Night Sky Exemplar Review

Lee was in her back yard observing constellations in the night sky early in the evening. She observed that one constellation, Orion, was very easy to see from his front yard. A couple hours later, she observed that Orion could be seen better from the front yard. Which statement correctly explains why Orion appears to have shifted in the sky?

• The Earth’s revolution around the sun caused a shift in the appearance of Orion.

• Orion is the only constellation that moves across the night sky.

• Orion is a constellation which moves from east to west across the night sky.

• The Earth’s rotation on its axis caused a shift in the appearance of Orion.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Perseus is a constellation that people in Florida can see only in the winter. Why can some constellations be seen only in the winter?

• The Sun sets earlier in the winter.

• The constellations move through the sky.

• Earth revolves around the Sun.

• Earth rotates on its axis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Which statements do NOT explain why stars appear to move in the same pattern across the sky when viewed from Earth? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

• Earth is moving around the stars.

• The stars are moving around Earth.

• Earth is rotating on its axis.

• The stars are spinning.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

A 4th grader went out one night and drew the positions of some of the patterns of stars that he knew. Then, he went out the next month and carefully drew the positions of the patterns of stars again. How did the two sketches compare?

• The pictures would be very different. None of the constellations would be the same after a month.

• The shapes of some of the patterns would have changed.

• The patterns would be exactly the same shape and in the same place.

• The patterns would be the same, but drawn in different places on the paper.

Tags

NGSS.5-ESS1-2

Throughout the year, the 4th grade students at Three Oaks Elementary looked at the patterns of stars. They recorded their observations in their science notebooks. Which of the following is a correct observation they might have written down?

• Star patterns travel across the sky from west to east.

• Some star patterns are visible only in the summer and others only in the winter.

• Star patterns change shape as they move across the sky.

• All the star patterns visible in the summer are also visible in the winter.

Tags

NGSS.5-ESS1-2

Kayla has been using her telescope every night to observe the star patterns which are known as constellations. She kept a journal of her observations all year. Which of the following is a correct observation based on what she would have seen?

• Different star patterns can be seen in different seasons.

• The star patterns remain in the same position every night.

• Star patterns change as they appear to move across the sky.

• The star patterns are brighter at different times of the night.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A student centers a star in the middle of her telescope’s view and locks the telescope in place. A few hours later, the star appears to have moved. Why does the star appear to move in the telescope’s view?

• Earth revolves around the Sun.

• Stars rotate on their axes.

• Earth rotates on its axis.

• The stars revolve around Earth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Danny notices that he can see some star patterns during the summer, but he can’t see them during the winter. Which motions do NOT cause his observations? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

• Earth is revolving around the Sun.

• The stars moving around Earth.

• The stars moving around the Sun.

• Earth rotating on its axis

A constellation is...

• a star that only appears in the northern hemisphere

• a meteor shower that happens each summer

• a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern

• a group of stars that moves across the