stars and constellation

• constellations


  groups of stars forming certain pattern in the sky
• Star


  A spar is a great ball of gas formed mostly from the element hydrogen which is converted to helium through a thermonuclear reaction called fusion
• Brightness of a star


  star also differ in brightness or the amount of light they give off
• Brightness of a star

  The brightness of a star depends on both its temperature and size
• Absolute brightness

  Absolute brightness(luminosity)- the brightness the star would have is it were at a standard distance from earth
• Luminosity


  the total energy a star radiates in one second
• PARALLAX


  the apparent shift or movement of a nearby object against a distant background. when viewed from two different position
• color & temperature


  a stars color reveals its surface temperature
• color & temperature

  coolest stars (3200 degrees Celsius or 5792 degrees Fahrenheit) appear red
• color & temperrature

  yellow stars like the sun are about 5500`C or 9932`
• color & temperature

  The hottest stars appear blue over 20000C or 36035F
• Constellations


  A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky
• There are 88 constellations
• The constellations you see depend on your location, date, and time
• Cassiopeia


  • Brightest Star - Schedar
  • Best season to view - all year
  • The Myth: Cassiopeia was the queen of Ethiopia, she was so proud of her beauty and bragged about it. She offended the sea god Poseidon, who sent a sea monster to attack her kingdom and teach her some humility. According to the legend, the sea god Poseidon placed the figure of Cassiopeia among the stars to remind people of her vanity.
• Cygnus


  • Brightest Star - Deneb
  • Best season to view - all year
  • The Myth: One day three hunters were hiking through the forest when they came upon a clear lake. The lake was home to many birds including a beautiful snow goose. One hunter shot his bow and the snow goose fell into the lake. As the sky darkened, the spirit of the snow goose formed a constellation in the sky.
• Scorpius


  • Brightest Star - Antares
  • Best season to view - summer
  • The Myth: To the ancient Greeks, the constellation Scorpius was the image of a scorpion. The constellation was related to the death of the giant hunter Orion. According to one story, Orion wanted to kill all the earth's wild animals, but the Earth goddess Gaia got angry because she made the animals. The goddess sent a scorpion to attack Orion. The scorpion stung Orion to death with its tail. As a reward, Gaia changed the insect into a constellation.
• Orion


  • Brightest Star - Rigel and Betelgeuse
  • Best season to view - the winter
  • The Myth: Orion was a very good hunter, but also boastful. Gaia, the goddess of Earth, became fed up with Orion's boast so she sent a deadly scorpion to kill the hunter. The scorpion ended Orion's bragging. Both Orion and Scorpius were placed in the sky but to avoid any further battles, they are never in the sky at the same time. Orion is seen in the winter and Scorpius is seen in the summer.
• Ursa Major


  • Brightest Star - Dubhe and Merak
  • Best season to view - all year
  • The Myth: Zeus, king of the gods, fell in love with Callisto. Together they had a son, Arcas. Zeus changed Callisto into a bear to protect her from his jealous wife, Hera. When Arcas grew up, he almost shot his mother by mistake. Zeus protected Callisto by changing Arcas into another bear (Ursa Minor-Little Dipper) and placing both bears in the sky.
• Ursa Minor


  • Brightest Star - Polaris
  • Best season to view - all year
  • Remember Zeus loved Callisto and changed her into a bear to protect her from his jealous wife. Arcas liked to hunt and almost killed his mother, Callisto, Big Bear. Zeus decided to also change Arcas into a bear to protect both his son and his lover. He placed both bears in the sky together.
• Draco


  • Draco the dragon fought Minerva during the wars between the giants and the gods. Minerva threw Draco's twisted body into the heavens before it had time to unwind itself.