Astronomy Readings - 1 of 5
Astronomy Readings is, of course, a play on words. A person’s Sun sign usually provides natural interest since it is something which that person associates with him- or herself. The signs of the zodiac, like all constellations, each cover a portion of the sky. In that area, there might be galaxies, nebulae, past “mysterious flashes,” double stars, and other deep sky objects or celestial phenomena. Visitors can find out about the science behind these objects, as well as multicultural mythology associated with that constellation.
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Orbits Explorer Interactive
Astronomy Readings tablecloth
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Costume
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Internet connection
 4 pennies or other circular objects that will not roll around
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Spinning top to illustrate precession
 Astronomy Readings presets – Starry
Night Pro or Cosmic Atlas
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The sky is full of deep sky objects, interesting stars, and other celestial phenomena.
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A pers on’s astrological sign or Sun sign is the area of the sky (identified by a constellation) where the Sun would have been on his or her birthday at the time when astrology was invented.
 The Sun is no longer in the astrological sign on a person’s birthday. This is due to precession.
When people feel that they have a personal connection to something, they are more likely to be interested in it and more likely to retain, recall, and use the information they have learned.
Some astronomers tend to shy away from discussing anything to do with the signs of the zodiac for fear of validating astrology. This is a shame since these constellations open doors

Astronomy Readings - 2 of 5 to discussions of the ecliptic, apparent movement of the Sun and planets, precession, sky mapping, and other astronomical concepts.
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Put on the costume.
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At the Orbits Explorer Interactive, switch the projector into Astronomy Readings mode.
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Lay the tablecloth over the Orbits Interactive table.
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Turn on your microphone and PA.
 Open up “Astronomy Readings” on the computer using one of the Starry Night Pro presets or Cosmic Atlas. In Starry Night, this can be found by going to the toolbar at the top and selecting “Go/Astronomy Readings,” and then choosing one of the presets.
Try this, using the Starry Night preset “Starting Zodiac - present”:
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Bring up the Starry Night Pro preset, showing Earth orbiting the Sun.
 Invite an audience to join you as you tell ”Astronomy Readings.”
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Pick a visitor, and ask his or her birthday and Sun sign. Tell them that the Sun sign is supposed to be where the Sun is on his or her birthday.
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Use the preset to determine where the Sun is on that date – it will NOT be in that
Sun sign. Tell audience that the Sun is no longer i n a person’s Sun sign on his or her birthday because of the way the Earth wobbles as it spins on its axis
– this is called precession.
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Explain that classical astrology was invented around the year 1 CE. Change the year to
1 AD (1 CE
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), and show that the Sun is now in the anticipated constellation.
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Give a sentence or two about the different things that are visible in that constellation.
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Ask the visitor to pick some objects that he or she would like to hear more about
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Use the images and websites to show all of the visitors the celestial objects/phenomena, and use any props (pennies, people, etc
– get creative!) to explain the concepts.
Or try this, using the Starry Night Preset “Starting Zodiac – 1 AD”:
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Bring up the Starry Night Pro preset, showing Earth orbiting the Sun.
 Invite an audience to join you as you tell ”Astronomy Readings”.
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Pick a visitor, and ask his or her birthday.
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A Note about Precession - Precession is an interesting but slightly complicated topic. See Questions and Answers and the glossary for a full description. Then, practice different techniques to tell visitors about this without getting bogged down in the details and loosing their interest, or confusing them before they even get to the objects in their sign.
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BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are secular forms of BC and AD.

Astronomy Readings - 3 of 5
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Use the preset to determine what his or her sign would be, explaining why we use the year 1 CE** – due to precession, the Sun is no longer in the constellation which astrology associates with a person’s birthday.
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Give a sentence or two about the different things that are visible in that constellation.
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Ask the visitor to pick some objects that he or she would like to hear more about.
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Use the images and websites to show all of the visitors the celestial objects/phenomena, and use any props (pennies, people, etc.
– get creative!) to explain the concepts.
 Using the themed tablecloth and costume allows you to give the visitors a mystical experience, while using astronomy software and your knowledge of astronomy allows you to give visitors scientifically accurate information. This will help reclaim the zodiac for astronomy! Strike a balance that feels comfortable for you and the visitors.
Why is the Sun no longer in my constellation on my birthday?
The signs of classical astrology were set around 2000 years ago, but because of precession of the Earth’s axis, the Sun is no longer in the constellation of a person’s Sun sign on his or her birthday. Think of how a spinning top’s stick describes a small circle in the air – this is called precession. The Earth’s axis also precesses, taking 26,000 years to complete a cycle, or about one degree every 72 years. This means that the places on our orbit around the Sun where the solstices and equinoxes happen change with precession, too. Since our calendars are fixed in such a way that the months stick with the seasons, the constellation in which the
Sun is on a person’s birthday is shifted from where it was 2000 years ago. See glossary for more details.
Since the Sun blocks out the light of other stars, how would people have known what constellation the Sun was “in?”
Astronomy was considered to be very important, and so sky watchers were extremely familiar with the positions of the stars and the apparent movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets. By plotting the positions of the stars and constellations when they were visible, astronomers could then figure o ut their positions when they weren’t visible. There are two ways to do this:
1. During a solar eclipse, the stars are temporarily visible, and the position of the Sun against the stars can be observed.
2. By observing the constellations just before sunrise and just after sunset, it is possible to extrapolate the position of the Sun.
Am I really influenced by my sign, planet alignment, etc.?
The only influences from these celestial bodies known to science are those of gravity and radiation. While the pull of the Moon and Sun is enough to create the tides of our oceans, there is no scientific evidence that the almost immeasurably tiny gravitational pull of the stars and only slightly larger pull of the planets influences human nature or personality. It is interesting to note that the gravitational pull of the doctor who delivers baby is actually greater than the gravitational pull of the stars and planets at that moment. Likewise, while warmth

Astronomy Readings - 4 of 5 from the Sun sustains life on Earth, and scientific studies suggest that sunlight affect a person’s mood, there is no scientific evidence that the radiation from distant stars or planets affects a person’s nature or personality.
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Get a group of visitor to represent the Sun, Earth, and zodiac constellations, and use this to demonstrate how the Sun appears to move along the ecliptic (through the zodiac constellations) over the course of a year. Take this to the next level by asking four additional visitors to represent the two solstices and the two equinoxes, and show precession.
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The constellation Ophiuchus, the Doctor, could be considered the 13 th constellation of the
Zodiac, since the ecliptic also passes through it. Some visitors will actually be
Ophiuchans!
Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer who lived around 150 BCE, was a very important figure
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 in astronomical history. Among his accomplishments, he:
 compiled the first comprehensive star chart, including a magnitude system for representing star brightness discovered the precession of the equinoxes developed the longitude/lattitude method of measuring a position on Earth calculated the size of the Sun and Moon using eclipses
See websites associated with this demo for details of celestial objects and concepts.
Ridpath, Ian. 1998. Stars and Planets . New York, NY: DK Publishing. http://www.bartleby.com/65/hi/Hipparch2.html
Hipparchus

Astronomy Readings - 5 of 5
After doing the Astronomy Readings demo several times, complete the checklist and rubric below by highlighting the box that best describes your performance. Have your team leader observe your demo then complete an identical rubric. Discuss your presentation technique with your team leader along the lines of the rubric.
Assessment for Astronomy Readings DATE________ PRESENTER_______________
A. Checklist of pre-requisite skills
1. Can set up and put away demo, including media.
2. Can maneuver through the media in the Starry Night Pro or Cosmic Atlas version.
3. Is comfortable with at least some basic content from each of the 12 signs.
B. Rubric for Astronomy Readings
QUALITY LEVELS
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TRAITS
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Presentation style
Fluency with media
Can gather and engage a crowd.
Knowledge of the science Can give out basic information and answer questions pertaining to the objects associated with the constellations
Engages audience Warms up the crowd, defines roles and asks questions
Uses media associated with all
12 signs as appropriate
Gets into character to engage audience in the theatrical essence of astronomy readings without compromising the scientific legitimacy of the content.
Can go beyond visitor question and add interesting facts gleaned from background knowledge.
Also, adds humor where appropriate. Gauges the audience’s level and alters the show depth accordingly.
Uses additional features, such as glossary and additional media presets, when appropriate