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2ºESO

Long ago, people saw patterns in the stars that formed shapes called constellations. In 1922, the night sky was divided into 88 constellations including 48 from ancient Greece and 40 new ones. Famous constellations include Orion the hunter, Ursa Major the Great Bear known as the Big Dipper, Ursa Minor the Little Bear, and Pegasus the flying horse. The zodiac constellations located along the sun's path include 13 groups used in astrology like Capricorn and Aquarius. Constellations helped people with navigation, keeping time by seasons, and spotting stars.

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María Campos
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29 views2 pages

2ºESO

Long ago, people saw patterns in the stars that formed shapes called constellations. In 1922, the night sky was divided into 88 constellations including 48 from ancient Greece and 40 new ones. Famous constellations include Orion the hunter, Ursa Major the Great Bear known as the Big Dipper, Ursa Minor the Little Bear, and Pegasus the flying horse. The zodiac constellations located along the sun's path include 13 groups used in astrology like Capricorn and Aquarius. Constellations helped people with navigation, keeping time by seasons, and spotting stars.

Uploaded by

María Campos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CONSTELLATIONS

Long ago, people saw patterns in the stars. These are called constellations, or
clusters of stars. There are shapes of animals, warriors, and other objects .
HISTORY
In 1922, the sky was divided up into 88 different constellations. This included the
48 ancient constellations the Greek astronomer Ptolemy named after mythical
beings, along with 40 new constellations. The night sky was divided up into 88
different constellations. Star maps are made from the brightest stars and the
patterns they make. The maps of the stars represent the position of the stars
as seen from Earth. The stars in each constellation may not be close to each
other at all. Some are bright because they are close to Earth, while others are
bright because they are so large.

FAMOUS CONSTELLATIONS
There are several famous constellations. Orion is one of the most visible
constellations. It represents a giant hunter of Greek mythology. He is
shown raising his club and shield against a charging bull, Taurus, that
forms the constellation next to it. Ursa Major is the third-largest constellation
in the sky. Many ancient civilizations saw it a bear. The name is Latin for “great
bear.” Its seven brightest stars form a saucepan shape, popularly known as the
Big Dipper (or Plow). Ursa Minor represents a small bear with a long tail. It
was one of the original constellations known to the ancient Greeks. Polaris,
the North Star, lies at the tip of the bear’s tail. Ursa Minor is
sometimes called the Little Dipper because it looks like a smaller
version of the Big Dipper in the Ursa Major. Draco is a
constellation in the northern hemisphere. It means “dragon” in
Latin and was once part of the 48 ancient constellations.
Pegasus represents a flying horse in Greek mythology. It is one
of the largest constellations and easy to find because of its four
bright stars that outline the horse’s body.
ZODIAC
The zodiac constellations are located within a band about 20 degrees wide in the
sky. This is where the Sun, the Moon, and the planets all move. There are 13
zodiac constellations. Twelve of them are also used for the zodiac calendar and
astrology. The zodiac constellations include: Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries,
Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Orphiuchus.

USES
Constellations help people recognize stars in the sky. The patterns make the
stars and locations easier to spot. The constellations helped people keep track of
the calendar in ancient times. This was important for people to know when to
plant and harvest crops. Constellations were also used for navigation. Sailors
use the North Star’s height to figure out their latitude.
©Teaching to the Middle
Name ____________________________________________

CONSTELLATIONS
IDENTIFY: Use the word bank to identify each description.
Ursa Major Ptolemy Orion Draco

Ursa Minor Pegasus navigation zodiac

1. Constellation that represents a small bear

2. Greek astronomer who named constellations

3. Constellation that represents a Greek hunter

4. The Big Dipper is part of this constellation

5. Constellation that means “dragon” in Latin

6. There are 13 of these constellations

7. The constellations helped sailors with this

8. Constellation named after a flying horse

MULTIPLE CHOICE: Choose the best answer.


9. How did sailors mainly use the constellations?
A. They used the height of the North Star to figure out their latitude.
B. They used them to tell stories about Greek mythology.
C. They used them to figure out when to plant crops.

10. How many constellations is the sky divided into?


A. 40
B. 48
C. 88

11. Why did the author mainly write this passage?


A. To persuade the reader to learn more about the constellations.
B. To inform the reader about constellations.
C. To entertain the reader with an interesting story about constellations.
©Teaching to the Middle

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