LOOKING AT THE STARS

star guy

WHAT IS A GALAXY ?

A galaxy is made up of stars, planets, gases and dust. There are many galaxies in the Universe. Our Milky Way Galaxy has billions of stars. The Milky Way looks like a white, cloudy band of light stretching across the sky.

star guy

WHAT IS A CONSTELLATION ?

When you look up at the stars, some of the bright stars form a pattern or star-picture. You might see the outline of a hunter, a great bear, or a queen.

Long long ago people gave these star-pictures names like Orion (the hunter) or Cassiopeia (the queen).


The Big Dipper is a pattern of stars in the constellation of Ursa Major or the Great Bear. Nearby is the Little Dipper.

Ursa Major

The North Star is at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. The North Star helped to guide people for hundreds of years.


The constellations change positions with the seasons. Some constellations are seen at different times of the year.


If you are interested in looking at stars and constellations, you need a telescope and sky charts ( maps of the sky ).

Astronomers use huge telescopes in places called observatories for studying the stars. You can also go to a planetarium to find out about stars. A projector shows the moving stars and planets on a domed ceiling.


INTRODUCTION TO STARS

SPACE INDEX



web page by J.Giannetta (Jan/99)
updated 2011