Lesson PASSIyensya

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9
Science
Quarter 3 – Module 8
Constellation

Stars
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Good day, mga ka-Siyensya! Today, we will be learning about the

recognized patterns of stars! Are you excited? Great! But before we start, let us
answer the PRE-TEST but don’t worry, mga ka-Siyensya. This is NOT graded. All
you need to do is to answer this in your Science notebook. – Passiyensya, Your
Science Teacher

Pre-Test
Read each item carefully and choose the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer. Write
your answer in your Science notebook.

1. Which constellation is also known as “The Great Bear”?

a. Ursa Minor c. Small Dipper
b. Ursa Major d. Canis Majoris

2. Which constellation is also known as “The Twins”?

a. Sagittarius c. Libra
b. Gemini d. Phoenix

3. Stars appear to move in the sky because _______.

a. the Earth is rotating on its axis.
b. the Universe is expanding.
c. the night sky is rotating.
d. new galaxies are formed.

4. If you are located at the North Pole, where will you see the Polaris?
a. Overhead
b. Just above the horizon
c. Around 45° from the horizon
d. Polaris will not be seen in the North Pole.

5. The constellation below represents the constellation Cygnus.

Which statement best explains why Cygnus is visible to an
observer in Manila in September but not visible in March?
a. Earth spins on its axis.
b. Earth orbits the Sun.
c. Cygnus spins on its axis.
d. Cygnus orbits the Earth.
Study Tips

Now that you are done with the pretest, we will be reading some of the
difficult words that we will encounter in this lesson. Read with me, mga ka-
Siyensya!

WORD DRILL

Word Pronunciation

1 Pisces pai•seez

2 Cassiopeia cass•ee•o•pay•uh

3 Sagittarius sa•juh•teh•ree•uhs Study Tips

4 Ophiuchus of•yoo•kuhs

5 Perseus pur•see•uhs
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Alright! We are now set to discuss our lesson for today! I encourage
everyone to read and understand everything. Take note of the important points in
your Science notebook. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact your
Science teacher.

DISCUSSION

Many a times certain groups of stars seem to form a recognizable pattern in the night sky.
These are called constellations. In contemporary astronomy, there are 88 constellations
recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). These were named by the ancient
people after animals and mythological characters

How Early People Used the Constellations

• Before the calendars, people had no way of determining when to sow or harvest except
by looking at these patterns in the sky.

• Ancient people developed a way to remember the patterns by giving these patterns
names and stories.
For example, in the northern hemisphere, the constellation Orion indicates the coming
of cold season.

• The constellations made it easier for them to recognize and interpret patterns in the sky.
For example, Gemini is seen in the Philippines during the months of April and May.
Farmers interpreted the appearance of Gemini as the end of planting season and it
signified rich harvest.

• Another use of constellations was in navigation. Polaris, commonly known as North Star,
is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). It is very close to the
north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. Because it lies nearly in a
direct line with the axis of the Earth's rotation "above" the North Pole, Polaris stands
almost motionless in the sky, and all the stars of the Northern sky appear to rotate around
it. The Polaris is widely used in navigation because it does not change its position at any
time of the night or year. Also, one can figure out his/her latitude just by looking at how
high Polaris appears in the night sky. This allowed sailors to find their way as they sail
across the seas.

Polaris and the Star Trail

Source: earthsky.org
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Famous Constellations
Here are a few of the more famous constellations:

Cassiopeia Orion Pisces

The Queen The Hunter The Fish

Ursa Major Ursa Minor Sagittarius

The Great Bear The Little Bear The Archer

Star Constellations
Source: dkfindout.com

Apparent Motion of Stars at Night

If you have ever spent any length of time looking up at the night sky you may have
noticed that objects in the sky appear to move over time. Just as the Sun rises and sets during
the course of the day, celestial objects such as the Moon, planets and stars will change
position during the course of an evening. At night, stars are used to tell the time. Just like the
Sun, stars also seem to move from East to West (Westward).
The apparent motion of objects in the night sky is caused by the rotation of the Earth,
which turns on its axis once every 24 hours. Remember that the stars are not really moving. It
is the rotation of the Earth from west to east that makes them look as if they are travelling from
east to west during the night.

Movement of Orion During Part of a Night

Source: schoolphysics.co.uk
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Apparent Motion of Stars through the Year

The Earth also moves in its orbit around the Sun, causing a slower change in our view
of the night sky with the seasons. 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. Notice that the star patterns
that you see in, say, June will be different from those that you see at the same time and looking
in the same direction from the same place when looking in December.

The Earth is shown at four places in its orbit and the arrows represent a
person looking at the sky. The positions of the star patterns seen from
those places will be completely different.

Source: schoolphysics.co.uk

The table below shows the different constellations that are prominently visible at
certain months in Manila, Philippines.

Constellations seen at certain months (Manila, Philippines)

June September December March

Sagittarius Pegasus Orion Leo
Aquila Andromeda Cetus Virgo
Cygnus Aquarius Eridanus Hydra
Hercules Capricorn Gemini Bootes
Lyra Pisces Perseus Cancer
Ophiuchus Taurus Crates
Scorpius Canis Major

To learn more about the topic, we will be answering the following

activities. Read and analyze the instruction carefully. Write your answers in a
whole sheet of paper. If you have any question, feel free to contact your Science
teacher. Good luck, mga ka-Siyensya!
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Activity 1
Patterns in the Sky
Objective: To group stars together in a recognizable pattern.

Materials: Markers
Paper and Pen

Procedure: Given a plain map of stars, draw any pattern, name it, and tell a story about your figure.
Write your bases for coming up with your figure.

Image source: https://www.questacon.edu.au/

Name of my constellation: _____________________

Story/ myth about my constellation:

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
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Activity 2
Apparent Movement of the Stars through the Night

Objective: To describe the apparent motion of stars at night.

Materials: Image comparison of star positions.

Paper and Pen

Procedure: Study the images below and answer the guide questions.

Imagine you are located at the North pole. On a clear night sky, you have observed the
stars from 7 pm to 11 pm. These are the images of the star positions that you have observed.

Image source: https://slideplayer.com/slide/8208187/

Guide Questions:

Q1. Compare the position of the stars in the sky. What do you notice?

Q2. Are the stars visible at 7 pm still visible at 11 pm in their “original position”? Why is this so?

Q3. How do the stars move? Describe the movement of the stars in the night sky.

Q4. How is the motion of stars similar to the motion of the Sun?

Activity 3
Different Star Patterns through the Year
Objective: To explain why some constellations are not seen at certain months.

Materials: Photographs of the night sky at different months

Paper and Pen

Procedure: Look at the series of photographs on the following page. The two pictures o show how
the sky would look when viewed from London looking south at about 10.30 pm GMT on
15th June and then 15th December.
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Image source: https://www.schoolphysics.co.uk

Guide Questions:

Q1. Compare the photographs. What do you notice?

Q2. Why are some stars visible in June but not visible in December?

Q3. Which motion is mainly responsible for this change in position?

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I guess, you are now done with the activities. Your Science teacher will
check it once your papers are retrieved. Before we end, let us check whether we
have learned something today or not. Get your pen and paper for we will be
answering the POST TEST. Good luck, mga ka-Siyensya!

Post Test
Read each item carefully and choose the letter that corresponds to the BEST answer. Write
your answer in a one whole sheet of paper.

1. Which constellation is also known as “The Great Bear”?

a. Ursa Minor c. Small Dipper
b. Ursa Major d. Canis Majoris

2. Which constellation is also known as “The Twins”?

a. Sagittarius c. Libra
b. Gemini d. Phoenix
3. Stars appear to move in the sky because _______.
a. the Earth is rotating on its axis.
b. the Universe is expanding.
c. the night sky is rotating.
d. new galaxies are formed.

4. If you are located at the North Pole, where will you see the Polaris?
a. Overhead
b. Just above the horizon
c. Around 45° from the horizon
d. Polaris will not be seen in the North Pole.

5. The constellation represents the constellation Cygnus.

Which statement best explains why Cygnus is visible to an
observer in Manila in September but not visible in March?
a. Earth spins on its axis.
b. Earth orbits the Sun.
c. Cygnus spins on its axis.
d. Cygnus orbits the Earth.

6. How do stars appear to move in the night sky?

a. From South to North c. From West to East
b. From North to South d. From East to West

7. Why can we see different parts of the sky at different times of the year?
a. Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis
b. Due to the rotation of the Earth
c. Due to the revolution of the Earth
d. Due to the revolution of the moon

8. The constellation Pisces changes position

during a night, as shown in the diagram.
Which motion is mainly responsible for this
change in position?
a. Revolution of Earth around the Sun
b. Rotation of Earth on its axis
c. Revolution of Pisces around the Sun
d. Rotation of Pisces on its axis
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9. Stars can be found in large groups throughout the universe. What are these groups
called?
a. solar system c. constellations
b. comets d. asteroids

10. In the Philippines, which constellation is prominently seen in the sky during
December?
a. Orion b. Hercules
c. Pegasus d. Virgo

References

Department of Education, Bureau of Secondary Education. (2015) Science Learner’s

Module Grade 9, Unit 3. Module 3: Activity 2,3 & 4 Constellation

Ecahnted Learning (1999-2016). Retrieved from: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/

subjects/astronomy/stars/constellations.shtml

10. A 9. C 8. B 7. C 6. D 5. B 4. A 3. A 2. B 1. B

Answers to the Post Test