STUDY GUIDE – QUIZ on STARS and CONSTELLATIONS
Constellation: (pattern of familiar stars in form of an object, animal or
human character)
Asterism: (familiar pattern of stars that is not an official constellation)
(*) Know the myth and connect-the-dot pattern of the following:
(*) SOUTHERN VIEW:
Orion the Hunter (three famous belt stars, red supergiant star: Betelgeuse,
blue giant star: Rigel, contains two nebulas: Orion & Horsehead)
Canis Major the Big Hunting Dog (Orion’s hunting dog, white star: Sirius
= #1 brightest star in sky = dog star)
Canis Minor the Little Hunting Dog (brightest of two stars is Procyon)
Gemini the Twins (zodiac constellation, head stars: Castor and Pollux)
Taurus the Bull (V-shaped, orange star: Aldebaran is the eye of the bull)
Pleiades Star Cluster (Asterism, Subaru, Seven Sisters, many see only six)
Auriga the Charioteer (pentagon-shaped, yellow star: Capella, and the
three kids:baby goats, mythical chariot ride: Helios the Sun god)
(*) NORTHERN VIEW:
Ursa Major the Big Bear (Big Dipper asterism included, pointer stars:
Merak and Dubhe >>>>> 5 jumps to Polaris, mythological mother Calisto)
Ursa Minor the Little Bear (Little Dipper asterism included, contains the
north star: Polaris, mythological son Arcas, Zeus stretched tail)
Draco the Dragon (between the Dippers, includes Thuban the former north
star, dragon Tiamat: mythical battle between good and evil powers)
Cassiopeia the Queen (Royal Family, “W” or “M” shaped, punished for
her vanity: hangs upside-down in sky part of the year)
Cepheus the King (Royal Family, “house” shaped)
Andromeda the Princess (Royal family, “V” shaped, attached to Pegasus
the Flying Horse, contains the Andromeda galaxy)
Perseus the Hero (Royal Family, hero shaped, saved Andromeda from
Cetus the sea monster by turning it to stone with Medusa’s head)
Pegasus the Flying Horse (“square” shaped, myth of Belepheron)
OTHER INFORMATION TO KNOW FOR THE QUIZ:
Pole Stars:
North Star: The fixed North Pole Star, Polaris (will change over time:
Thuban in past, Vega in the future)
Precession (gyroscopic wobble of Earth’s axis of rotation, ~ 26,000 year
cycle)
Navigation by the North Star (sextant, protractor angle = latitude)
The Zodiac:
Celestial Sphere (sky bubble with star locations on it)
Ecliptic (sun’s path in the sky, all zodiac constellations are located on the
ecliptic)
There are 88 total Constellations (Northern, Southern, or Zodiac)
There used to be 12 original Zodiac Constellations, but one more was
added in the year 2011 (Ophiuchus)
There are now 13 Zodiac Constellations (located on the ecliptic): Aquarius
the Water Bearer, Taurus the Bull, Leo the Lion, Scorpio the Scorpion,
Virgo the Maiden, Libra the Scales of Justice, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the
Crab, Sagittarius the Archer, Capricorn the Sea Goat, Pisces the Pair of Fish,
Aries the Ram, Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer
NOTE: Stars twinkle (distant star light is scattered by gases in Earth’s
atmosphere). Planets don’t twinkle because they are so close, and the sun’s
reflected light is therefore bright and steady. (Planetos = to wander)
Characteristics of Stars:
Color and Surface Temperature is related (COOLEST= Red < Orange <
Yellow < White < Blue = HOTTEST)
Winter Hexagon (Circle): Hexagonal or Circular Zone in the Northern
Hemisphere winter sky containing the following colored stars: Betelgeuse
(red), Aldebaran (orange), Capella (yellow), Rigel (blue), Sirius (white).