Constellations

As part of the second grade science curriculum, the students learn about the stars and how they form various constellations. Since school occurs during the daytime when the stars are not visible, visuals are needed. Here are a few ways for students to learn about the constellations and demonstrate knowledge through the use of software, websites, and apps:

Software

Stellarium: A free downloadable program that works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Turn on the constellation labels, lines, and art to get the full experience. When a star is clicked on, its distance away in light years is displayed. (Free)

Celestia: This free downloadable program lets students pull themselves around the atmosphere to look at constellations. Under the Displays menu, it is possible to make the stars more visible and add lines to connect the constellations. As a bonus, users can view planets as well. The program can run on Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms. (Free)

General Paint Program:  During the study of this unit at our school, each student is assigned a constellation to investigate. Using a paint program, students draw their assigned constellation. To start, the background is filled in black and either white or yellow dots are made to represent the stars.  The stars are then connected using a thinner paintbrush or the line tool.

Websites

Planetarium: As an option, students can specify their current location and it will show a map of the night sky based upon the given location and date. Otherwise, students can explore the night sky from any place on Earth.

Google Sky:  This is searchable by constellation names. The names of the nearby constellations appear after clicking on the blue markers. This site does require plentiful bandwidth.

Make a Star Finder: Print out a game students can play at night to quiz themselves and others on the location of the various constellations. The site also provides a brief introduction to constellations.

FOSSweb Star Maps: Need a printable map of the constellations? This website provides maps of what the sky looks like during the different months.

Constellation Hunt: This site provides the student with the name and picture of a constellation. It is their job to find it in the simulated sky. If needed, an outline of all the constellations can be shown.

iPad Apps

Stars New:  Open the app to view a small portion of the night sky.  Drag your finger to change the view.  If you tap on the screen, it will provide some of the individual star names.  The app helps the students to see that the night sky is continuous and that there is more than the eye can see at the current moment. (Free)

GoSkyWatch Planetarium for iPad: This app has free and paid versions. The free version works just fine for us. The constellations can be denoted by lines, boundaries, and/or images. By clicking on the magnifying glass in the upper left hand corner, one can search for and find all of the stars and constellations. Within the information window that pops up, there are links to Wikipedia and Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales. (Free)