Constellations at Different

Times of the Year

By: Sir Charles Bautista
 ASTRONOMY VS ASTROLOGY
Astronomy is a branch of science that deals with the study
of heavenly bodies like Planet, stars, moon, sun and other
things outside the universe.

Astrology is a FALSE belief or superstition about telling

people’s future by the influence of sun, moon, and stars
on people’s lives.
 WHAT ARE STARS?
❖ An astronomical object comprising a luminous
spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity.

❖ Stars are the most widely recognized

astronomical objects. It represents the most
fundamental building blocks of galaxies.

❖ Sun is a medium-sized star nearest to the Earth.

Characteristics used to classify stars:
1. Color
2. Temperature
3. Size
4. Composition
5. Distance
6. Brightness.
 DOES SIZE MATTER?
A large star shines
brighter than a small star.
Astronomers group stars into five types:

❑ Neutron stars are the smallest, it has a diameter of

about 16 km.
❑ White dwarf is about 7300 km., slightly greater than
that of earth.
❑ Medium-sized star is about one-tenth the diameter of
the sun.
❑ Giant star is 10 to 100 times that or the sun.
❑ Supergiant stars is up to 1000 times the diameter of
the sun.
DOES TEMPERATURE MATTER?

A hot star shines

brighter than a cool star.
A star’s apparent brightness is the
brightness you see from Earth.
A star’s absolute brightness is the brightness
the star would have if all stars were the same
distance from Earth.
● Scientist use parallax to determine how far
away a star is from Earth. A parallax is an
apparent change in the position of an object
caused by a change in the position of the
observer.
● The closer a star is to Earth, the greater its
apparent change of position. Very distant
stars seem not to shift position at all.
● Scientist express distances between stars in
light years. A light year is the distance that
light travels in one year at a speed of 300 000
km per second (kps). A light year is about 9.5
trillion km or 9 500 000 000 000 km.
● The closest star is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light
years from Earth. Other stars are hundred of
light years away.
Colors of Star and the Approximate Surface Temperatures
 WHAT ARE STARS?
❖ Polaris is the North star because it is located
close to the north celestial pole.

❖ Stars that are around a celestial pole are called

circumpolar stars forming recognizable patterns
known as circumpolar constellations.
-The Polaris is widely used in navigation
because it does not change its position at any
time of the night or year.
-In addition, 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.
 A STAR COMPOSITION:

-Using spectroscope, astronomers have found that almost

all stars have the same general chemical make up.
-The most element in stars is hydrogen, the lightest
element that make 60% to 80% of the total mass of a star.
-The second element is Helium, make up about 96% to
99% of stars mass.
-Other elements are oxygen ,neon ,carbon , and nitrogen.
 WHAT ARE conStellations?
❖ a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that
is traditionally named after its form or a
mythological figure.

❖ CAME FROM Latin word “Con” means Group & “stella”

means stars.

❖ 88 constellations recognized by the International

Astronomical Union (IAU).
 Observers in ancient times also imagined group of stars that form pictures of
animals, objects, and people- CONSTELLATIONS.

Many constellations have names that can be traced back early Babylonians
and Greek civilizations, but nearly all cultures have different names for the
constellations.

For example, Greeks called the large constellation Orion,

which means hunter and is prominent in the night sky all over
the world during winter. Early Filipinos visualized the same
group of stars as Balik, a trap used in hunting wild pigs.
Christian Filipinos named the three stars (Orion’s belt)
Tatlong Maria or Tres Marias.
 CIRCUMPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS

Northern Circumpolar Southern Circumpolar

Carina, Centaurus,
and Crux.

Ursa Major,
Ursa Minor,
Cassiopeia, and
Draco.
NORTHERN CIRCUMPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS
SOUTHERN CIRCUMPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS
Why do we see different constellations
at different times of the year?
❖ The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes
the stars to appear moving in the night sky,
while the revolution is responsible for the
fact that we can see a certain part of the sky
at different months of the year.
 WINTER CONSTELLATIONS
•Orion
•Canis Major
•Canis Minor
•Auriga
•Gemini
•Taurus
•Lepus
•Monoceros
•Puppis
•Caelum
•Columba
•Eridanus
•Fornax
•Horologium
•Pictor
•Reticulum

(DECEMBER, JANUARY, AND FEBRUARY)

SPRING CONSTELLATIONS
•Boötes
•Centaurus
•Carina
•Vela
•Cancer
•Corvus
•Crater
•Leo
•Virgo
•Antlia
•Canes Venatici
•Coma Berenices
•Hydra
•Leo Minor
•Lupus
•Lynx
•Pyxis
•Sextans
(MARCH, APRIL, AND MAY)
SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS
•Cygnus
•Scorpius
•Sagittarius
•Aquila
•Hercules
•Ara
•Corona Australis
•Corona Borealis
•Delphinus
SCIENCE-PHY (Dalton) •Equuleus
•Indus
•Libra
•Lyra
•Ophiuchus
•Scutum
•Serpens
• Serpens Caput
• Serpens Cauda
•Sagitta
•Telescopium
(JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST) •Vulpecula
 AUTUMN CONSTELLATIONS
•Andromeda
•Pegasus
•Perseus
•Aquarius
•Aries
•Capricornus
•Cetus
•Grus
•Lacerta
•Microscopium
•Phoenix
•Pisces
•Piscis Austrinus
•Sculptor
•Triangulum
(SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, AND NOVEMBER)
FILIPINO ANCESTORS USED CONSTELLATIONS FOR:
❖ Selecting the right month to plant and harvest
❖ Give directions
❖ Tell time and predict weather
❖ Warning for the coming of kaingin period,
❖ Sacrifices (“Binabbais”, another star named by the
people of Cordillera, is heard in prayers chanted
during their ritual sacrifice of a chicken.)

❖ This belief was passed through generations and

made every citizen unique.