Transcript What are constellations? - Red Hook Central School District

 Astronomy: Study of the motions
and properties of objects in space
 Constellations: Observed pattern
people use to mark the position of
stars in the sky
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Ancient people did not have much light
pollution so they could see lots of stars
Stars do not have a pattern, but ancient
people thought they saw patterns
They associated patterns with traditions and
legends that were a part of their culture
Scientists today have divided the sky into 88
regions, with each region being paired with a
constellation
 Different constellations are visible
to us at different times of the year
due to our location on our orbit
around the sun- further proof of
Earth’s revolution
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The Zodiac
There are many different forms of astrology
and many different ways of interpreting a
chart. But at least all Western astrologers
agree on something as basic as the Zodiac.
Don't they? If only it was that simple...
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What Is The Zodiac?
The Zodiac is in effect a map of the heavens
on which the positions of the planets can be
plotted. An imaginary band around the Earth
is extended outwards along the plane of the
ecliptic through which (more or less) the
planets rotate. This band is then divided into
a number of sections, each of which is named
after one of the stellar constellations. As the
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Earth and the planets move, the
apparent location of each planet within
the Zodiac changes over time. Since the
Earth revolves around the Sun, the Sun
appears to move through the Zodiac
regularly throughout the year. The
apparent movement of some of the
other heavenly bodies is less simple.
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Astrology (don’t have to write): The study of
the positions and aspects of celestial bodies
in belief that they have an influence on the
course of natural earthly occurrences and
human affairs
Horoscope: An astrological forecast, as of a
person's future, based on a diagram of the
aspect of the planets and stars at a given
moment.
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Zodiac: an annual cycle of twelve stations or
"signs" along the ecliptic, the apparent path
of the Sun across the heavens
Constellations appear to rise and set just
as the sun does
 Constellations appear to move one
degree of a circle per day, completing a
full circle each year
 In a half of a year, the constellation will
be half way around the celestial sphere
(the part of the sky we can see)
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Throughout the year, the apparent
diameter of the sun changes in a cyclic
fashion due to the Earth’s slightly
elliptical orbit
 As the Earth revolves around the sun, it
is moving towards a star for half the
year, away from the star the other have,
resulting in a blue-shift/red-shift effect
on the starlight
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Orion: The most famous stories come from
Greek and Roman myths. Orion was a famed
hunter, and in one story boasted that no
creature could kill him. Hera then sent a
scorpion to sting the hunter. Orion smashed
the animal with his club, but not before he
was poisoned. Both are now on opposite
sides of the sky. They cannot be seen at the
same time.
Probably the most famous constellation, with the
exception of Orion. Also known as the Great Bear, it
has a companion called Ursa Minor, or Little Bear.
The body and tail of the bear make up what is
known as the Big Dipper. Also called names such as
the Plough, the Wain and even the Wagon, this
constellation has a lot of history behind it.
 Several different cultures saw a big bear in the sky.
The ancient Greeks had a few different stories to
explain how the animal ended up there. In one story,
Hera discovered Zeus was having an affair with
Callisto and turned her into a bear. Zeus put her in
the sky along with her son, Arcas, who became the
Little Bear.
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The constellation Leo is known as the Lion. Leo's head
and mane make up an upside-down question mark
called the Sickle. One of the brightest spring stars,
Regulus (Latin for "little king"), is at the base of the
question mark. The rest of Leo's body, legs, and tail
extend to the east. During the dry season in ancient
Egypt, the lions of the desert came close to the valley
of the Nile when the river flooded, which used to
happen when the Sun was in Leo. Some have
interpreted this as the origin of the name of the
constellation. The ancient Sumerians, Babylonians,
Persians, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans, all recognized
this constellation as a lion.
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Taurus passes through the sky from November through
March. Taurus was a very popular constellation in ancient
times, so there are many myths about it.
The Greeks thought the stars represented Zeus in disguise as
a white bull. He tricked Europa into climbing on his back. He
then swam out to sea and carried her to Crete. In Egypt, the
constellation was a reminder of Apis, the Bull of Memphis.
He served as a servant to Osiris, god of the Sun.
Just as famous as Taurus is the group of stars within it. The
Pleiades are a group of seven stars that lie on the Bull's
shoulder. The Greeks believed these were the Seven Sisters,
daughters of Atlas and Pleione. It was told that they asked
Zeus to place them in the sky to escape Orion, who was
desperately pursuing them. Little did they know that Orion
would be placed right next to Taurus in the night sky!
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History Channel Constellations
Bill Nye on Astrology
 Read the three horoscopes for the same sign
out of three different newspapers
 Answer the following questions:
 1. How well do the predictions of different
astrologers agree?
 2. How specific are the newspaper
statements?
 3. In what ways could the statements apply to
different people?
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Directions: Read the horoscopes below. Try to
find the one for your sign. If you aren’t sure,
pick the one you’d want to be yours. Write the
number of the horoscope you believe to be
yours on the line below:
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My horoscope is horoscope number:
________
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Directions: The horoscopes in Activity Two
were from Saturday October 31, 2009. After
finding out which horoscopes are for which
sign, write a brief paragraph comparing your
day on Saturday to the kind of day your
horoscope forecasted for you. Was the
horoscope accurate? Do you “buy into”
astrology?