SCIENCE 9

3rd QUARTER
Module 8

AMAZING PATTERNS IN THE SKY

Most Essential Learning Competency

Show which constellations may be observed at different times of the year using models.
(S9ES-IIIj-34)

To the Learner
This module was specially designed to help you understand and apply the lesson
objectives. Read and follow the simple instructions as your guide.
1. Set a conducive learning space at home so you can focus on your studies.
2. Seek assistance from your parents or guardian to guide you in doing the
activities.
3. Take down important concepts and list questions you would like to ask from
your teacher.
4. Reflect and apply the concepts that you have learned.
The Writer
 Expectations
Hello learners! This module will help you learn about the constellation.
Specifically, you will learn to:
a. describe a constellation and its origin;
b. identify some constellations observed in the northern and southern hemispheres;
c. locate some star clusters and identify some bright stars in the constellations; and
d. describe the position of a constellation in the course of night.
The activities in this module are prepared for you to learn with ease and fun.
Enjoy as you learn about constellations!

Pre-test
Directions: Read the questions carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer on your
answer sheet.
______ 1. What do you call the clusters of stars which appear to form a pattern?
A. Asteroids C. Constellation
B. Comets D. Galaxy
_____ 2. Which of these constellations can be observed in the northern hemisphere?
A. Carina C. Centaurus
B. Cassiopeia D. Crux
_____ 3. Which of these constellations can be observed in the southern hemisphere?
A. Centaurus C. Draco
B. Cepheus D. Ursa Major
_____ 4. In which constellation can the brightest star Sirius be found?
A. Canis Major C. Ursa Major
B. Canis Minor D. Ursa Minor
_____ 5. What is the effect of the rotation of the Earth on its axis on the appearance of
constellations in the sky?
A. It makes the stars look bigger in the sky.
B. It DOES NOT AFFECT the appearance of the constellations.
C. The clusters of stars seem to move on the course of the night.
D. Different parts of the sky appear at different times of the year.

Looking Back
You have learned from your previous lesson about the climatic phenomena that
occurs on a global level. The activity below includes the terms which describe these
phenomena. Match the terms in column A with their appropriate descriptions in column
B. Write the letter of your answer on the space provided before the number.
A B
_____ 1. El Niño A. High temperature causing melting of ice
caps resulting into increase in sea level
_____ 2. La Niña B. Extreme drought in some areas affecting food
production and may causes problems usually
before the year ends
_____ 3. Climate Change C. The trapping of heat close to the Earth’s surface by
the greenhouse gases
_____ 4. Global Warming D. The change in phase of matter from solid to liquid
_____ 5. Greenhouse Effect E. May bring severe flooding in low-lying areas and
may cause an increase in crop pests
F. The change in the temperature and weather
patterns in a place over a long period of time
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 Brief Introduction
You already learned about the climate and climate change. The varying
conditions in the sky reflect how real climate change is. But is it only the changes in the
atmosphere that you can witness when you look up in the sky? Yes! You are right! Stars
are out there in the sky, visible especially at night.
When you were in Grade 5, you learned from your Science class about stars and
constellations. Stars are huge celestial bodies made mostly of helium and hydrogen
that produce light and heat from the churning nuclear forger inside their core. A
constellation is a group or cluster of stars that appears to form a pattern or imaginary
shapes. Old constellations were usually named after Greek and Roman gods and
goddesses, animals, and objects of their stories. The large constellation visible in the
night sky all over the world during winter was named by the Greeks as Orion. It means
hunter. Filipinos named this prominent constellation as “Balatik,” which means a trap
used for hunting wild pigs. In India, stars and constellations were named after Hindi or
Vedic mythology. They were also created in regions in China, Mesopotamia, and South
America. The most recent constellations were mostly named after scientific instruments
and exotic animals.
Various constellations are visible in the evening sky in the northern and southern
hemispheres. Different constellations can be seen depending on your location and
season. Circumpolar constellations are constellations that can be seen all year long in
the night sky. The northern circumpolar constellations are Cassiopeia, Cepheus,
Draco, Ursa Major (Great Bear), and Ursa Minor (Little Bear). The southern
circumpolar constellations include Carina, Centaurus, and Southern Cross (Crux).
As you go on exploring this module, you will learn more about these
constellations.

Activity 1
A. Connect and Detect!
Objective: After the activity, you should be able to identify some constellations visible
in the night sky.
Directions: Identify the constellation formed by connecting the stars following the given
numbers (connect number 1 to 2, then 2 to 3, and so on). Refer to Figures 2 and 3 in
the Remember part (page 7) of this module for the pattern and constellation’s name.

1. _________________ 2. __________________ 3. __________________

4. ____________________ 5. ________________________

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 6. _________________________
B. Where in the Sky?
Objective: At the end of the activity, you should be able to identify the constellations in
the northern and southern hemispheres.
Directions: Group the constellations you have identified in Activity 1 based on which
hemisphere they can be seen. Refer to your readings on Brief Introduction
and on Table 1 presented in the Remember part (page 7) of this module.
Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

Activity 2
Describe and Guess!
Objective: At the end of the activity, you should be able to describe a constellation and
its origin.
Directions: Match the constellations inside the star with their correct descriptions and
origin. Write the letter of your answer on the space provided inside the box.
You may refer to Table 2 in the Remember part of this module.

1.It is also known as “The 2. The constellation’s name

Hunter.” It lies in the celestial means “the dragon” in Latin.
equator, and one of the brightest It represents Ladon, the
and best-known constellations in dragon that guarded the
the night sky. It is often depicted gardens of the Hesperides in
in star maps as either facing the Greek mythology. It contains
charge of Taurus, pursuing the several famous deep- sky
Pleiades sisters, or chasing after objects, the most notable
the hare dogs. It is locally known ones being the Cat’s Eye
as Balatik __________ Nebula _________

3. It is the smallest of all the 88 4. It is one of the largest constellations

constellations. It is visible in the in the sky, representing the centaur, the
southern hemisphere. This half-man, half-horse creature in Greek
constellation is associated with several mythology. It has the two of the ten
stories in different mythologies in the brightest stars in the sky. __________
southern hemisphere. ___________

5. It is the largest constellation in the northern sky. It has several

numbers of notable stars and famous deep-sky objects. Its name means
“the great bear,” or “the larger bear,” in Latin. It was one of the
constellations cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd
century. In Greek mythology, it is associated with Callisto, a nymph who
was turned into a bear by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera. __________

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 Activity 3
Search for the Stars!
Objective: After the activity, you should be able to locate a constellation and name its
brightest star.
Directions: Study the constellation map carefully. You can observe on the map some
star clusters and the names of the stars. Since you are not allowed to go out
to observe the night sky because of the existing health protocols, you can use
the constellation map instead. Locate from the map some constellations and
name their brightest stars. You may refer to Table 2 in the Remember part
of this module for the name of the stars.
(Note: You can zoom/enlarge the map if you are using a tablet or laptop).

Figure 1. Constellation Map

https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-map/

Constellations Brightest Star

1. Cassiopeia
2. Cepheus
3. Cygnus
4. Ursa Major
5. Ursa Minor

Check Your Understanding

My Constellation Model
Choose a constellation and make a model of this using yarn or string, push pins,
old buttons, or other alternative materials available at home (recycled materials),
cardboard (size of an intermediate pad paper), and glue. The push pins or old buttons
will represent the stars, while you will use the yarn or string to connect them to

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emphasize the pattern formed. Use a different color of push pin or button to represent
the brightest star. Describe your constellation model following the format below.

(Constellation Model Constellation Name: _______

attached or glued in a Brief Description: _________
cardboard) Location: ________________
Brightest Star: ____________
Note: Be careful in handling the push pins.

Suggested Rubrics for Scoring

10 7 4 1
-Shape or pattern -Shape or pattern -Shape or pattern No
formed is correct formed is slightly formed is output
-All stars are incorrect incorrect
arranged correctly -1-2 stars in incorrect -3 or more stars
-With only one (1) position are in incorrect
incorrect description -2 – 3 incorrect position
-Neat descriptions -All descriptions
-Neat are incorrect

Remember
• There are eighty-eight (88) constellations recognized by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU).
• Thirty-six (36) of these constellations are located in the northern hemisphere of
the sky, and fifty-two (52) are in the southern hemisphere. The official borders
• of these constellations were originally defined by the IAU in the 1920s.
Astronomers use these constellations as a location marker for identifying the part
of the sky where a particular star or other objects can be found.
• Asterisms are a chance grouping of stars that DOES NOT make up one of the 88
complete constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
They may be parts of a constellation that resemble a familiar pattern. Examples
are: Big Dipper of Ursa Major, the saucepan of Orion’s belt, and the teapot of
Sagittarius.
• Circumpolar constellations are constellations that never set below the horizon
when seen from a particular location on Earth. They can be seen in the night sky
throughout the year. Seasonal constellations are visible only at certain times of
the year. Table 1 shows the circumpolar and seasonal constellations.
• Polaris is the brightest star of the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very near to
north celestial pole, and currently the North Star. It marks the way heading
north. Because of its position in the sky, early navigators used it as a navigation
tool.
• You don’t see the same set of stars in the sky with other people living in the other
part of the world. Constellations appear in different positions throughout the
seasons, depending on your location. There are some stars which are visible in
the east that were not visible the night before. In different times of the year you
see different constellations due to the motion of the Earth in its orbit around
the Sun.
• The position of the constellation in the course of the night changes because of
the rotation of the Earth. The stars appear to rise in the east, moving across the
south to set in the west as the Earth rotates from west to east on its own axis.
The Sun will appear to move through the stars, making one complete circuit of
the sky in 365 days.

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 • The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes the apparent nightly movement
of the stars across the sky. You can see different parts of the sky at different
parts of the year because of the Earth’s revolution.
• The illustrations below are some of the constellations visible in the northern and
southern hemispheres. Table 2 gives description of some constellations and the
brightest stars they have.

Figure 2. Northern Hemisphere Figure 3. Southern Hemisphere

https://bit.ly/35QW0KZ https://bit.ly/35QW0KZ

Table 1. The Northern and Southern Hemisphere Constellations

Northern Northern Northern

Northern Spring Northern Winter
Circumpolar Summer Autumn
Constellations Constellations
Constellations Constellations Constellations

Cassiopeia Bootes Aquila Andromeda Canis Major

Cepheus Cancer Cygnus Aquarius Cetus
Draco Crater Hercules Capricornus Eridanus
Ursa Major Hydra Lyra Pegasus Gemini
Ursa Minor Leo Ophiuchus Pisces Orion
Virgo Sagittarius Perseus
Scorpius Taurus
Southern Southern Spring Southern Southern Southern
Circumpolar Constellations Summer Autumn Winter
Constellations Constellations Constellations Constellations
Carina Andromeda Canis Major Bootes Aquila
Centaurus Aquarius Cetus Cancer Cygnus
Southern Cross Capricornus Eridanus Crater Hercules
(Crux) Pegasus Gemini Hydra Lyra
Pisces Orion Leo Ophiuchus
Perseus Virgo Sagittarius
Taurus Scorpius
https://www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/Constellation/north_constellation.html
https://www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/Constellation/south_constellation.html

Table 2. Some Constellations and their Descriptions

Brightest
Constellation Origin and Characteristics
Star
1.Ursa Major It is the largest constellation in the northern sky. It
contains a number of notable stars and famous deep-sky
objects. Its name means “the great bear,” or “the larger
bear,” in Latin. It was one of the constellations catalogued
by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. In Alioth
Greek mythology, it is associated with Callisto, a nymph
who was turned into a bear by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera.
2. Ursa Minor It was first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in
the 2nd century. This constellation was believed to be
created by Thales of Mileus. It is where the asterism Little
Dipper belongs. Ursa Minor is also notable for marking the
Polaris
location of the north celestial pole, as it is home to Polaris,

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 the North Star, which is located at the end of the dipper’s
handle.
3. Draco The constellation’s name means “the dragon” in Latin.
Draco represents Ladon, the dragon that guarded the
gardens of the Hesperides in Greek mythology. Draco is one
of the Greek constellations. It was first cataloged by the
Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It is Eltanin
a circumpolar constellation; it never sets below the horizon
for many observers in the northern hemisphere. Draco
contains several famous deep-sky objects, most notable
ones being the Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), the Spindle
Galaxy (Messier 102, NGC 5866), and the Tadpole Galaxy.
4. Cassiopeia It was named after Cassiopeia, the vain and boastful queen
in Greek mythology. The constellation was first cataloged
by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century, Schedar
along with other constellations in the Perseus family
(except Lacerta). It has a distinct “W” or “M” shape formed
by five bright stars.
5. Cepheus It was named after the mythical King Cepheus of
Aethiopia, husband of Cassiopeia and father of
Andromeda, both represented by neighboring Alderamin
constellations. Like most other constellations in the
Perseus family, Cepheus was cataloged by the Greek
astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
6. Carina Carina is the 34th largest constellation in the southern sky.
It belongs to the Heavenly Waters family of constellations,
with 11 stars. Its name means “the keel” (keel of a ship) in Canopus
Latin.
7. Centaurus It is one of the largest constellations in the sky, Alpha and
representing the centaur, the half-man, half-horse Beta
creature in Greek mythology. It has the two of the ten Centauri
brightest stars in the sky.
8. Crux It is the smallest of all the 88 constellations. This
constellation belongs to Hercules family of constellation
and associated with several stories in different mythologies Acrux
in the southern hemisphere.
9. Orion It is also known as “The Hunter.” It lies in the celestial
equator, and one of the brightest and best-known
constellations in the night sky. It represents the mythical Rigel
hunter Orion, who is often depicted in star maps as either
facing the charge of Taurus, the bull, pursuing the
Pleiades sisters, represented by the famous open cluster,
or chasing after the hare (constellation Lepus) with his two
hunting dogs, represented by the nearby constellations
Canis Major and Canis Minor.
10. Canis In Latin, Canis Major means “the greater dog.” It
Major represents the greater dog following Orion. It is often
depicted following the constellation Lepus. It was described
by Manilius as “the dog with the blazing face” because it Sirius
appears to hold Sirius in its jaws. It is one of the 48 Greek
constellations first cataloged by Ptolemy of Alexandria in
his Almagest in the 2nd century CE.
11. Scorpius Scorpius constellation represents scorpion and associated
with the story of Orion in Greek mythology. It belongs to
the Zodiac family of constellations. The constellation is
easy to find in the sky because it is located near the center
Antares
of the Milky Way. It contains a number of notable stars
and deep sky objects. It was first cataloged by Ptolemy in
the 2nd century CE, and one of the oldest known
constellations.

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 12. Cancer Its name means crab in Latin. It is the faintest of the 12
constellations in the Zodiac family. It contains two
Messiers and 11 named stars. In Greek mythology, it is Acubens
associated with the crab sent by Hera to kill Heracles.
13. It was named after the mythical princess Andromeda,
Andromeda daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and wife of Perseus. It is
also called the Chained Maiden, Persea, or Cepheis Alph eratz
(daughter of Cepheus). It contains the famous Andromeda
Galaxy and the dwarf elliptical galaxies, Messier 32 and
Messier 110.

14. Hydra Hydra, the water snake lies in the southern celestial
hemisphere. It is the largest in the 88 constellations. It
belongs to Hercules family of constellations and contains
seven named stars. It represents the Lernaean Hydra from
the Greek myth of Heracles’ Twelve Labours. Sometimes it Alphard
is taken to represent the water snake from the myth about
the crow that tried to trick the god Apollo by blaming the
snake for its tardiness in fetching t he god some water.
15. Aquilla It is located in the northern sky, near the celestial equator.
Its name means “the eagle” in Latin. It represented the
eagle of the god Jupiter in Roman mythology. It was first
cataloged by Ptolemy in 2nd century. It is easy to spot, lying
Altair
opposite the celestial Cygnus. It belongs to Hercules
family, with eight named stars and with no Messier
objects.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/
• For a complete list of the 88 Constellations by International Astronomical Union
(IAU), you can visit;
- https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-names/
- Constellation Index http://www.stargazing.net/david/constel/index.html
• Software and mobile applications are also available to show you what exactly
you can see when you look up at the stars;
- Stellar Mobile Free Application, Stellarium Astronomy Software

Post-test
Directions: Read the questions carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer on the
blank provided before the number.
_____ 1. Which of these statements describes a constellation?
A. It is the explosion of a star.
B. It is a group of stars that appears to form a pattern.
C. It is the fusion of heavy elements at the core of stars.
D. It is the formation of clouds of dust scattered in the galaxies.
_____ 2. Which of these constellations is NOT visible in the southern hemisphere?
A. Carina C. Centaurus
B. Cassiopeia D. Crux
_____ 3. Which of these is a Southern Circumpolar constellation?
A. Andromeda C. Hydra
B. Carina D. Ursa Major
_____ 4. Which of these stars in the Ursa Minor constellation is the brightest?
A. Alioth C. Polaris
B. Pherkad D. Sirius
_____5. Why does the Big Dipper, an asterism of the Great Bear constellation seem to
move or change its position during the course of the night?
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 A. It is because of the tilt of the Earth.
B. It is because of the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
C. It is because of the revolution of the Earth around the Sun.
D. It is the because of the movement of the moon around the Earth.

Reflection
3-2-1 Task!
3 Things you found out/ 2 Things you found very 1 Thing you did not
discovered from the lesson interesting understand

_________________________ _______________________ _____________________

References
Science 9 learner’s material. Department of Education Bureau of Learning Resources,
pp. 217-222.
https://bit.ly/35QW0KZ
https://thebackyardgnome.com/how-to-identify-constellations-in-the-night-sky/
https://www.constellation-guide.com/
https://bit.ly/2OepwnV
https://bit.ly/3aPt084

Science 9(S9ES-IIIj-34)
Quarter 3 Week 8A

Pre-test Post-test Looking Back

1. ________ 1. _______ 1. _______
2. ________ 2. _______ 2. _______
3. ________ 3. _______ 3. _______
4. ________ 4. _______ 4. _______
5. ________ 5. _______ 5. _______
Activity 1
A.
1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

B.
Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

Activity 2 Activity 3
1.________ Constellations Brightest Star
2.________ 1. Cassiopeia
3.________ 2. Cepheus
4.________ 3. Cygnus
5.________ 4. Ursa Major
5. Ursa Minor
Reflection:

_____________________ ____________________ __________________

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