Science

Quarter 3 –
Module 6
Constellations
The module is divided into five topics,
namely:
a. Characteristics of stars
b. Patterns in the sky
c. Apparent movement of the stars
through the night
d. Different star patterns throughout
the year
e. How early people used the
constellations.
After going through this module, you are expected
to:
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;
3. observe how the position of constellations
changes in the course of study; and
4. use charts that show which constellations maybe
observed at different times
of the year.
 Constellations
Constellations are imaginary group of
stars.
What is a Star?
A star is a massive ball of plasma that
emits light throughout the universe. While
there is only one star in our solar system,
there are billions upon billions of stars
throughout our galaxy and exponentially
more in the billions of galaxies in the
universe. A star can be defined by five
basic characteristics: brightness, color,
Characteristics of Stars
Brightness
Two characteristics define brightness:
luminosity and magnitude. Luminosity is the
amount of light that a star radiates. The size of
the star and its surface temperature determine
its luminosity. Apparent magnitude of a star is
its perceived
brightness, factoring in size and distance, while
absolute magnitude is its true brightness
irrespective of its distance from the Earth.
Color
A star's color depends on its surface
temperature. Cooler stars tend to be
redder in color, while hotter stars
have a bluer appearance. 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.
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. 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.
Size
Astronomers measure the size of a
given star in terms of our own sun's
radius.
Thus, a star that measure 1 solar
radius would be the same size as our
sun. The star
Rigel, which is much larger than our
sun, measures 78 solar radii. A star's
size, along
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. Two stars of a
similar size may not necessarily have
the same
What is a Constellation?
A constellation is any 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
Patterns in the Sky
Away from city lights on
a clear, moonless night,
the naked eye can see
2000
to 3000 stars.
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.
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. 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
Apparent Movement of the Stars
through the Night
In the Northern Hemisphere, every
star in the sky circles around the North
Star (Polaris). In fact, if we take a
really long exposure with a camera,
we can see the star trails this motion
creates.
On the other hand, there are also
constellations that appears to move in
a
circle around the night sky as the
Earth orbits the Sun, it is called
circumpolar
constellations. These are
constellations which are always above
the horizon.
Circumpolar constellations include
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
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). 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. 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,
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
How Early People Used the Constellations

There are stars and constellations that

always appear in Earth's northern sky.
For instance, the Big Dipper is one of those
constellations. Ancient sailors used stars
and constellations to guide their travels.
To explain why planets seemed to
change direction, Ptolemy used old
calculations by Hipparchus to
understand planetary motion.
Hipparchus worked about 130 B.C. and
Ptolemy about A.D. 150, which suggests
it took 280 years to come up with the
complicated scheme used to predict
future
positions of planets
Astrolabes. "Star-finders" or
astrolabes were created by Arab
astronomers to solve
complicated astronomy
problems. One side of an
astrolabe contained a detailed
star map.
Philippine Constellations
The constellations serve as a map
during the early years and it talks
about countless stories regarding
heroes and monsters, thru the years of
humankind and cultures. Like in other
countries, our Filipino ancestors did
worship stars before as their Gods.
They have their own version of names,
prayers, and stories which depend on
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. 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
“Moroporo” is connected to sea navigation
but, like “Balatik”, it was primarily used to
signal the beginning of the planting season.
Here are some of the constellations and asterisms
commonly known in the Philippines.
“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
“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.
“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
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.
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.
“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.