Patterns in the Night Sky 8.

6
For thousands of years, people the world over have been fascinated by the
night sky. Many civilizations, both in the past and present, believe that
celestial objects are connected to events that occur on Earth. For example, DID YOU KNOW?
many First Nations groups noted that the appearance of certain patterns of 88 Constellations
stars marked the changing seasons. This information helped them determine There are as many constellations in the
when to plant and when to harvest crops. sky as there are keys on a piano—88.
Stars were also used for navigation. People living in areas surrounded
by water had no land to use as a reference point, and often used stars for
navigation. Polynesians, for example, navigated among the Pacific Ocean
islands by observing and recording patterns of stars.

Constellations
Over the centuries, many cultures have noticed that some stars in the
night sky appear to form patterns. They began naming these star patterns
after their heroes, mythical monsters, and animals, such as Leo the
lion (Figure 1). In everyday language, we often call these star patterns
constellations. However, in astronomical terms, constellations are regions
of the sky. It is the stars found within a constellation that can appear as a
pattern in the sky. Ursa Major, for example, is the constellation where the
Figure 1 Ancient Egyptians worshipped
Big Dipper can be found. There are 88 constellations recognized by the the stars of Leo because when the Sun
International Astronomical Union (IAU). was among its stars, the Nile River rose.
Historically, people formed these star patterns using their imagination
to link up the stars in the sky like connect-the-dots puzzles. Different
cultures linked up the stars in different ways. For instance, ancient Greek
constellation a grouping of stars, as
astronomers thought that the stars that make up the constellation Orion observed from Earth
depicted a great hunter (Figure 2(a)), whereas some First Nations peoples
of North America thought that the same stars looked like a canoe floating To learn more about the history
down a river (Figure 2(b)). Many of the official constellation names that and legends of constellations,
exist today come from Greek or Arabic mythology. GO TO NELSON SCIENCE

(a) (b)
Figure 2 The constellation Orion can appear in the pattern of a hunter (a). The same stars can appear as a canoe (b).

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 Although we can mark out the same constellations our ancient ancestors
saw thousands of years ago, their component stars are not in exactly the
same location as they were then. Precise observations of stars reveal that
they move relative to each other in space, but these changes in position
occur slowly, over many years. Since most stars are so far away from Earth,
when we observe them in the night sky, they do not appear to be moving
relative to one another. These changes can be seen only in photographs
taken through high-powered telescopes over many years. Resulting shifts in
star patterns such as the Big Dipper will become noticeable only in tens of
thousands of years (Figure 3).

The Big Dipper today The Big Dipper in 50 000 years

Figure 3 The stars of the Big Dipper are moving, but so slowly that the change is only noticeable
over many years.

Astronomers also noticed that celestial objects that are closer to the Sun
appear to move faster relative to more distant ones. This visual effect is
To learn more about the
similar to the effect seen while driving in a car along a country road. Nearby
movement of the Sun and stars, trees appear to move more rapidly by your window, whereas more distant
GO TO NELSON SCIENCE trees appear to move by much more slowly.

MAPPING THE STARS

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A star map is a map of the night sky that shows the relative positions of
the stars in a particular part of the sky (Figure 4). Some star maps show
only those objects that can be seen with the unaided eye, while others show
objects that can only be viewed using a telescope or other instrument. A
star map can be used to recognize celestial objects in the sky, and to observe
the motions of these objects. By making use of star maps, people are able
to determine both their location on the Earth’s surface and the direction
in which they are going. For this reason, star maps have been used for
navigation for centuries. To learn more about star maps, go to the Skills
Handbook, section 2.C.
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Figure 4 Star maps show the stars in a
certain region of the sky.
A planisphere is a very useful type of star map that is used to display only
those stars that are visible at a given date and time. A planisphere can be
used for locating stars, constellations, and galaxies.
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 The Celestial Sphere
From Earth, we observe the sky as it appears, not as it is. In the Middle
Ages, people believed the sky to be a solid sphere with celestial objects in
fixed positions. This imaginary sphere onto which all celestial objects are
projected is called the celestial sphere. Today, we know that it is Earth that celestial sphere the imaginary sphere
rotates, and not the sky. The celestial sphere extends around Earth. However, that rotates around Earth, onto which all
celestial objects are projected
an observer on Earth can only see half of the sphere, the same way you can
only see what is in front of you, and not behind (Figure 5).

DID YOU KNOW?

See the Night Sky Inside
A planetarium offers people the
Polaris
North Celestial Pole opportunity to view the stars and
constellations projected onto a domed
ceiling, which mimics the night sky.
A projector can show the night sky
seen from any part of the world, at any
time of night, on any day, including the
North Pole past, present, and future.
C e l e s ti a l E q u at o r

Equa
tor

South Pole

South Celestial Pole

Figure 5 The celestial sphere

Early astronomers realized that the celestial sphere is a useful tool

for determining location using the stars, known as celestial navigation celestial navigation the use of positions
(Figure 6). of stars to determine location and direction
when travelling
The celestial sphere is divided into northern and southern hemispheres
by the celestial equator, which is an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator,
projected into space. Astronomers mark the position of stars and other objects
in the sky of each hemisphere using a grid system similar to latitude and
longitude used on Earth. The North and South Celestial Poles are the imaginary
points where Earth’s axis of rotation extends out onto the celestial sphere above
the North and South Poles on Earth. For observers in the northern hemisphere,
the North Celestial Pole points very close to Polaris, the North Star. Even today,
celestial navigation is widely used by sailors. Figure 6 An astrolabe measures angles
to determine location.

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 Calendars Based on the Sky
Scientific historians recognize that many cultures have developed calendars
by observing the sky. Historically, keeping accurate calendars was important
for timing crucial agricultural and religious events. Ancient Egyptian farmers
noticed that the annual flooding of the Nile River, used for crop irrigation,
would occur once every 365 days when the Sun was passing through the
To find out how to be a scientific constellation Leo. Other ancient peoples marked the beginning of the summer
historian, season using stones. By lining up the stones with the Sun’s path in the sky, they
GO TO NELSON SCIENCE were able to track the start and end of each season.

Cultural Significance of Solstices and Equinoxes

READING TIP For many cultures, solstices and equinoxes have historically been astronomical
Finding the Main Idea events that held significant spiritual meaning. On the Yucatán Peninsula of
Use the title and headings to get a Mexico, the ancient Mayans built a giant pyramid, El Castillo, that is aligned
sense of what a passage is about. to the Sun’s movement in the sky. At sunset on the spring and fall equinoxes,
For example, “Calendars Based on a corner of the structure casts a shadow that resembles a plumed snake
the Sky” suggests the 365-day orbit
of Earth around the Sun. Similarly,
slithering down the pyramid steps (Figure 7).
“Cultural Significance of Solstices and Another famous ancient monument marking the solstice is the prehistoric
Equinoxes” helps you distinguish the astronomical observatory known as Stonehenge, in England (Figure 8).
main idea in the first two sentences Stonehenge is a circular arrangement of giant stones and boulders that may have
from the examples in the remaining
been used as an astronomical calendar to predict the movement of the Sun, the
sentences of the paragraphs.
Moon, and their eclipses. Who built Stonehenge, and why, remains a mystery,
but it is known that the alignment of the monument is so precise that at sunrise
on the summer solstice every year, the Sun’s first rays strike a particular stone.

snake’s body

snake’s head

Figure 7 At sunset on each equinox, the plumed serpent, known Figure 8 An early observatory called Stonehenge located near
as “Kukulcan,” forms along the west side of the north staircase Salisbury, England
at El Castillo, Chichen Itza.
Aboriginal Views of the Sky
Cultures around the world have passed stories from generation to generation
to explain what they see in the sky. Some legends are about astronomical
phenomena, such as eclipses of the Moon or the Sun.
Other legends offer various explanations for the formation of celestial
objects, such as the Moon and stars. A West Coast Tsimshian legend tells
of the stars being formed when the sleeping Sun’s mouth spewed sparks
through the smoke hole of its house. As the Sun slept, its brother, the Moon,
rose in the east. In other First Nations legends, lunar eclipses are the result
of monsters in the sky swallowing the Moon.
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 Some Aboriginal legends in Canada view the stars as living beings who
wander the skies forever. According to an Iroquois legend, the stars that
make up the bowl of the Big Dipper are, in fact, a giant bear. The stars of the
handle are three warriors hunting the bear. As the constellation sets close to
the horizon in autumn, the hunters injure the bear. The blood of the injured
bear turns the leaves of the trees on Earth red.

UNIT TASK Bookmark

How can you apply what you have learned about star maps to the Unit Task described
on page 446?

IN SUMMARY
• The sky is divided into 88 regions associated with • Ancient peoples often built structures to
patterns of stars, or constellations. acknowledge and utilize their understanding of
• Star maps show the arrangement of celestial the movements of celestial objects.
objects in the night sky. • Aborginal peoples in Canada, as well as other
• The celestial sphere is a convenient way to cultures, have observed the patterns in the night
describe the positions of stars and their apparent sky for cultural, agricultural, and navigational
movement in the sky. reasons.

CHECK YOUR LEARNING

1. Give three reasons why ancient peoples carefully observed
the patterns in the night sky. K/U
2. Do the stars that make up constellations change their
position over time? How might this change the shape
of the constellation? K/U
3. Using a globe as a guide, describe where you might find the
celestial sphere, celestial equator, and celestial poles. C
4. The North Celestial Pole is very close to the star shown
in Figure 9. What is its name? K/U
5. Explain why it might be beneficial to use the geocentric
model when describing the positions and motions of the
stars in the night sky. T/I
6. Name two ways that ancient cultures recognized the
importance of solstices and equinoxes. K/U
7. Identify two structures built by ancient peoples to reflect
their beliefs about the motions of objects in the sky. K/U
8. In your own words, describe two First Nations legends
about astronomical phenomena as if you were explaining
Figure 9 Little Dipper in Ursa Minor
to a friend. K/U

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