3. A constellation is a
group of stars that
forms a shape or a
picture.
E.g. The Big Dipper
Also known as Ursa
Major (the Big Bear in
Latin)
4. Looking at the stars, you could make any
picture you want by connecting the dots.
The Eraser
5. But the one that everyone ended up agreeing
on (for this set of stars) is:
Polaris – the North Star
The Big Dipper
Ursa Major
The Little Dipper
Ursa Minor
“The Pointers” – point to…
8. Different cultures
around the world
looked at the
stars and
imagined they
saw shapes and
figures and made
up stories to go
along with them.
9. The Greeks made up
many of the
constellations we use
today
For example, Orion.
What do you think this
looks like?
10. The Greek story of
this constellation has
Orion (The Hunter),
battling a Bull
(Taurus)
in order to rescue
Seven Sisters
(Pleiades – a tight
cluster of 7stars)
12. Other cultures saw
different shapes and
patterns using the same
stars.
For example the
Aborigines in Australia
looked at the same group
of stars that the Greeks
called Orion and saw this
instead.
13. In the Australian
legend, Orion is seen
as a canoe bearing
three brothers who
were banished to the
sky for illegally eating
a forbidden fish.
15. The Micmac and the
Maliseet also had their
own constellations.
They even used the same
big dipper constellation
that we use today.
Even more remarkable,
they also called it “The
Great Bear”. In their
language it was known as
“Mooin”.
