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Science Notebook

Stars appear to move across the night sky from east to west because the Earth rotates on its axis. Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky that are used to locate astronomical objects. Some constellations like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor contain bright stars and are easily recognizable patterns. Circumpolar constellations like Ursa Major remain visible in the night sky all year from the northern hemisphere as they are located close to the celestial north pole. The visibility of constellations depends on the location and season of the observer.

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66 views

Science Notebook

Stars appear to move across the night sky from east to west because the Earth rotates on its axis. Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky that are used to locate astronomical objects. Some constellations like Ursa Major and Ursa Minor contain bright stars and are easily recognizable patterns. Circumpolar constellations like Ursa Major remain visible in the night sky all year from the northern hemisphere as they are located close to the celestial north pole. The visibility of constellations depends on the location and season of the observer.

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JEROMEKENNETH CAPILITAN
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SCIENCE NOTEBOOK

Have you seen patterns in the sky at night? Due to the difference in apparent magnitude of the stars,
you are able to see patterns in the sky and these patterns are called constellations. The word
constellation from the Latin word “con” means Group and “stella” means stars. However, constellations
are more than just patterns in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined constellations
as boundaries in the sky to aid determining locations of newly discovered astronomical objects. The
more recognizable patterns of stars are known as asterism. Big Dipper is an example of an asterism that
is in the constellation Ursa Major. This history of constellation is passed from generation to generation
including the beliefs about sun and moon, however due to some circumstances this information about
stars were not preserved. As of today, we have 88 constellations that astronomers studied and most of
these stars are based on Greek groups and there are also 48 accredited constellations recorded in
Ptolemy's almagest. There are billions of stars in the night sky and stargazing could be an exceptional
way to explore it. Many people are having difficulty on recognizing stars and constellations. Ursa Major
is an easily recognizable constellation in the night sky that looks like a large spoon. It is composed of
seven bright stars. Another constellation is Ursa Minor, composed also of seven stars that resembled a
small spoon.

Stars are distant celestial bodies from Earth and Sun is the nearest star. Stars and constellations are
visible depending on the location of an observer and the season in that place. Some stars and
constellations are only visible at a specific month. Why do stars appear to move to move in the sky? This
is because Earth rotates on its axis, thus the stars appear to move across the night sky from east to west,
and the sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west. The stars that are close to celestial poles,
appears to move a little in the night sky. Polaris is the North star because it is located close to the north
celestial pole. Stars that are around a celestial pole are called circumpolar stars forming recognizable
patterns known as 8 CO_Q3_Science 9_ Module 6 circumpolar constellations. The northern circumpolar
constellations are Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and Draco. The southern circumpolar
constellations are Carina, Centaurus, and Crux. The circumpolar stars remain in the night sky and stay
visible all year from the northern hemisphere. All stars observed from the equator are not circumpolar
for it appears to rise in the east and set in the west.

People living in the northern or southern hemisphere can observe constellation that are to the north or
south of Earth while those in the equator can observe constellations depending on their distance to the
equator. As the Earth rotates around the sun the visibility of constellations changes throughout the year.
As shown in the illustration of celestial sphere, people in the northern hemisphere can see Ursa Minor
throughout the year but this constellation not visible to those in the southern hemisphere.

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