Film title: Constellations
The Sun is the star at the heart of our solar system...
But there are billions of other solar systems in the Universe.
A number of solar systems grouped together is known as a galaxy.
galaxy
group of solar systems
Our solar system belongs to a spiral-shaped galaxy called the Milky Way.
Milky Way
The Milky Way contains billions of stars, almost all orbited by planets.
You can see the closest stars in the night sky, but can you spot a great bear in the stars, a scorpion, or a hunter?
Ancient civilisations saw patterns like these in groups of stars.
They called these groups of stars constellations.
Canes Venatici
Leo Minor
Coma Berenices
Leo
Virgo
Corvus
Crater
Sextans
Hydra
There are 88 named constellations.
Different constellations are visible in the northern and southern hemispheres.
constellation
group of stars that form a pattern
Because the positions of these stars don't change in relation to each other, they can be used for navigation.
In the northern hemisphere, the constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, can help you find north.
Within this constellation, there is a smaller collection of stars called the Plough.
the Plough
If you draw an imaginary line upwards from the last two stars in the Plough, you can find Polaris, also known as the North Star.
Polaris
North Star
As the Earth rotates around the Sun, the stars appear to rise and set in the night sky.
They appear to rotate around Polaris.
This is because it is almost exactly above the North Pole.
So look for Polaris in the night sky and you'll always know which direction is north.
solar system
galaxy
constellation
But there are billions of other solar systems in the Universe.
A number of solar systems grouped together is known as a galaxy.
galaxy
group of solar systems
Our solar system belongs to a spiral-shaped galaxy called the Milky Way.
Milky Way
The Milky Way contains billions of stars, almost all orbited by planets.
You can see the closest stars in the night sky, but can you spot a great bear in the stars, a scorpion, or a hunter?
Ancient civilisations saw patterns like these in groups of stars.
They called these groups of stars constellations.
Canes Venatici
Leo Minor
Coma Berenices
Leo
Virgo
Corvus
Crater
Sextans
Hydra
There are 88 named constellations.
Different constellations are visible in the northern and southern hemispheres.
constellation
group of stars that form a pattern
Because the positions of these stars don't change in relation to each other, they can be used for navigation.
In the northern hemisphere, the constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, can help you find north.
Within this constellation, there is a smaller collection of stars called the Plough.
the Plough
If you draw an imaginary line upwards from the last two stars in the Plough, you can find Polaris, also known as the North Star.
Polaris
North Star
As the Earth rotates around the Sun, the stars appear to rise and set in the night sky.
They appear to rotate around Polaris.
This is because it is almost exactly above the North Pole.
So look for Polaris in the night sky and you'll always know which direction is north.
solar system
galaxy
constellation
Take a trip across the night sky and find out about the constellations.
Learning points
Embed this film
Copy and paste the embed code above to include this film on other websites.