1. New Moon Star-Gazing

2. New Moon Star-Gazing 1 With a star map in his grip, Sullivan Troy stepped outside his home. His gaze rose to the cloudless sky. Dusk drained the color from the sky, leaving behind small points of light to shimmer and twinkle. A cool breeze swept by him as he searched the night for familiar constellations. In the moon's absence (it was the night of the new moon), the stars shone more brightly. 2 “It doesn't seem as if there are as many stars as there should be,” Sullivan thought to himself. “Still, who cares, as long as I can find some constellations?”

3. New Moon Star-Gazing 3 In days gone by voyagers could travel at night with only the stars to guide them. Adventures awaited those who knew the secret code written in the sky. Sullivan was anxious to learn those secrets. 4 Sullivan walked to the curb to get a better view away from the shade trees. Facing north, he studied the skyline. There was the Big Dipper! Lifting his gaze higher, he found the upside-down Little Dipper. Sullivan nearly danced with joy!

4. New Moon Star-Gazing 5 Turning to face west, Sullivan searched until he found the constellation called “Hercules.” Hercules was similar to the constellation of Orion, except that Hercules only had two stars in his middle, while Orion had a three-star belt. 6 Above Hercules was Vega, a star located 25 light years away in the constellation Lyra. The only reason Sullivan knew it was Lyra was because Vega is the brightest star in the summer sky, although technically the season had recently changed to autumn.

5. New Moon Star-Gazing 7 After seeing Vega, spotting Cygnus was easy. Supposedly in the shape of a flying swan, Cygnus was overhead and shaped like a cross lying diagonally in the sky. Sullivan tried to imagine the stars revealing a giant swan soaring through the night. 8 The front porch light flicked on at the house across the street. Startled, Sullivan watched as the front door was flung open. Amber Barnes skipped up the driveway toward him. 9 “Hey, Sully,” she called. “What are you doing out here in the dark?”

6. New Moon Star-Gazing 10 Amber and Sullivan went to the same school, but she was a year younger, so they weren't in the same grade. Sullivan wished that she hadn't spotted him. She would spoil his fun. 11 “I was just looking at the sky,” he said, not looking at her. 12 “Oh really? Are you waiting for alien spacecraft to land?” she teased. 13 “Very funny,” Sullivan replied.

7. New Moon Star-Gazing 14 “I always knew you were an alien life form,” Amber said, laughing. “But seriously, if you want to see stars, you ought to go visit a farm. There's no light pollution on a farm, so you can see a lot more stars than can be seen here with all the house and street lights lighting up the place.” 15 One week later on a clear night, the Troy family took a trip to a farm. While standing outside, leaning against their van, Sullivan stared up at the millions of twinkling lights. Where the constellations had been so easy to spot last week, now they were hidden among the many stars now visible. Struggling to find one familiar star, Sullivan realized that he could still pick out Vega, the brightest star up there.

8. New Moon Star-Gazing 16 “These are the stars the voyagers watched,” Sullivan thought to himself. “Amber was right. The view from our neighborhood is nothing compared to the view here.” He smiled as his parents murmured their wonder at the sight, and his little, twin brothers tried to count the lights.

9. New Moon Star-Gazing Sullivan Troy found the constellations fascinating. Which ones did he locate in the September sky?

10. New Moon Star-Gazing What was the significance of the New Moon that night?

11. New Moon Star-Gazing Which of these is a star? A. Orion B. Cygnus C. Vega D. Lyra

12. New Moon Star-Gazing What is one difference between the constellations Hercules and Orion. A. Orion has three stars in the middle, and Hercules has two. B. Vega appears in Hercules, but not in Orion. C. Orion is higher in the sky than Hercules. D. Hercules got his own movie, and Orion didn't.

13. New Moon Star-Gazing What was Amber right about? A. That there was light pollution in the country. B. That Sullivan was an alien life form. C. That the stars are more visible in the country. D. That street lights aid in stargazing.

14. New Moon Star-Gazing What is one difference between the constellations Hercules and Orion. A. Orion has three stars in the middle, and Hercules has two. B. Vega appears in Hercules, but not in Orion. C. Orion is higher in the sky than Hercules. D. Hercules got his own movie, and Orion didn't.

15. New Moon Star-Gazing Which of these is a fact given in this story? A. Lyrais in the constellation Cygnus. B. It's best to stargaze during a full moon. C. Vega is 25 light years away from Earth. D. Sullivan faced south to see the Big Dipper.

16. New Moon Star-Gazing On Sullivan's next birthday, which of these is he most likely to ask for? A. A microscope B. Magnifying glass C. Telescope D. Binoculars

17. New Moon Star-Gazing On Sullivan's next birthday, which of these is he most likely to ask for? A. A microscope B. Magnifying glass C. Telescope D. Binoculars

18. the end