enter. in this virtual tour, you will be making your way through a series of instructional...

In this virtual tour, you will be making your way through a series of instructional activities, galaxy-style! You will be introduced to several major constellations in our galaxy and their important characteristics. By the time youve finished this lesson, you should be able to recognize the constellations that are shared in this tour (just by looking at them!) and understand some of their important features. If you feel confident going forward, click the button below! What will you be doing?

Before we get started, lets see how much you already know! Heres a quick question: What do you know about constellations? In a rut? Consider location, purpose, and size of constellations! Once youre finished writing your answer in the box provided to the right, click Next please. Wait! NEXT

If you answered something along the lines of A constellation is a large group of stars located in our galaxy that can be seen as shapes/objects from Earth, youre on the right track! If your answer didnt quite look like that, dont worry. Youll learn more about constellations by clicking below on Enter the Galaxy! How did you do? Enter the Galaxy

In this activity, you will learn the basic principles of a constellation. Be prepared to understand their locations, size, purpose, and other features! Please click Next to begin this activity. SoWhat Is a Constellation? Next

According to Merriam Webster Online, a constellation is a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries. So basically, a constellation is just a group of stars in a recognizable shape or object! Take some time to think about some of the constellations you already know. When youre ready, click Next below. Lets Define It Next

This may seem kind of obvious, right? Stars are in the sky! However, each constellation has a specific location in the sky. These locations determine where and whether or not that specific constellation can be seen from certain locations here on Earth. For example, one constellation may be visible during the summer here in Indiana, but people in India in the winter cannot see it! These specific locations will be discussed more in depth in the next activity. When youre ready to move on, please click Next. Where are they located? Next

Each constellation has its own unique shape and size. The constellations in our galaxy vary greatly in size and shape. However, relative to planet Earth, all of them are HUGE. This is what makes them visible from Earth. If constellations were little groups of stars, we wouldnt be able to see them! Again, think of some of the constellations youve been able to see in the night sky. Were some visibly bigger than others? Ponder this question and maybe talk with your friends or parents to help you remember. When youre ready, click Next below. How Big or How Small? Next

You might be asking yourself, What purpose do constellations serve? Well, that is a great question! There are other purposes other than just looking pretty. Ancient peoples used constellations as guides in traveling Constellations have served many areas of science a basis of study to better understand space Constellation names can often be found in Greek mythology And yes, constellations are quite visually fascinating and provide entertainment to viewers of the night sky! Why are they there? Next

Here are some extra facts about constellations that are out of this world! There are 88 constellations in total (we will be introduced to 5 of them) The word "constellation" comes from a Latin term meaning "set with stars" Small patterns of stars within a constellation are called asterisms. These include the Big Dipper and Little Dipper The largest constellation by area is Hydra which is 3.16% of the sky When youre done absorbing these fun facts, click next so we can wrap up the first part of this activity! Special Features! Next

Now that we know what constellations are all about, lets practice what weve learned. Heres a quick multiple choice question to see if youre still with me! Please click on the letter. What is a constellation? Is it Lets Recall a. a. A small cloud of dust located in outer space b. b. A large group of satellites located in outer space c. c. A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure d. d. A group of stars with no purpose but to look pretty

IM STARSTRUCK BECAUSE YOURE CORRECT! Next

IM SORRY, THIS IS INCORRECT. PLEASE CLICK TRY AGAIN. Try Again

Lets move on Now that we know the general concept of a constellation, lets break it down and learn about a few specific constellations. The next slide you will go to will give you the opportunity to look at 5 different constellations. You will be given the constellations name and other important facts about it! You will also be given an image of the constellationpay close attention to this image. When you think you understand, please click Next so we can get started ! Next WATCH ME

Remember, youre free to choose where you go first, just make sure you visit each constellations page! Have fun but read the information thoroughly and look at the images closely. Click on the constellation name to get started. When youre done looking at all five constellations, you may click Next. Constellation Home Page Orion Scorpius Hercules Leo Big/Little Dipper Next

Orion Named after a hunter in Greek Mythology Most recognizable constellation in the night sky (visible throughout the world) Most visible in the winter in the United States The belt of Orion is considered an asterism As you can see, its shaped like a man (hunter) shooting a bow and arrow Back to Main Page

Leo Latin for lion Very easily recognizable due to its many bright stars and distinctive shape Shaped like a crouching lion The lions mane is an asterism called the Sickle Back to Main Page

Big Dipper and Little Dipper Both are not major constellations, but larger asterisms Most famous in the U.S. in the night sky. Have you ever seen them in real life? Big Dipper shaped like a bowl pointing upward or downward depending on the season Little Dipper shaped like a ladle or scoop Both circle around the large star Polaris Back to Main Page

Hercules 5 th largest of all 88 constellations Named after the Roman mythological hero Hercules Shape: man kneeling holding a weapon in hand (sometimes hard to make out in sky) Visible in the Spring in northern skies in U.S. Back to Main Page

Scorpius Widely known as Scorpio, Latin for scorpion Located in the Southern Hemisphere, near the center of the Milky Way Shaped like its name: scorpion Includes many bright stars; most famous is Antares Back to Main Page

I know this information is a lot to take in, so lets take a quick break and watch a short video that helps solidify some of these concepts. When youre ready to watch, click Next at the bottom of this slide. When youre through with watching the video, please click Next Activity! on the next slide. Enjoy! Break Time! Next

Enjoy! Video Time! Next Activity

Hopefully you feel much more knowledgeable about constellations now. If, during the next part of this activity, you feel like you need to go back and review, the star located at the bottom left of each page will lead you back to the main page of the constellation descriptions. From there, you can get back to this activity by clicking on the X at the bottom left of the home page. If youre ready to start this next activity, please click Next. Introduction to Final Activity Next

In the upcoming slides, you will be quizzed over what youve learned in the previous activity. Dont worry, you can always go back and check your answer, only if youre unsure. If you choose to do so, youll start at the beginning of the quiz again, so make wise choices! These questions will be graded and will be worth 25 points (5 points each) When youre ready, click Next. Lets See What Weve Learned Next

Question 1 What constellation is shown in the figure? a.LeoLeo b.OrionOrion c.Big DipperBig Dipper d.ScorpionScorpion

Youre stellar!!! Click on the arrow to go to the next question!

Im sorry, click on the thumb to try again. (Youll get it next time!!)

What is Leo named after? (A noun) a.LoveLove b.LeonardLeonard c.LionLion d.None of the aboveNone of the above Question 2

What is the name of the star that the Big and Little Dipper revolve around? a.They revolve around each otherThey revolve around each other b.AntaresAntares c.PolarisPolaris Question 3

What constellation is shown in the figure? a.OrionOrion b.This is not a constellation we talked aboutThis is not a constellation we talked about c.ScorpiusScorpius d.LeoLeo Question 4

What is Hercules rank in constellation size? a.5 th5 th b.1 st1 st c.25 th25 th d.88th88th Question 5

Youre stellar!!! Click on the arrow to finish up!

Youre done! Thanks for participating!

commons.wikimedia.orgcommons.wikimedia.org, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/, http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/eyes2.shtml, alpineshop.webconnex.com, sweetclipart.com, www.shutterstock.com, www.rockymountainsearchacademy.com, dancarman.blogspot.com, www.eaglerockfinancial.net, mail.colonial.net, www.prescott.va.gov, runluaurun.com, www.windows2universe.org, indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com, http://timursumer.com/?cat=23, http://www.space.com/16845-leo-constellation.html, http://earthsky.org/tonight/use-big-dipper-to-find-polaris-the-north-star, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(constellation), starquest.pbworks.com, www.arksky.org, cla.calpoly.edu, http://angrybirdsfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Spider-Bird_(Movie), http://www.clipartbest.com/shooting-star-artwork, http://imageenvision.com/cliparts/smiley-facehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/ http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/eyes2.shtmlalpineshop.webconnex.com sweetclipart.comwww.shutterstock.com www.rockymountainsearchacademy.comdancarman.blogspot.com www.eaglerockfinancial.netmail.colonial.netwww.prescott.va.gov runluaurun.comwww.windows2universe.org indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.comhttp://timursumer.com/?cat=23 http://www.space.com/16845-leo-constellation.html http://earthsky.org/tonight/use-big-dipper-to-find-polaris-the-north-star http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(constellation) starquest.pbworks.comwww.arksky.orgcla.calpoly.edu http://angrybirdsfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Spider-Bird_(Movie) http://www.clipartbest.com/shooting-star-artwork http://imageenvision.com/cliparts/smiley-face References

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