Science Big Idea

Why do you see constellations move across the sky each night?

• because stars move through space
• because stars revolve around the Sun once a day
• because stars revolve around Earth once a day
• because Earth rotates 

Which is TRUE about a constellation?

• It is a group of stars that form a pattern
• It is a star that is far away
• It appears to stay in the same place every night
• It revolves around Earth

Which might you see only during certain seasons of the year?

• the Sun
• the moon
• a constellation
• the night sky

How do constellations seem to move in the night sky?

• they seem to move from east to west
• they seem to stay in the same place all night 
• they seem to move in circles around the night sky
• the patterns seem to change as constellations move

We can see the constellation Orion only in certain seasons because

• Earth rotates on its axis
• Earth revolves around the Sun
• it gets farther away during certain seasons
• its pattern changes during certain seasons

Stars seem to move across the night sky because

• Earth rotates every 24 hours
• Earth revolves around the Sun
• Stars rotate every 24 hours
• Stars move very fast

The pattern of a constellation

• takes a year to move across the night sky
• changes because Earth rotates
• changes night after night
• looks the same night after night

Caroline looks up at the night sky on a clear night. She is searching for patterns of stars in the sky. What is Caroline looking for?

• planets
• galaxies
• constellations
• other planet's moons

Hundreds of years ago, people observed constellations in the night sky. How were constellations originally named and identified?

• by their brightness
• with latitude and longitude
• by their distance from Earth
• by the patterns they formed in the sk

The following constellation, recognizable by the three stars that make up his belt, is

• The Big Dipper
• Leo the Lion
• Orion the Hunter
• Scorpius the Scorpion