowing the season tells you when to look.

Start with the belt

  1. On a winter evening, find three bright stars in a short row.
  2. That is Orion's belt.
  3. Look above the belt for two bright stars.
  4. Look below the belt for two more.
  5. Together they make the hourglass.
HOURGLASS PRACTICE
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What is the best first part of Orion to find?
Where is the belt in Orion?
Can people in most of the world see Orion?
Try it
Make Orion with seven stickers on dark paper.
Put three in a row in the middle for the belt.
Put two above and two below.
Safety first
Stickers stay out of mouths.
Keep stickers away from babies.
For a grown-up
Optional: Constellation Draw by Neal Agarwal lets you connect stars into pictures.
Type neal.fun/constellation-draw into a web browser.
Its privacy policy says it is not for children under 13. Open it for your child and explore together.

You met Orion! Tomorrow we look at two of its colorful stars.