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    Constellations:: Mythology & Science

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    Richard Torzar
    Constellations are groups of stars that appear to form patterns in the sky, though the stars are not physically close together. Their shapes depend on perspective from Earth. Many constellations originated from Greek mythology and depicted gods, heroes, and animals. Some well-known examples are Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, and Orion, which features the famous Orion's Belt. While the positions of constellations change with Earth's rotation, they bring order to the night sky by dividing it into recognizable patterns.

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    Constellations:: Mythology & Science

    Uploaded by

    Richard Torzar
    147 views24 pages
    Constellations are groups of stars that appear to form patterns in the sky, though the stars are not physically close together. Their shapes depend on perspective from Earth. Many constellations originated from Greek mythology and depicted gods, heroes, and animals. Some well-known examples are Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, and Orion, which features the famous Orion's Belt. While the positions of constellations change with Earth's rotation, they bring order to the night sky by dividing it into recognizable patterns.

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    Constellation

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    Constellation 1

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    Constellations are groups of stars that appear to form patterns in the sky, though the stars are not physically close together. Their shapes depend on perspective from Earth. Many constellations originated from Greek mythology and depicted gods, heroes, and animals. Some well-known examples are Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, and Orion, which features the famous Orion's Belt. While the positions of constellations change with Earth's rotation, they bring order to the night sky by dividing it into recognizable patterns.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    147 views24 pages

    Constellations:: Mythology & Science

    Uploaded by

    Richard Torzar
    Constellations are groups of stars that appear to form patterns in the sky, though the stars are not physically close together. Their shapes depend on perspective from Earth. Many constellations originated from Greek mythology and depicted gods, heroes, and animals. Some well-known examples are Ursa Major, also known as the Big Dipper, and Orion, which features the famous Orion's Belt. While the positions of constellations change with Earth's rotation, they bring order to the night sky by dividing it into recognizable patterns.

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    You are on page 1of 24

    Constellations:

    Mythology & Science

    1
    What are Constellations?
    Constellations are a
    group of stars that
    form a pattern in the
    sky.
    The shapes you see all
    depend on your point of
    view.
    Stars in a constellation
    are NOT close to each
    other, but when viewed
    from Earth they seem
    to be grouped together.
    2
    It all depends on your point of view
    Stars that seem to be
    "close" to each other
    actually are quite far
    apart.
    Depending on your
    location, the same object
    may appear very Earth view
    different.
    Consider how a car looks
    from the side and from
    the back.
    This picture shows two Alien view?
    different views of the
    constellation, The Big Ursa Major
    Dipper. 3
    Constellation List

    The 48 ancient constellations single


    out only the bright patterns.
    From around 1600 to 1800,
    astronomers invented hosts of
    "modern" constellations including faint
    stars and those in the southern sky that
    could not be seen from classical lands.
    In the early 20th century, the
    International Astronomical Union (IAU) 4
    Modern List
    Some constellations look like what they are supposed to
    represent, but most do not. Constellations, both ancient
    and modern, are generally meant to honor and represent,
    not to portray.
    Constellations bring order to the sky by dividing it into
    smaller segments, providing a base for naming celestial
    objects.
    The brighter stars carry "proper names" that come
    mostly from Arabic, and have Greek letters and Arabic
    numbers to which are affixed the Latin possessive forms
    of the constellation names, Vega, for example, also known
    as "Alpha of Lyra," or "Alpha Lyrae.”
    IAU also adopted three-letter abbreviations for all the
    constellations and their possessives, Vega thus becoming
    Alpha Lyr.
    5
    Accepted Constellations

    6
    Just a to c…
    Zodiak (Ζωδιακός)
    is a circle of twelve 30°
    divisions of celestial
    longitude that are
    centered upon the ecliptic,
    the apparent path of the
    Sun across the celestial
    sphere over the course of
    the year.
    Paths of the Moon and
    visible planets also remain
    close to the ecliptic, within
    the belt of the zodiac.
    Because the divisions are
    regular and do not
    correspond exactly to
    their twelve constellations.
    7
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tauʻolunga
    ZODIAC DIVISIONS

    8
    Compass in the Sky

    The sky seems to turn as


    Earth rotates (around
    Polaris)
    Polaris: aka the North
    Star, directly above the
    North Pole
    You can use Polaris to
    figure out direction &
    location
    Example: If you are in
    Regina at 49 ° latitude,
    Polaris is at 49 °
    latitude in the sky

    9
    Polaris (North or Pole Star)

    Brightest star in Little Dipper; 50th brightest star in the night sky.
    Multiple star: main star α UMi Aa, (supergiant); two smaller
    companions, α UMi B and α UMi Ab.
    Very close to the north celestial pole: current northern pole star.
    Earth’s axis wobbles: completes rotation in 26,000 years.
    10
    Circumpolar or not?
    Because of the rotation of the Earth
    and its orbit around the Sun, we divide
    the constellations into two groups.
    Some constellations never rise nor set,
    and they are called circumpolar.
    The rest are divided into seasonal
    constellations.
    Which constellations will be circumpolar
    and which seasonal depends on your
    latitude.
    11
    Northern & Southern
    Constellations in the northern circumpolar sky
    include Auriga, Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia,
    Cepheus, Draco, Lynx, Perseus, Ursa Major, and
    Ursa Minor. These constellations are always
    visible in the night sky of the Northern
    Hemisphere.
    Constellations in the southern circumpolar sky
    include Grus, Phoenix, Indus, Tucana, Pavo, Ara,
    Eridanus, Hydrus, Horologium, Reticulum,
    Octans, Apus, Triangulum Australe, Lupus,
    Circinus, Musca, Crux, Centaurus, Carina, Vela,
    Puppis, Dorado, and Chamaeleon. These
    constellations are always visible in the night sky
    of the Southern Hemisphere. 12
    Northern Hemisphere

    13
    Find the Constellations

    14
    Myths about Constellations
    Many societies saw
    patterns among the
    stars with gods and
    goddesses or
    stories from their
    culture.
    Most of the
    constellations with
    which we are
    familiar come from
    ancient Greece.

    15
    Ursa Major
    Ursa Major (Great Bear, Big
    Dipper) is probably the most
    famous constellation, with the
    exception of Orion. It has a
    companion: Ursa Minor (Little
    Bear, Little Dipper).
    Most of the constellation is
    circumpolar, which means it
    can be viewed all year long.
    However, parts of the legs will
    disappear from the sky in the
    fall and reappear in the
    winter.
    16
    Ursa Major Cluster

    View from
    Arizona’s Kitt
    Peak 90-inch
    telescope.

    17
    Leo
    The sickle-shaped
    head of Leo, the
    Lion, is on the
    right, the triangle
    that makes his his
    hindquarters on
    the left. Regulus
    is at the bottom
    of the sickle
    toward lower
    right.
    18
    Orion

    Most famous seasonal constellation.


    Orion's Belt makes the hunter easy to find in the night sky.
    Orion Nebula - located in Orion's sword, which hangs from the belt.
    – so bright, that even the naked eye can see the fuzzy patch
    Nebula- birthplace of stars
    19
    Orion the Hunter
    Orion is the master of the winter skies. He lords
    over the heavens from late fall to early spring,
    with his hunting dog Sirius trailing at his feet.
    Many different civilizations saw this constellation
    in the sky. The most famous stories come from
    Greek myths.
    Orion was a famed hunter, and in one story
    boasted that no creature could kill him. Hera then
    sent Scorpius, a scorpion to sting the hunter.
    Orion smashed the animal with his club, but not
    before he was poisoned. Both are now on opposite
    sides of the sky. They cannot be seen at the same
    time.
    20
    Family Business
    Andromeda was the daughter
    of the Aethiopian king Cepheus
    and his wife Cassiopeia.
    Cassiopeia boasts that
    Andromeda is more beautiful
    than the Nereids. Andromeda
    is chained to a rock as a
    sacrifice to the sea monster
    Cetus sent by Poseidon, but
    she is saved from death by
    Perseus.
    Greek Ἀνδρομέδα (Androméda):
    "ruler of men”, from ἀνήρ,
    ἀνδρός (anēr, andrós) "man",
    and medon, "ruler".
    21
    What did we learn?
    A constellation is a group of stars
    that form a pattern in the sky
    Constellations change position in the
    night sky due to Earth’s rotation
    Greek mythology makes for great
    Hollywood movies
    Stars are only a small part of the
    universe.
    22
    THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

    23
    Bibliography
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology
    http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/const.html
    http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/const_
    nav.html
    http://www.comfychair.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html
    http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rauhn/greek_rational_tho
    ught.htm
    http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/a-brief-history-
    of-the-idea-of-critical-thinking/408
    And many others…
    24

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