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Science Launch G5 / Week 12 / Friday
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Week 12 · Stars and Shadows

Friday

A changing night sky
// Our star, our shadows and the turning sky
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: A changing night sky

Raven keeps a star journal. In September she drew a group of stars. Now she cannot find them at the same time of night.

"Did they move?" Rocket asks. "Stars cannot just walk away."

Raven flips back through her pages. "What do you notice about the dates?" she asks.

Nova projects Earth circling the Sun, with stars all around the outside. "Here is a hint," she says. "We are the ones moving."

Rocket follows the tiny Earth around its path. "So we see a different part of space each season!"

Different stars in different months

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a pattern in the sky.

Earth orbits around the Sun once each year. Our view into space at night changes as we orbit.

In the Northern Hemisphere on September 21, you can probably see the constellation Pisces at night.

You will not see Virgo then. It is on the other side of the Sun. Its stars are up during the day, hidden by sunlight.

SKY REASONING
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Why do we see different constellations in different months?
Why can we not see Virgo at night in late September?
A group of stars that forms a pattern is a ____.
The closest star to Earth is the ____.
Shadows are shortest when the Sun is ____ in the sky.
PatternCaused by Earth's motion?
Day and night?
Shadows changing during the day?
Different constellations in different months?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEarth's spin and orbit cause the daily and yearly patterns we see in the sky.

Moving through space

The stars are not moving away from us.

We are moving. Earth carries us around the Sun.

As we travel, the night side of Earth faces different parts of space.

StatementTrue or false?
A constellation is a group of stars that forms a pattern.?
Our night view into space changes as Earth orbits.?
Virgo is easy to see at night on September 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.?
Pisces can probably be seen at night on September 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEarth's orbit changes which constellations we see at night.
SKY THINKING
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Where are Virgo's stars in late September?
Raven cannot find her September stars at the same time later. Why?
A group of stars that forms a pattern is a ____.
Earth orbits the Sun once each ____.
Try it
On a clear night, go outside with a grown-up.
Find one bright group of stars and sketch it.
Write the date. Look for it again in a few months.

You can now explain patterns in the sky. Tomorrow is our final Launch Lab.

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