Earth and Space: Patterns in the Sky

Earth and Space- Patterns in the Sky

pp.304-305

Open Ended

What do you see when you look up at the night sky?

Open Ended

What do you know about the stars?

1. Stars are bright, huge balls of gas. 

2. They get super hot and bright by burning one gas, hydrogen, into another gas, helium.

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI

Multiple Choice

Stars are found in huge groups called ______.

• superstars

• celebrity stars

• galaxies

• black hole

3. Stars are found in huge groups called galaxies. 

 Earth is part of a solar system that belongs to MILKY WAY GALAXY.

Our galaxy alone contains hundreds of billions of stars.

Milky Way Galaxy

4. Stars vary in size, temperature, brightness, and color. 

Types of Stars

Video

Types of Stars According to Size

Multiple Choice

A star can shrink or grow.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Small stars last longer than large stars.

• True

• False

*A star can shrink or grow.

*Small stars last longer than large stars. 

Stars usually begin as dwarf stars. These are small, but they can last for millions (even billions) of years. 

Open Ended

Do you think stars die?

Yes, stars do die.

After shining for billions of years, a star uses up all its hydrogen.

Small and medium stars slowly cool down and stop shining.

sun-----white dwarf star

Large stars end with a violent explosion called a supernova. After that the material gets crushed much smaller. It no longer shines.

Multiple Choice

What is the closest star to Earth?

• sun

• Proxima Centauri

• moon

5. The closest star to Earth is the Sun. 

yellow / dwarf star

Open Ended

Do stars really twinkle?

Stars do not really twinkle, they just appear to twinkle when seen from the surface of Earth. 

Do stars really twinkle?

When starlight enters our atmosphere it is affected by winds in the atmosphere and by areas with different temperatures and densities.

Do stars really twinkle?

Stars are bright, huge balls of gas.  

oblate spheroid - (roughly spherical)

Do stars really twinkle?

Open Ended

Do stars produce their own light?

Do stars produce their own light?

Stars make their own light, just like our sun.

sun = star

Open Ended

Why can't we see stars in the daytime like we do at night?

The stars are in the sky both day and night. During daytime the Sun (star), makes our sky so bright that we cannot see the much dimmer stars. At night, when the sky is dark, the light of the stars can be seen.

Open Ended

What is a blackhole?

Blackhole

Video

Black hole is a cosmic body of extremely intense gravity from which nothing, not even light, can escape. A black hole can be formed by the death of a massive star.

Open Ended

What is the story behind the name of Milky Way galaxy?

The Milky Way gets its name from a Greek myth about the goddess Hera who sprayed milk across the sky while breastfeeding Heracles.

Mythology

Multiple Choice

What scientists study space and everything in it?

• astrologers

• astronomers

• meteorologists

An astronomer is a scientist who focuses primarily on the study of space, which includes the stars, the planets and the galaxies.

Astronomy vs Astrology

Astronomy is the scientific study of everything in outer space.

Astronomers

Studying the scientific properties of these objects in space helps us to understand how the universe was made, what else is out there, and how we fit in.

Astronomers

 Astrology is based on the belief that the location of certain stars and planets in the sky can predict the future or describe what a person is like. 

*HOROSCOPE

Claims made by astrology are not based on scientific evidence.

pseudoscience/divination/beliefs

HOROSCOPE

Open Ended

Have you ever thought some of the stars form a picture/ shape?

What kind of shapes/pictures have you noticed?

In ancient times astronomers saw many patterns in the way stars were arranged in the sky.

CONSTELLATION

What are constellations?

Constellation comes from a Latin word that means "set with stars".

star pattern or constellation

is a group of stars that seems to form a

picture in the night sky

(highlight) -p.304

Today, there are 88 officially recognized constellations.

The Big Dipper is a part of a constellation called URSA MAJOR ,or GREAT BEAR.

URSA MINOR

"smaller bear"

ORION

Orion is a constellation named after a hunter in Greek mythology.

AQUARIUS

“water carrier” or “cup carrier”

Aquila

"EAGLE"

ARIES

"ram

CANIS MAJOR

"greater dog"

Cassiopeia

the name of a queen in Greek mythology

GEMINI

"twins"

LEO

"lion"

PICSES

"fish"

SCORPIUS

"scorpion"

TAURUS

"bull"

PICSES

"fish"

zodiac constellations - astrology

How did the constellations get their names?

Long ago, people looked up at the night sky and saw patterns that look like people, animals, or objects.

Most of the constellation names we know came from the ancient Middle Eastern, Greek, and Roman cultures.

They identified clusters of stars as gods, goddesses, animals, and objects of their stories. 

Multiple Choice

Which Earth movement would make constellations seem to move across the sky over the course of one night

• Earth's rotation on its axis

• Moon is orbiting around the Earth

Open Ended

Why do you think you can see some constellations only during certain times of the year?

Earth travels in an orbit around the sun, so the positions of the constellations in the night sky, as viewed from Earth, change from season to season.

REVOLUTION

Open Ended

Why do you think people in the Southern Hemisphere see some different constellations than people in the Northern Hemisphere do?

People who live in different hemispheres of Earth see different parts of the sky.