Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region V
SCHOOLS Division of Camarines Sur

(SCIENCE 9)
Name: ______________________________________________ Quarter: __3__Week : 8
Grade Level/Section: _______________________________ Date : ___________________

CONSTELLATIONS
I. Introductory Concept

A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible

stars forms a perceived outline or pattern, typically representing an animal,
mythological person or creature, or an inanimate object. The origin of constellations
goes back to prehistory as people used them to relate stories of their beliefs,
experiences, creation, or mythology.

Many constellations have names that can

be traced back to early Babylonians and Greek
civilization, but nearly all cultures have different
names for constellations. For example, the Greek
called the large constellation Orion, which means
hunter and is prominent in the night sky all over
winter. Early Filipinos visualized the same group of
stars as Balatik, a trap used in hunting wild pigs.
Filipino Christians named the three stars (Orion’s https://www.bing.com/search?q=image+of+orion%
belt).
Another nearby group of stars consisting six to seven stars
seen in the Philippines is the Tatlong Maria or Tres Marias,
locally known as Moroporo.
The Polaris, commonly known as the North Star, is
the brightest star in constellation Ursa Minor (Little Dipper)
very close to the North Celestial Pole, considering it as
the current Northern pole star. Polaris is almost motionless
in the sky and all stars of the Northern sky appear to
rotate around it. Here in our country, the Philippines, you
https://www.bing.com/search?q=images+of+polaris
+ can locate Polaris by facing North and locating the Big Dipper.
Two stars, Merak and Duhbe in the Big Dipper are called pointer stars because they seem to
point to Polaris.

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 There are 88 official constellations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of our
sky. Most people can see more than half of them throughout the year, though it can depend
on where they live. 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 begin. During that time,
Scorpius will not be seen in the night sky. As the Earth revolves around its orbit, the stars that
were concealed by the bright light of the Sun in the previous months will appear in the night
sky. Aldebaran Pleiades, a star cluster, made up of seven stars is an example of constellation.

Some Constellations Observed in the Philippines at Different Times of the Year

Centaurus is one of the largest constellations in the sky. It represents the centaur, the
half man, half-horse creature in Greek mythology. Sources tend to differ on which
centaur the constellation represents, but usually it is taken to be Chiron, who mentored
the Greek heroes Hercules, Peleus, Achilles,
Theseus and Perseus.

Alpha Centuari is the closest star system

and closest planetary system into the Earth’s Solar
System at 4.37 light-years (1.34 parsecs) from the
Sun. The name is Latinized from a Centauri, and
abbreviated Alpha Cen or a Cen. It is a triple
system, consisting of three stars: a Centauri A
(officially Rigil Kentaurus), α Centauri B
(officially Toliman), and α Centauri C https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/crux-constellation/

(officially Proxima Centauri).

Crux, or the Southern Cross, is a

prominent constellation in the southern
sky. It is the smallest of all 88 constellations.
In spite of its size, Crux is one of the best-
known constellations in the southern
hemisphere. It is easily recognizable for the
cross-shaped asterism, the Southern Cross,
formed by its five brightest stars.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/crux

Other constellations appear in different times the year are shown in Figures 1a
(March Night Sky at 9 p.m.), 1b (June Night Sky at 9 p.m.), and 1c December Night
Sky at 9 p.m.).

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Figure 1a. March Night Sky, 9 p.m.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=CONSTELLATION+SEEN+IN+MANILA+%28March+Night+Sky+9+PM https://www.bing.com/search?q=CONSTELLATION+SEEN+IN+MANILA+(June+Night+Sky+9+PM)&c

https://www.bing.com/search?q=CONSTELLATION+SEEN+IN+MANILA+%28December+Night+Sky+9+PM%

II. Skill/Competency
• Show which constellations may be observed at different times of the year using
models. (S9ES-IIIj-35)

III. Activities

Activity 1
Star Light, Star Bright
Direction: Study the picture. List down 10 constellations and identify what each of
them represents (animal, mythological person or creature, or inanimate objects)

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 CONSTELLATION REPRESENTATION

Activity 2
When will I see you?
Direction: Using the pictures in Figures 1a, 1b, and 1c, identify 5 constellations seen in
each time of the year.

March Night Sky, 9 p.m. June Night Sky, 9 p.m. December Night Sky, 9
p.m.

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 Activity 3
I always see you!
Direction: Put a √, if the constellation is always visible in March, June and December
night when the sky is clear and an X, if it is seldom seen.

_____ 1. Ursa Minor, the small bear
_____ 2. Leo, the lion
_____ 3. Orion. the hunter
_____ 4. Gemini, the twins
_____ 5. Taurus, the great bull
_____ 6. Ursa Major, the great bear
_____ 7. Cassiopeia, the vain queen
_____ 8. Perseus, the Greek hero
_____ 9. Pegasus, the horse
_____ 10. Centaurus, the half-man, half-horse

Activity 2
Direction: Write True, if the statement is correct and False, if statemen is incorrect.

__________ 1. Different patterns are formed in different months.

__________ 2. Crux, is prominent in the Southern sky.
__________ 3. During summer, Scorpius is visible at night.
__________ 4. During winter, Gemini and Taurus are prominent constellation.
__________ 5. Some stars visible in March but not visible in September due to Earth’s
Revolution
__________ 6. Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is visible during the month of June.
__________ 7. Balatik is the local name of Orion.
__________ 8. Taurus is a prominent constellation above Orion visible during the
month of December.
__________ 9. Centauri is a triple system composed of three stars.
__________ 10. During summer in the Philippines, constellations of Orion and Taurus are
visible at night.

IV. References
Grade 9 Science Learners Manual
Contextualized and Prototype Lesson Plan in Grade 9 (Quarter 3)

Prepared by: EMILY B. ESMABE CHRISTY R. DAWAL

Education Program Supervisor-1, Science Layout Artist

Address: Freedom Sports Complex, San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur

Email: deped.camsur@deped.gov.ph
Website: www.depedcamsur.com
Telephone No: (telefax) 8713340