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Science 9
Quarter 3 – Module 6:
Constellations
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you to a step-
by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check
your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you
will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can
best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And
read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written in order to help you understand the
patterns that form from group of stars. These patterns in the night sky appear to
move in the course of the night because of the Earth’s rotation. Different star
patterns are seen at different times of the year because of the Earth’s movement
around the Sun.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Show which constellations may be observed at different times of the year using
models.
a. infer some characteristics of stars based on the characteristics of the Sun
b. discuss the position of a constellation changes in the course of a night
c. giving names of the more prominent constellations and their brightest
stars

What I Know

Module 6 will tackle a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is

traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. I know
you are very excited about it, but before we proceed to our discussion, let us check if you
have any idea about the topic that we’re going to study.

Read the sentences below. Complete each by supplying the missing word. Refer to
the puzzle below for the correct answer. Words might be located horizontally, vertically
or diagonally.

The brightest star is (1) , in the constellation (2) .

The prominent pentagon pattern near Polaris is the constellation (3)
The largest constellation is (4) , while the smallest is (5) .
“The Hunter” is constellation (6) ,
(7) , commonly known as the North Star
(8) , a blue supergiant that is the brightest star in the constellation Orion
(9) , stars that can be found in large groups throughout the universe
Constellation that is prominently seen in the sky during summer, (10)
Two stars in the Big Dipper are called (11) , and (12)
Constellation prominent in the Northern Hemisphere, (13) ,
(14) , is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon
(15) , is a prominent constellation in the northern sky. Its name means “the swan”
in Latin.

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 M Y Y O P P S E L U C R E H

C O N S T E L L A T I O N S

R G H Y K P P V V B N Y L Y

D Q C H W R O C Y G N U S T

U S A T Y G L J X K N D X R

B B N R Y D A T W H J R R D

H R I G E L R P Q B K A F A

E H S F H C I A R V P C H U

T N M Y U R S A M A J O R R

H M A E B J L V Z Q R D J I

N J J C R K P C G I Y C Y G

M H O V H A Y M O G P X R A

S I R I U S K N H Y M Z T N

Lesson

7 Introduction to Constellations

On clear nights, look at the stars. What do you observe? Stars do appear to move
across the heavens. As stars move, they seem to be attached to a great bowl. This is the
celestial sphere that turns around the Earth each day. You will see that the stars change
position each night but remain in the same patterns. These patterns have been given
boundary lines. The area within a set of celestial boundary lines is called constellation.

The spiraling of the astronomy concepts starts from the learner’s awareness of the
natural objects that he/she sees in the sky. You have learned about the star patterns
during your elementary days. These patterns seen in the sky at different times of the year.

In this module, you will learn about the characteristics of stars and patterns that
form from groups of stars. These patterns in the night sky appear to move in the course
of the night because of the Earth’s rotation. Different star patterns are seen at different
times of the year because of the Earth’s movement around the sun.

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 What’s In
Now, complete the table below with what you know about constellations.

LATIN NAME ENGLISH NAME OR DESCRIPTION

1. Andromeda
2. Aquila
3. Canis major
4. Cygnus
5. Hydra
6. Pegasus
7. Ursa major
8. Aries
9. Cassiopeia
10. Crux

Constellation names, like the names of stars, come from a variety of sources and
each has a different story and meaning to it. Usually, constellations were given names
based on a Greek mythology but in recent years, constellations were derived after the
scientific instruments and some unusual animals. However, there are no clear policy or
rules on naming the constellations, because their stories differ from one another.

The most famous constellations that were first recognized by the Greek astronomer
Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE were the Orion, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, Centaurus
and Perseus

What’s New

Match the Name of the Constellations with their recognizable appearance in the sky.
Write the letter of the correct answer in your answer sheet.

Constellations Appearance

1. Cassiopeia
2. Cepheus a. b. c.
3. Ursa Major
4. Ursa Minor
5. Draco
6. Gemini
7. Orion d. e. f. g.
8. Taurus
9. Cancer
10. Leo

h. i. j.

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 What is It

Are the stars same in size? Are the stars same in color? Are the stars equally
bright? Thousands of stars can be seen when we look at the night. In reality, there are
approximately 400 billion stars in our galaxy and there are about 170 billion galaxies. But,
since stars are countless, would you believe that only 3,000 stars on the average are able
to see by a human?

These stars differ in many ways. They differ in sizes, brightness and also in
color. They look the same on the night sky, but if you observe them closely, they are
different with one another.

This figure shows the size of the

Sun, closest star to the Earth, as
compared to some other stars that
we see at night. As you can see, the
Sun is so small compared to other
nearby stars. Also, Sirius, which
appears bigger than Rigel, is
actually very small compared to
Rigel. It appears larger only because
it is closer to us.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sirius+and+rigel&tbm=isch&ved=2
ahUKEwjf3pS167vuAhVKUpQKHSRSAbUQ2-

What does the color of the star mean?

Why do stars differ in brightness?

Star ranges from red to blue.

The color of the star indicates its
surface temperature.

The brightness of a star as

seen from the Earth depends on two
factors- distance and actual
brightness (or absolute brightness)
of the star

https://www.google.com/search?q=size+and+color+of+the+sun+compared+t
o+other+stars&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi9jovSlLnuAhWbwIsBHRSaCCkQ2-

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 Let’s take Sirius and Rigel to illustrate the effect of distance to apparent
brightness. Sirius is about 27 times as powerful as the Sun, however Rigel has the power
of many thousands of suns. A person on earth viewed Sirius as brighter than Rigel because
it is closer to the Earth. Considering the distance from the Earth, Rigel is almost 100 times
farther away from Sirius. But in terms of brightness, Sirius is about twice as bright as
Rigel.

Star’s absolute brightness is main concern of astronomers when comparing stars.

A star’s absolute brightness is the brightness the star would have if all stars were the same
standard distance from the Earth.

What is a Constellation?

When you look at the sky, what do you see? Do you see images of animals or
objects? Observers in ancient times also imagined group of stars that from pictures of
animals, objects and people. These imaginary groups of stars are called constellations.

Many of these constellations have names that can be traced back to early
Babylonians and Greek civilizations, but nearly all cultures have different names for the
constellations. For example, the Greeks called the large constellation Orion, which means
hunter and is prominent in the sky all over the world during winter. Early Filipinos,
visualized the same group of stars as Balatik, a trap used in hunting wild pigs. Christian
Filipinos named the three stars (Orion’s belt) Tatlong Maria or Tres Marias.

By observing the Sun’s movement and position in the sky, we can tell what
time of the day it is. When it seems to rise in the east, it is morning. When it is above us,
it is noon. When it seems to move towards the west, it is afternoon. At night, stars are
used to tell the time. Just like the sun, stars also seem to move from east to west.

Why Do We See Different

Constellations During the
Year? If observed through
the year, the constellations
shift gradually to the west.
This is caused by Earth's
orbit around our Sun. In the
summer, viewers are looking
in a different direction in
space at night than they are
during the winter.

https://www.google.com/search?q=constel
lations+observed+at+different+times+of+th
e+year&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjy6YLu7
LvuAhVM0ZQKHVAxDe8Q2-

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 Different Star Patterns throughout the Year

February Night Sky May Night Sky

http://www.astro.umass.edu/~arny/constel/feb.html http://www.astro.umass.edu/~arny/constel/may.html

October Night Sky July Night Sky

http://www.astro.umass.edu/~arny/constel/oct.html http://www.astro.umass.edu/~arny/constel/july.html

While the rotation of the Earth on its axis causes the apparent nightly movement
of the stars across the sky, the revolution is responsible for the fact that we can see
different parts of the sky at different parts of the year.

An observer from the Earth will be able to see the stars that are on the night side.
The stars on the same side as the Sun cannot be seen because sunlight overpowers all
the starlight.

During summer in the Philippines, the constellations of Orion and Taurus are not
visible at night. They will be visible again as the cold season begins. During this time,
Scorpius will not be seen in the night sky.

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 What’s More

True or False: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE it the statement is
incorrect. Write your answer in your answer sheets.

1. Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major.

2. The appearance of Leo in the eastern sky heralds the arrival of spring.
3. Sirius is the red star in the constellation Orion.
4. Andromeda, the Sea Serpent, is the largest constellation.
5. Apparent brightness is called absolute brightness (or absolute magnitude) and is
the measure of the luminosity of a star, but on a common scale.
6. Sirius, the brightest star of all, is in Canis Major.
7. There are 78 official constellations.
8. Canis Minor represents the smaller dog following Orion.
9. Draco constellation represents the dragon.
10. Sirius is bigger than Rigel.

What I Have Learned

Use the dots or stars below to make your own constellations. Then describe the
constellations you made. (5 points each)

1. 2.

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 What I Can Do

Study the picture of the constellation below and write the correct word/s to
complete the statement.

The name of this constellation is

(1) .
There are (2) stars in this
constellation.
The names of these stars are:

(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)

The name of the brightest star in this

constellation is (10) .

The best season to see this constellation is (11)

, especially in the month of
(12) .

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 Assessment

Complete the concept map below with the correct data. Write your answer in a
separate sheet of paper.

Constellation

is defined as is important because

(1) (2)

Constellation
examples in the winter
can be seen all
year long
(8)
(3)
summer
(9)
(4)

(6) (7)
(10)
(5)

Additional Activities

Which constellation do you find most interesting? Choose one (1), draw it on your
paper and explain why is it most interesting to you.

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References
DepEd (2020). Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC)

Science 9 Learner’s Module

https://peac.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SCIGR9Q3-Adv.pdf

https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-names/

https://www.google.com/search?q=constellations+observed+at+different+times+of+the+y
ear&source=l