Why do the stars change with the seasons?

Why do the stars change with the seasons?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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DISCUSS:
Take about 30 seconds to find the constellation in this starry sky. Then discuss: What season was this picture taken in?

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AND THE ANSWER IS...
...Scorpius the Scorpion--it's SUMMER!

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DISCUSS:
Take about 30 seconds to find the constellation in this starry sky. Then discuss: What season was this picture taken in?

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AND THE ANSWER IS...
...Cygnus the Swan--it's AUTUMN!

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DISCUSS:

Why do we see different constellations each season? Do you have any ideas that might explain it?

My friend Anthony thought it was because the Earth spins. Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not?

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DISCUSS:

Do you have any more ideas about WHY we might be seeing different constellations each season?

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Vocabulary Tip: Rotate vs. Revolve

Two words you will sometimes see to describe the Earth’s two movements are “rotate” and “revolve.” “Rotate” is the word used to describe Earth’s spin around its axis, which it completes once each day. “Revolve” is the word used to describe the Earth’s movement in its orbit around the sun, which takes one year to complete.

ROTATE = SPIN
REVOLVE = ORBIT

Both of these words start with the letter “r” and come from Latin, so at first it might be easy to mix them up. But here’s a helpful mnemonic device for keeping them straight:

“Rotate has an ‘a’ like ‘axis’.”

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Slide Image

constellation


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a group of stars in the night sky that form a pattern
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rotate


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to spin or turn around a central point, like the Earth around its axis
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orbit (revolve)


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to circle another object, like the Earth around the Sun
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model


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a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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Image & Video Credits

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Exploration
astronaut by NASA / Moved elements
kid looking out window by Unsplash / Heavily modified
foreground by Gino , used under CC BY / Heavily modified
fire by suman76 / merged with other imagery
stars by Stellarium / Some used with overlays, some heavily modified
winter ground by Denali National Park and Preserve , used under CC BY / Heavily modified
Orion Nebula by Rawastrodata , used under CC BY-SA / cropped, adjusted color, merged with other images
Pleiades star cluster by The United States Naval Observatory / cropped
spring ground by Carole a , used under CC BY-SA / Heavily modified
lion part 1 by 123 Free Vectors / Heavily modified
lion part 2 by Kaz / Heavily modified
Copernicus by Marcello Bacciarelli / significant modifications
Galileo by Félix Parra / cropped, adjusted contrast
star timelapse by John Fowler , used under CC BY / changed speed and color
sun by cheifyc / Heavily modified
pencil by JohannPoufPouf / Heavily modified
man by ClkerFreeVectorImages / Heavily modified
looking through binoculars by Halfblue , used under CC BY-SA / Heavily modified
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the Earth’s orbital movement around the Sun, as a means of seeing why the constellations change. In the activity, Universe-in-a-Box, students make a paper model that helps them visualize the Earth’s yearly orbit around the Sun. They use this model to understand why some constellations are only visible during part of the year.

Preview activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Constellation Guide & Universe-in-a-Box (Northern Hemisphere) printout
Alternatively, you can print our Southern Hemisphere version. 		1 per student
Universe-in-a-Box Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Universe-in-a-Box Teacher Tips worksheet 1 per class
Rulers
1 ruler per student
Scissors
1 pair per student
Paper Fasteners
1 fastener per student
Prep Instructions

No prep required.

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

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Transcripts

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