CONSTELLATIONS The night sky is a spectacular and vast place Stars that shine in the blackness are many trillions of miles from Earth People all around the world have connected the stars using imaginary lines and given the shapes names Often the names are based on myths and legends These shapes are called constellations Aquarius Pegasus northern sky Cetus Delphinus Aries Mira Eridanus Taurus Aquila Vulpecula Little Fox Altair Cygnus Deneb Cassiopeia Algol Serpens Cauda Serpent’s Tail Lyra Vega Hercules Draco Ophiuchus Corona Borealis Cepheus Ursa Minor Little Bear Polaris Ursa Major Great Bear Triangulum Pleiades Hyades Aldebaran Perseus Capella Auriga Rigel Orion Betelgeuse Castor Pollux Lynx Gemini Procyon Canis Minor Lesser CELESTIAL EQUATOR Dog 6 Serpens Caput Serpent’s Head Libra Boötes Arcturus Canes Venatici Hunting Dogs Virgo Spica THE SCIENTIFIC MAP OF THE SKY In order to understand the night sky ancient people imagined it reflected into a circular mirror Today we still use this method and draw star maps in circles On the left is the sky you see if you live in the northern half of the Earth On the right is the sky that you see if you are in the south The night sky looks different depending on where you see it from on which day and at what time These maps show a sample of some of the best known stars in the sky FINDING THE POLES At the center of the map above is Polaris which is also known as the North or Pole Star It is a bright star that is nearest to the celestial pole In the southern hemisphere there is no single star that points south However there are some other stars that you can use to find your way the Southern Cross and the Southern Pointers Alpha and Beta Centauri Leo Regulus Hydra
southern sky Pegasus Aquarius The celestial equator is an imaginary line in the sky It sits exactly opposite the equator the imaginary line that runs around the center of the Earth Cetus Mira Taurus Eridanus Orion Rigel Lepus Betelgeuse Dorado Columba Canopus Sirius Canis Major Greater Dog Puppis Canis Minor Lesser Dog Procyon Fomalhaut Grus Tucana Capricornus Sagittarius Altair Aquila Serpens Cauda Serpent’s CELESTIAL EQUATOR Tail Pavo Ara Triangulum Australe Scorpius Alpha Centauri Beta Centauri Antares Ophiuchus Phoenix Achernar Hydrus Volans Apus Musca Carina Vela Southern Cross Lupus Centaurus Libra 7 MILKY WAY The band that crosses these maps is the edge of the Milky Way our galaxy Regulus Virgo Seasons in the northern hemisphere Spring Summer Winter Autumn ROUND AND ROUND IT GOES The Earth is not still even though it might feel like it is It spins on its axis an imaginary rod through its center and moves around the Sun at the same time The spinning creates day and night and makes it appear as though the Sun and the other stars are moving just like when you are on a carousel and you look at the world around you The movement around the Sun makes the seasons change This is because the Earth is at an angle to the Sun which changes where the Sun’s rays fall on the planet When the rays are direct it is hotter when they are on a slant it is cooler Hydra Corvus Spica Serpens Caput Serpent’s Head
NORTHERN SKY Cassiopeia Polaris The stars in the upper part of this map can be seen around the edges of the northern sky map on page 6 Cepheus Auriga Capella Perseus Algol Triangulum Aries Taurus Hyades Aldebaran Pegasus Deneb Cygnus Equuleus Aquarius Capricornus This line represents the route of the Sun across the sky Grus Pavo Pisces Cetus Phoenix SOUTHERN SKY Castor Pollux Gemini Canis Minor Lesser Dog Orion Procyon Betelgeuse Unicorn Sirius 8 Canis Major Greater Dog Celestial Equator Mira Rigel Lepus Caelum Puppis Eridanus THE EQUATORIAL MAP OF THE SKY This is another way to show a scientific map of the sky Imagine the sky around the Earth as if it were a cylinder This map shows how the cylinder would look if it was opened up The diagram in the top right hand corner of these pages might help you imagine this Find your way on the map by following the dashed line in the middle This is the celestial equator It is an imaginary line in the sky that is directly opposite the terrestrial equator that runs around the center of the Earth The stars in the lower part of the map can be seen around the edges of the southern sky map on page 7 Hydrus
Ursa Minor Little Bear Ursa Major Great Bear CYLINDER MAP The sky is shown on these pages as if it were an opened up cylinder North Celestial Pole Celestial Equator Terrestrial North Pole Draco Hercules Lyra Vega Terrestrial Equator South Pole Terrestrial South Celestial Pole Boötes Coma Berenices Leo Minor Serpens Caput Serpent’s Head Arcturus Leo Aquila Altair Ophiuchus Libra Serpens Cauda Serpent’s Tail Sagittarius Scorpius Antares Lupus Ara Beta Centauri Alpha Centauri ecliptic Regulus Cancer Antlia Pyxis Vela 9 Virgo Spica Corvus Hydra Centaurus Southern Cross Triangulum Australe Carina THE SUN’S ROUTE As the Earth rotates around the Sun the Sun appears to move in the sky The path that the Sun appears to take is called the ecliptic The constellations that are located along the ecliptic are known as the zodiacal constellations If you find these constellations in the sky it will help you find the other planets in our solar system They are also close to or on the ecliptic The points where the ecliptic and the celestial equator meet are called equinoxes This occurs twice a year when day and night are the same length across the Earth An equinox marks the passage from winter into spring and from summer into autumn
