Different Views of the Sky

Many cultures created legends, calendars, and built structures based on the location of the sun and the stars at different points in the year

Kwakiutl of Western Canada Believed the lunar eclipse occurred when the sky monster swallowed the Moon By dancing around a smoky fire, they hoped to force the monster to sneeze and cough up the moon

Chinese Developed the 365 day calendar about 3000 years ago

The Maya Were able to keep track of the motion of planets and predict the appearance of Venus In 500 years, their predictions were only off by about 2 hours

Stonehenge Built in England 5000 years ago Believed to show the longest day of the year & possible to predict eclipses

Seasonal Star Map A star map can be used to predict what constellations you will see at different dates and hours of the year in various parts of the sky We will be building one together and it is accurate enough you can use it at home to see different constellations in the sky

Making a Star Map Cut out the “TEMPLATE” and glue/tape it to the file folder aligning the left edge with the fold. Cut out the dotted oval (45°) including the pointer in “south” – the thin line!. Be sure to only cut out only the front panel of the folder leaving the back panel intact. Mark the center + with a pencil.

Making a Star Map Cut out the “STAR WHEEL” and insert it into the fold. Centre it carefully and then insert your fastener thru the “marked” center. Dial the wheel until the date & time match. Hold overhead and identify the constellations in the sky like the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia and the Little Dipper.

Zodiac Constellations To find the “Zodiac Constellation” the Sun is in place the date in the “pointer window” in the South and run a line North-South. The zodiac constellation is just to the left of where this line intersects the dotted “constellation’ line Place your birth date in this window. Your zodiac constellation is just to the left of where this line intersects the dotted “constellation’ line