Module 2: Constellations

As you look into the night sky, now you can better recognize the star patterns and constellations. Such tools as planispheres and sky maps allow you to better locate particular stars and patterns for specific location and time. These stars that you see may seem just above us on Earth, but in reality, they are very far away -- light years! The brightest stars may not always be the closest, either! With magnitude and intensity, astronomers can measure and compare the brightness of stars. By having a model of the sky in relation to the Earth, called the celestial sphere, astronomers are able to see the position of stars and the paths they seem to make across the sky from day to night. Humans for centuries have wondered over the stars and their apparent movement in the sky, while it is actually the Earth that moves. These ancient people identified star patterns and named these constellations, such as the zodiacal constellations that rest along the ecliptic.