1. The Life Cycle of a star By Ramunė Stabingytė and 9.

Neutron star • Neutron stars spin rapidly giving of

Kotryna Bieliauskaitė Kaunas “Vyturys” cathalic radio waves. • If the radio waves are emitted in pulses,
secondary school the neutron star is called a pulsar.

2. Birth of a star • In space, there are huge clouds of gas 10. Black hole • The core of a massive star that has 8 or
and dust called nebulas. • These clouds are made up of more times the mass of our Sun remains massive after
hydrogen and helium and are the birthplace of new stars. the supernova. • It has now become a black hole which
• Gravity pulls the hydrogen gas in the nebula together readily attracts any matter and energy that comes near it.
and it begins to spin, • As the gas spins faster and faster, • Black holes are not visible, they are detected by the X-
it heats up and is known as a protostar. rays which are given off as matter falls into the hole.

3. Protostar • The second stage of star creation. • At this PHILIPPINE CONSTELLATION

point the temperature eventually reaches 15,000,000 °C.
• The cloud begins to glow brightly. • At this stage, it The constellations serve as a map during the early years
contracts a little and becomes stable and is called a main and it tells about countless stories about heroes and
sequence star. monsters, thru the years of humankind and cultures. Like
in other countries, our Filipino ancestors did worship
4. Main sequence star • A star will remain in this stage, stars before as their gods, they have their own version of
shining for millions or billions of years to come. • As the names, prayers, and stories depend on what region they
main sequence star glows, hydrogen in the core is from.
converted into helium by nuclear reactions. • Our sun is a
main sequence star. The origin of names of different astronomical bodies
some from deities in ancient Philippine mythology. “Tala”
5. Red giant phase • When the hydrogen supply in the is a very good example and very common to hear. “Tala”
core begin to run out, the core becomes unstable and is a goddess of the stars. Other examples are; “Mayari” is
contracts. • The outer shell of the star starts to expand. • a goddess of the moon, and “Hanan” the goddess of the
As it expands, it cools and glows red. • The star has now morning, they are the daughters of “Bathala” and a
reached the red giant phase. mortal woman. Another example is “Apolaki” who is the
god of the sun, he was the son of “Anagolay” and
6. White dwarfs • Gravity causes the last of the star’s “Dumakulem”.
matter to collapse inward and compact, this is the white
dwarf stage. • At this stage the star’s matter is extremely An artist’s view of Tala, Hanan, Miyari, & Apolaki.
dense. • White dwarfs shine with a white hot light. • The (trixdraws.dviantart.com)
star has now reached the black dwarf phase in which it
will forever remain. The constellations and their movements, and as the
season and time changed, our ancestors somehow
7. Massive stars • Once massive stars reach the red giant practiced following the star movements as a sign of good
phase, the core temperature increases. • Gravity harvest, fishing, hunting, and other activities in the tribe.
continues to pull carbon atoms together as the It’s either a good or a bad omen when something is
temperature increases forming oxygen, nitrogen, and changing in the night sky.
eventually iron. • At this point, fusion stops and the iron
atoms start to absorb energy. • This energy is eventually Philippine Constellations and Asterisms
released in a powerful explosion called a supernova. There is a book called “Balatik: Etnoastronomiya,
8. Supernova • A supernova can light up the sky for Kalangitan at Kabihasnang Pilipino” by Dr. Dante L.
weeks. • The temperature in one can reach Ambrosio. It is about the link between astronomy and
1,000,000,000 °C. • The supernova then either becomes a ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines (known as
neutron star or a black hole. Ethnoastronomy).
“Moroporo” is connected to sea navigation but, like to the unaided eye so it's possible to see constellations
“Balatik”, it was primarily used to signal the beginning of without the use of a telescope.
the planting season.
There are 88 officially recognized constellations, which
Here are some of the constellations and asterisms are visible at different times throughout the year. Each
commonly known in the Philippines season has distinctive star patterns because the stars
that are visible in the sky change as Earth orbits the Sun.
“Tres Marias” (The Three Marias) in Tagalog, “Magbangal” The Northern and Southern Hemisphere skies are very
in Bukidnon, and “Seretar” in Teduray, “Balatik” is different from each other, and there are some patterns in
composed of perfectly aligned and evenly spaced stars each that cannot be viewed between hemispheres. In
which act as the belt of the constellation of Orion. In general, most people can see about 40-50 constellations
Palawan and Ibaloi however, “Balatik” is seen as both the over the course of a year.
sword and belt of Orion. Start of planting and setting of
traps to protect the crops from animals. The easiest way to learn the constellations is to see
seasonal star charts for both the north and south
“Supot ni Hudas”, “Mapolon” in Tagalog, “San Apon” in latitudes. Northern Hemisphere seasons are the opposite
Ibaloi, and “Kufukufu” in Teduray. In western, it is known for Southern Hemisphere viewers so a chart marked
as the star cluster Pleiades (The Seven Sisters) located in "Southern Hemisphere winter" represents what people
the constellation of Taurus. The Tagalogs consulted this south of the equator see in winter. At the same time,
star cluster to know the shifting of time and season. Start Northern Hemisphere viewers are experiencing summer,
of the planting season. so those southern winter stars are actually summer stars
“Lepu”, by the “Matigsalug Manobo” of Bukidnon. In the for northern viewers.
western equivalent, it is known as the constellation of Helpful Tips for Reading Charts
Aquila. It signifies the time to clean or clear the fields
while waiting for the harvest time. Keep in mind that many star patterns do not look like
their names. Andromeda, for example, is supposed to be
Tagalogs had a constellation called “Talang Batugan” a lovely young lady in the sky. In reality, however, her
(Lazy), named for its characteristic of slow motion, large stick figure is more like a curved "V" extending from a
size, and low brightness and usually known as a guiding box-shaped pattern. People also use this "V" to find
star for shepherds. the Andromeda Galaxy.
In Bicol, there are stars such as “Pogot” used as a sign for You should also bear in mind that some constellations
fishing and incoming storms, “Soag” is a four-star that cover large swaths of the sky while others are very small.
resemble a four-sided figure, which signals the beginning For example, Delphinus, the Dolphin is tiny compared to
of night time, and “Torong” three stars that show an its neighbor Cygnus, the Swan. Ursa Major is medium-
approaching storm. sized but very recognizable. People use it to find
“Sipat” and “Tudong” are mentioned in a ritual known as Polaris, our pole star.
“kentan” conducted by ethnic groups in the Cordillera to It's often easier to learn groups of constellations together
bless rice seedlings. “Binabbais”, another star named by in order to be able to draw connections between them
the people of Cordillera, is heard in prayers chanted and use them to locate one another. (For
during their ritual sacrifice of a chicken. example, Orion and Canis Major and its bright star
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky that Sirius are neighbors, as are Taurus and Orion.)
humans have used since antiquity to navigate and to Successful stargazers "star hop" from one constellation
learn about space. Sort of like a game of cosmic connect- to another using bright stars as stepping stones. The
the-dots, stargazers draw lines between bright stars to following charts show the sky as seen from latitude 40
form familiar shapes. Some stars are much brighter than degrees North at around 10 p.m. in the middle of each
others but the brightest stars in a constellation are visible season. They give the name and general shape of each
constellation. Good star chart programs or books can
provide more information about each constellation and patterns are star clusters and nebulae that can be
the treasures it contains. examined with binoculars and small telescopes. Look for
Crux (also known as the Southern Cross), Carina, and
Northern Hemisphere Winter Stars, North View Centaurus—which where you'll find Alpha and Beta
Centauri, two of the closest stars to the Sun.
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo

In the Northern Hemisphere, winter skies hold some of Northern Hemisphere Spring Skies, North View
the loveliest constellation views of the year. Looking Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
north gives skygazers a chance to see the brightest
constellations Ursa Major, Cepheus, and Cassiopeia. Ursa With the return of spring temperatures, Northern
Major contains the familiar Big Dipper, which looks very Hemisphere skygazers are greeted with a panoply of new
much like a dipper or soup ladle in the sky with its handle constellations to explore. Old friends Cassiopeia and
pointing directly to the horizon for much of the winter. Cepheus are now very low on the horizon, while new
Directly overhead lie the star patterns of Perseus, friends Bootes, Hercules, and Coma Berenices are rising
Auriga, Gemini, and Cancer. The bright V-shaped face of in the East. High in the northern sky, Ursa Major, and the
Taurus the Bull is a star cluster called the Hyades. Big Dipper command the view as Leo the Lion and Cancer
claim the view high overhead.
Northern Hemisphere Winter Stars, South View
Northern Hemisphere Spring Skies, South View
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
In the Northern Hemisphere, looking south during the
winter provides a chance to explore the rest of the bright The southern half of the spring skies show Northern
constellations available during December, January, and Hemisphere skygazers the last of the winter
February each year. Orion stands out among the largest constellations (such as Orion), and bring new ones into
and brightest of the star patterns. He's joined by Gemini, view: Virgo, Corvus, Leo, and a few of the more northerly
Taurus, and Canis Major. The three bright stars at Orion's Southern Hemisphere star patterns. Orion disappears in
waist are called the "Belt Stars" and a line drawn from the west in April, while Bootes and Corona Borealis make
them to the southwest leads to the throat of Canis Major, their evening appearance in the east.
home to Sirius (the dog star), the brightest star in our
night-time sky that is visible around the world. Southern Hemisphere Autumn Skies, North View

Southern Hemisphere Summer Skies, North View Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo

Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo While Northern Hemisphere folks enjoy the spring season,
people in the Southern Hemisphere are entering the
While Northern Hemisphere skygazers experience colder autumn months. Their view of the sky includes the old
temperatures during winter skygazing, Southern summer favorites, with Orion setting in the west, along
Hemisphere gazers are reveling in warm summer with Taurus. This view shows the Moon in Taurus,
weather. The familiar constellations of Orion, Canis although it appears in different places along the zodiac
Major, and Taurus are in their northern sky while directly throughout the month. Eastern sky shows Libra and Virgo
overhead, the River Eridanus, Puppis, Phoenix, and rising, and along with the stars of the Milky Way, the
Horologium take over the sky. constellations of Canis Major, Vela, and Centaurus are
high overhead.
Southern Hemisphere Summer Skies, South View
Southern Hemisphere Autumn Skies, South View
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
The summer skies of the Southern Hemisphere feature
incredibly beautiful constellations that run along the The southern half of the Southern Hemisphere sky in
Milky Way to the south. Scattered among these star autumn showcases the bright constellations of the Milky
Way overhead and the far south constellations of Tucana The winter night sky to the south from the Southern
and Pavo along the horizon, with Scorpius rising in the Hemisphere follows the plane of the Milky Way to the
East. The plane of the Milky Way looks like a fuzzy cloud southwest. Along the southern horizon are smaller
of stars and contains many star clusters and nebulae that constellations such as Horologium, Dorado, Pictor, and
can be spied with a small telescope. Hydrus. The long stanchion of Crux points down to the
southern pole (although it has no star equivalent to
Northern Hemisphere Summer Skies, North View Polaris at the north to mark its location). To best see the
hidden gems of the Milky Way, observers should use a
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
small telescope or binoculars.
The skies of summer in the Northern Hemisphere bring
the return of Ursa Major high in the northwestern sky, Northern Hemisphere Autumn Skies, North View
while its counterpart Ursa Minor is high in the northern Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
sky. Closer overhead, stargazers see Hercules (with its
hidden clusters), Cygnus the Swan (one of the harbingers The viewing year ends with brilliant skies for Northern
of summer), and the sparse lines of Aquila the Eagle Hemisphere autumn. The summer constellations are
rising from the east. sliding west, and the winter constellations are starting to
appear in the east as the season wears on. Overhead,
Northern Hemisphere Summer Skies, South View Pegasus guides viewers to the Andromeda Galaxy,
Cygnus flies high in the sky, and tiny Delphinus the
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
Dolphin glides along the zenith. In the north, Ursa Major
The view toward the south during Northern Hemisphere is sliding along the horizon, while W-shaped Cassiopeia
summer shows the brilliant rides high with Cepheus and Draco.
constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius low in the sky. The
center of our Milky Way Galaxy lies in that direction Northern Hemisphere Autumn Skies, South View
between the two constellations. Overhead, Hercules, Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, and the stars of Coma Berenices
surround some deep-sky objects such as the Ring Nebula, Northern Hemisphere autumn brings skygazers a look to
which marks the spot where a star similar to the Sun died. some Southern Hemisphere constellations that are just
The brightest stars of the constellations Aquila, Lyra, and visible along the horizon (depending on where the viewer
Cygnus form an unofficial star pattern called the Summer is located). Grus and Sagittarius are heading south and
Triangle, which remains visible well into autumn. west. Scanning the sky up to the zenith, observers can
see Capricornus, Scutum, Aquila, Aquarius, and parts of
Southern Hemisphere Winter Skies, North View Cetus. At the zenith, Cepheus, Cygnus, and others ride
high in the sky. Scan them with binoculars or telescope to
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
find star clusters and nebulae.
While Northern Hemisphere viewers enjoy summer
weather, skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere are in Southern Hemisphere Spring Skies, North View
the throes of winter. Their winter sky contains the bright Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo
constellations Scorpius, Sagittarius, Lupus, and Centaurus
directly overhead, along with the Southern Cross (Crux). Spring skies in the Southern Hemisphere are enjoyed
The plane of the Milky Way is overhead, as well. Farther with warmer temperatures by the folks south of the
north, southerners see some of the same constellations equator. Their view brings Sagittarius, Grus, and Sculptor
as northerners do: Hercules, Corona Borealis, and Lyra. high overhead, while the northern horizon glitters with
the stars of Pegasus, Sagitta, Delphinus, and parts of
Southern Hemisphere Winter Skies, South View Cygnus and Pegasus.
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo Southern Hemisphere Spring Skies, South View
Carolyn Collins Petersen, ThoughtCo

The Southern Hemisphere spring sky view to the south

features Centaurus on the far southern horizon, with
Sagittarius and Scorpius headed west, and the river
Eridanus and Cetus rising in the east. Directly overhead
are Tucana and Octans, along with Capricornus. It's a
great time of year for stargazing in the south and brings
the year of constellations to a close.