Quarter 3

Week 8
MELC

•Show which constellations may be

observed at different times of the year
using models (S9ES -IIIj – 35)
OBJECTIVES

1. Infer some characteristics of stars based on

the characteristics of the sun.
2. Infer that the arrangement of stars in a
group (constellations) does not change for a
very long period of time.
OBJECTIVES

3. Observe how the position of constellations

changes in the course of study.
4. Use charts that show which constellations
maybe observed at different times of the year.
Have you tried star gazing?
Constellations

•composed of group of stars

What is a Star?

•a massive ball of plasma that emits light

throughout the universe.
•five basic characteristics: brightness,
color, surface temperature, size, and
mass.
 Characteristics of Stars

•Brightness (Luminosity and Magnitude)

•Luminosity - amount of light that a star
radiates. The size of the star and its
surface temperature determine its
luminosity
 Characteristics of Stars

•Brightness (Luminosity
and Magnitude)
•Apparent magnitude
of a star is its perceived
brightness, factoring in
size and distance.
 Characteristics of Stars

•Brightness (Luminosity and Magnitude)

•Absolute magnitude is its true brightness
irrespective of its distance from the Earth.
Characteristics of Stars

•Color
•depends on its surface
temperature. Cooler stars
tend to be redder in color,
while hotter stars have a
bluer appearance.
Characteristics of Stars

•Color
•Stars in the mid-ranges are
white or yellow, such as our
sun. Stars can also blend
colors, such as red-orange
stars or blue-white stars.
Characteristics of Stars

•Surface Temperature
• Astronomers measure a star's temperature
on the Kelvin scale. Zero degrees on the
Kelvin scale is theoretically absolute and is
equal to -273.15 degrees Celsius.
Characteristics of Stars

•Surface Temperature
• The coolest, reddest stars are
approximately 2,500 K, while the hottest
stars can reach temperature up to 50,000 K.
Our sun is about 5,500 K.
 Characteristics of Stars

•Size
• Astronomers measure the size of
a given star in terms of our own
sun's radius. Thus, a star that
measures 1 solar radius would
be the same size as our sun.
 Characteristics of Stars

•Size
•The star Rigel, which is much
larger than our sun, measures 78
solar radii. A star's size, along
with its surface temperature, will
determine its luminosity.
 Characteristics of Stars

•Mass
• A star's mass is also measured in
terms of our own sun, with 1
equal to the size of our sun. For
instance, Rigel, which is much
larger than our sun, has a mass
of 3.5 solar masses.
Characteristics of Stars

•Mass
• Two stars of a similar size may not
necessarily have the same mass, as stars
can vary greatly in density.
What is a Constellation?

•any group of stars forming a

recognizable pattern that is
traditionally named after its
apparent form or identified
with a mythological figure.
What is a Constellation?

•Modern astronomers divide the sky into

eighty-eight constellations with defined
boundaries.
Color and Temperature of Selected Stars
Color and Diameter of Selected Stars
 Patterns in the Sky

•Away from city lights on a

clear, moonless night, the
naked eye can see 2000
to 3000 stars.
 Patterns in the Sky

•The patterns of stars seen in the sky are usually

called constellations, although more accurately, a
group of stars that forms a pattern in the sky is
called an asterism. Astronomers use the term
constellation to refer to an area of the sky.
Patterns in the Sky

•The International Astronomical Union

(IAU) divides the sky into 88 official
constellations with exact boundaries, so
that every place in the sky belongs within
a constellation.
Patterns in the Sky

•Most of the constellations in the Northern

Hemisphere are based on the constellations
invented by the ancient Greeks, while most in
the Southern Hemisphere are based on names
given to them by seventeenth century
European explorers.
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night

•The stars in the sky

stay in approximately
the same positions
relative to each
other.
 Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night
• There are some subtle
movements, as we orbit
the sun over the course of
the year. Stars that are
nearer to us move left and
right a little more than
stars further away.
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night
•Parallax is where we
measure how much a star
moves while we orbit
around the sun and use
that information to
calculate the distance to
that star.
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night
•Over the course of a night, if
you watch the stars, you
might notice that they make
a circle. In the Northern
Hemisphere, every star in
the sky circles around the
North Star (Polaris).
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night
•In the Southern Hemisphere, there is a
similar pattern. The stars appear to rotate
around a point directly above the South
Pole. The only difference is that there isn't
a south star - there just happens to be not
a visible star directly above the South Pole.
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night

•Circumpolar constellations-
constellations that appear
to move in a circle around
the night sky as the Earth
orbits the Sun.
Polaris
• The North Star or Pole Star – aka
Polaris – is famous for holding
nearly still in our sky while the
entire northern sky moves
around it. That’s because it’s
located nearly at the north
celestial pole, the point around
which the entire northern sky
turns.
Different Star Patterns throughout the
Year

• If observed throughout the year, the

constellations shift gradually to the west.
This is caused by the 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.
 Different Star Patterns throughout the
Year
• Earth orbits our Sun once
each year. Viewed from the
Earth, our Sun appears to
trace a circular path. This
path defines a plane called
the plane of the ecliptic (or
just the ecliptic).
 Different Star Patterns throughout the
Year
•The zodiac is the group (or
“belt”) of constellations
that fall along the plane of
the ecliptic. It is through
these constellations that
our Sun appears to “pass”
during the year.
 Different Star Patterns throughout the
Year
• While there are 12
astrological constellations of
the zodiac, there are 13
astronomical zodiac
constellations: Capricornus,
Aquarius, Pisces, Aries,
Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo,
Virgo, Libra, Scorpius,
Sagittarius, and Ophiuchus.
 Different Star Patterns throughout the
Year
• Canis Major, Cetus, Eridanus, Gemini, Perseus,
Taurus, and Orion are seen during winter or cold
season. Aquila, Cygnus, Hercules, Lyra,
Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, and Scorpius are
prominent on summer. Bootes, Cancer, Crater,
Hydra, Leo, and Virgo are seen during spring. At
autumn, Andromeda, Aquarius, Capricornus,
Pegasus, and Pisces are prominent.
 How Early People Used the
Constellations
•Early on, they noticed that the Moon
changed shape from night to night as well as
its position among the stars.
•Constellations of stars in the sky that looked
like animals and people and made-up
stories about what they thought they saw.
 How Early People Used the
Constellations
•Early on, they noticed that the Moon
changed shape from night to night as well as
its position among the stars.
•Constellations of stars in the sky that looked
like animals and people and made-up
stories about what they thought they saw.
 How Early People Used the
Constellations

•They were drawn to two bright stars that

always could be seen circling the North Pole.
The Egyptians referred to those stars as "the
indestructibles."
 How Early People Used the
Constellations

•In the 4th century B.C., Aristotle of Stagira

knew the Earth was round because of
eclipses observed when Earth passed
between the Moon and the Sun.
 How Early People Used the
Constellations
•In the 3rd century B.C., Eratosthenes was a
Greek astronomer working in Egypt when he
noticed the Sun directly over one city cast a
shadow in another city 500 miles north.
Eratosthenes understood correctly that meant
Earth's surface is curved. He calculated correctly
that Earth is a ball about 25,000 miles around.
 Early Application:

•Calendars
•Ancient sailors used stars and constellations
to guide their travels.
 Early Application:

•To explain why planets seemed to change

direction, Ptolemy used old calculations by
Hipparchus to understand planetary motion.
•Astrolabes. "Star-finders" or astrolabes were
created by Arab astronomers to solve
complicated astronomy problems.
 Philippine Constellations

•The origin of names of different

astronomical bodies come from deities in
ancient Philippine mythology. “Tala” is a
very good example and very common to
hear. “Tala” is a goddess of the stars.
 Philippine Constellations
•Other examples are “Mayari” who is a
goddess of the moon, and “Hanan” the
goddess of the morning. They are the
daughters of “Bathala” and, a mortal
woman. Another example is “Apolaki” who
is the god of the sun, and he was the son of
“Anagolay” and “Dumakulem”.
 Philippine Constellations

•Using the constellations and their movements

as reference, along with the changing of the
season and time, our ancestors somehow
practiced following the star movements as a
sign of good harvest, fishing, hunting, and other
activities in the tribe. It’s either a good or a bad
omen when something is changing in the night
sky.
 Philippine Constellations

•“Moroporo” is connected to sea navigation

but, like “Balatik”, it was primarily used to
signal the beginning of the planting season.
 Philippine Constellations
•“Tres Marias” (The Three Marias) in Tagalog,
“Magbangal” in Bukidnon, and “Seretar” in
Teduray, “Balatik” is composed of perfectly
aligned and evenly spaced stars which act as the
belt of the constellation of Orion. In Palawan
and Ibaloi however, “Balatik” is seen as both the
sword and belt of Orion. It signifies the start of
planting and setting of traps to protect the crops
from animals.
 Philippine Constellations
•“Mapolon” in Tagalog, “San Apon” in Ibaloi, and
“Kufukufu” in Teduray. In western, it is known as
the star cluster Pleiades (The Seven Sisters)
located in the constellation of Taurus. The
Tagalogs consulted this star cluster to know the
shifting of time and season. It implies the start
of the planting season.
 Philippine Constellations

•“Lepu”, by the “Matigsalug Manobo” of

Bukidnon. In the western equivalent, it is
known as the constellation of Aquila. It
signifies the time to clean or clear the fields
while waiting for the harvest time.
 Philippine Constellations

•Tagalogs had a constellation called “Talang

Batugan” (Lazy), named for its characteristic
of slow motion, large size, and low
brightness and usually known as a guiding
star for shepherds.
 Philippine Constellations
•In Bicol, there are stars such as “Pogot”
used as a sign for fishing and incoming
storms, “Soag” is a four-star that resemble a
four-sided figure, which signals the
beginning of nighttime, and “Torong”
consisting of three stars that show an
approaching storm.
 Philippine Constellations
•“Sipat” and “Tudong” are mentioned in a
ritual known as “kentan” conducted by
ethnic groups in the Cordillera to bless rice
seedlings. “Binabbais”, another star named
by the people of Cordillera, is heard in
prayers chanted during their ritual sacrifice
of a chicken.