constellation facts for kids

Ancient China was a long tradition of observing the sky and studying the systems of constellations. Planets. Q. Read Full Article Leo Constellation for Kids. Due to its position in the sky, Crux is mostly visible on Earth’s southern hemisphere. The oldest extant Chinese star chart dates to that period and was preserved as part of the Dunhuang Manuscripts. A constellation is a group of stars that form imaginary outlines. Out of the 88 modern constellations, 36 lie predominantly in the northern sky, and the other 52 predominantly in the southern. Unfortunately, Hydra is only visible on certain parts on Earth. it can only be seen from Alaska and Northern Canada. Constellations Facts. The Greeks adopted the Babylonian system in the 4th century BC. Parallels to the earliest Babylonian (Sumerian) star catalogs suggest that the ancient Chinese system did not arise independently. Because of Greece’s location, their list of constellations only included 48 instead of the 88 we know today. The constellation Crux, meaning “the cross” is only made of 4 stars in the shape of, well…a cross. Stars seem to twinkle because their light travels through the earth’s atmosphere and the turbulence in the atmosphere affects the way stars are seen. Members of the Inca civilization identified various dark areas or dark nebulae in the Milky Way as animals, and associated their appearance with the seasonal rains. That is called “Orion’s belt” and is in the middle of the constellation. Native Chinese astronomy flourished during the Song dynasty, and during the Yuan Dynasty became increasingly influenced by medieval Islamic astronomy (see Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era). . People used constellations to tell the difference in the colors. They even created star catalogues. A constellation is a pattern of stars seen from earth. Our modern list of constellations has been established by The International Astronomical Union, an organization of scientists that seek to promote astronomy. Northern hemisphere constellations are deep-rooted in Ancient Greece. e.g. While some constellations can be seen all year, most can only be seen at certain times of the year and in certain seasons. A constellation is a group of stars which make up imaginary outline or pattern in the night sky (the celestial sphere).Usually they are said to represent an animal, mythological person or creature in a shape. Here are several fascinating facts you probably don’t know about stars. Interesting Facts about Constellations. If any follow-up questions come up, like “why are they burning?”, you can just say it is because they have a lot of gas in them. Although constellations seem close together from far away, many of them are actually very far away from each other and their observer. Built with all over the world Copyright © 1999–2020This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Hydra is named after the mythological giant snake. Mercury Explained for Kids: Facts, Questions, and History, How to Troubleshoot a Barlow Lens That Doesn’t Work or Focus, The Best Barlow Lenses: Reviews and Buying Guide, 4 Simple steps to upgrade an aging telescope, The 5 Best Telescopes For 10 Year Old Kids: Reviews and Buying Guide. This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use star and constellation worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the science of stars, what they are made of, how they form constellations, and more. When seen, the group of stars seem to make a pattern. The Greeks adopted the Babylonian system in the 4th century BC. This curious thing happens because the North Star is almost perfectly aligned with Earth’s axis. Knowledge of the Neo-Babylonian zodiac is also reflected in the Hebrew Bible. There is also a thirteenth constellation Ophiuchus - the carrier of a serpent, which the Sun goes through. There are 13 zodiac constellations including Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Ophiuchus. E. W. Bullinger interpreted the creatures appearing in the books of Ezekiel (and thence in Revelation) as the middle signs of the four quarters of the Zodiac, with the Lion as Leo, the Bull as Taurus, the Man representing Aquarius and the Eagle standing in for Scorpio. The Ursa constellation can help you find the North Star (Polaris). After tens to hundreds of thousands of years, their familiar outlines gradually become unrecognisable. This site uses cookies to improve your experience. De Lacaille studied the stars of the southern hemisphere from 1750 until 1754 from Cape of Good Hope, when he was said to have observed more than 10,000 stars using a 0.5 inches (13 mm) refracting telescope. Copyright © 2020 Facts Just for Kids. The aim of this system is area-mapping, i.e. The word "constellation" seems to come from the Late Latin term cōnstellātiō, which can be translated as "set of stars", and came into use in English during the 14th century. 70mm Telescopes: What Can You Expect To See With Them? Greeks also created fantastic and mythological stories about every one of the constellations. Constellation Facts. Chen Zhuo's work has been lost, but information on his system of constellations survives in Tang period records, notably by Qutan Xida. While all the stars are constantly changing positions in the sky, there is one that stays almost still all the time. Based on the important astronomical need to formally define the placement of all celestial objects in the entire sky, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) ratified and recognized the 88 modern constellations in 1928.

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