PPT on constellations. Science

1. CONSTELLATIONS
BY:
LAVANYA JINDAL
VIII-F

2. WHAT ARE CONSTELLATIONS?
• A constellation is a group of stars with well defined borders that appears to form a
pattern.
• They were designed to help us remember which stars are which.
• Constellations are easily recognizable patterns that help people orient themselves
using the night sky.
• There are 88 “official” constellations.

3. • No, there are billions of stars, and only a fraction of them make up the shapes of
our constellations — these are the stars that are easily seen with the unaided eye.
All stars, however, fall within the boundaries of one of the 88 constellation regions.
• As astronomers studied the night sky with modern telescopes, they were able to
discern stars in the dark spaces around the constellations — stars that were not part
of the original star pictures.
• You can see some of these stars by observing the sky on a dark night. If you look at
the sky with binoculars, you will see even more stars. If you have a telescope, you
will see even more!
• All the stars you see belong to one special group of stars — the stars in our own
galaxy, the Milky Way.
ARE ALL STARS PART OF A CONSTELLATION?

4. 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.
• That's the reason, people see different constellations during the year.

5. SOME OF THE POPULAR CONSTELLATIONS
Andromeda
Princess of Ethiopia
Aries
Ram
Hercules
Hercules, son of Zeus

6. SOME OF THE POPULAR CONSTELLATIONS (CONT.)
Orion
Orion, the hunter
Pegasus
Pegasus, the winged
horse
Ursa major
Big Bear

7. SOME OF THE POPULAR CONSTELLATIONS (CONT.)
Virgo
Virgin
Sextans
Sextant
Vulpecula
Fox