Astronomy: Study of the motions and properties of objects in space

Constellations: Observed pattern people use to mark the position of stars in the sky

Ancient people did not have much light pollution so they could see lots of stars

Stars do not have a pattern, but ancient people thought they saw patterns

They associated patterns with traditions and legends that were a part of their culture

Scientists today have divided the sky into 88 regions, with each region being paired with a constellation

Different constellations are visible to us at different times of the year due to our location on our orbit around the sun- further proof of Earth’s revolution

The ZodiacThere are many different forms of

astrology and many different ways of interpreting a chart. But at least all Western astrologers agree on something as basic as the Zodiac. Don't they? If only it was that simple...

What Is The Zodiac?The Zodiac is in effect a map of the

heavens on which the positions of the planets can be plotted. An imaginary band around the Earth is extended outwards along the plane of the ecliptic through which (more or less) the planets rotate. This band is then divided into a number of sections, each of which is named after one of the stellar constellations. As the

Earth and the planets move, the apparent location of each planet within the Zodiac changes over time. Since the Earth revolves around the Sun, the Sun appears to move through the Zodiac regularly throughout the year. The apparent movement of some of the other heavenly bodies is less simple.

Astrology (don’t have to write): The study of the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs

Horoscope: An astrological forecast, as of a person's future, based on a diagram of the aspect of the planets and stars at a given moment.

Zodiac: an annual cycle of twelve stations or "signs" along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the heavens

Constellations appear to rise and set just as the sun does

Constellations appear to move one degree of a circle per day, completing a full circle each year

In a half of a year, the constellation will be half way around the celestial sphere (the part of the sky we can see)

Throughout the year, the apparent diameter of the sun changes in a cyclic fashion due to the Earth’s slightly elliptical orbit

As the Earth revolves around the sun, it is moving towards a star for half the year, away from the star the other have, resulting in a blue-shift/red-shift effect on the starlight

Orion: The most famous stories come from Greek and Roman myths. Orion was a famed hunter, and in one story boasted that no creature could kill him. Hera then sent a scorpion to sting the hunter. Orion smashed the animal with his club, but not before he was poisoned. Both are now on opposite sides of the sky. They cannot be seen at the same time.

Probably the most famous constellation, with the exception of Orion. Also known as the Great Bear, it has a companion called Ursa Minor, or Little Bear. The body and tail of the bear make up what is known as the Big Dipper. Also called names such as the Plough, the Wain and even the Wagon, this constellation has a lot of history behind it.

Several different cultures saw a big bear in the sky. The ancient Greeks had a few different stories to explain how the animal ended up there. In one story, Hera discovered Zeus was having an affair with Callisto and turned her into a bear. Zeus put her in the sky along with her son, Arcas, who became the Little Bear.

The constellation Leo is known as the Lion. Leo's head and mane make up an upside-down question mark called the Sickle. One of the brightest spring stars, Regulus (Latin for "little king"), is at the base of the question mark. The rest of Leo's body, legs, and tail extend to the east. During the dry season in ancient Egypt, the lions of the desert came close to the valley of the Nile when the river flooded, which used to happen when the Sun was in Leo. Some have interpreted this as the origin of the name of the constellation. The ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, Persians, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans, all recognized this constellation as a lion.

Taurus passes through the sky from November through March. Taurus was a very popular constellation in ancient times, so there are many myths about it.

The Greeks thought the stars represented Zeus in disguise as a white bull. He tricked Europa into climbing on his back. He then swam out to sea and carried her to Crete. In Egypt, the constellation was a reminder of Apis, the Bull of Memphis. He served as a servant to Osiris, god of the Sun.

Just as famous as Taurus is the group of stars within it. The Pleiades are a group of seven stars that lie on the Bull's shoulder. The Greeks believed these were the Seven Sisters, daughters of Atlas and Pleione. It was told that they asked Zeus to place them in the sky to escape Orion, who was desperately pursuing them. Little did they know that Orion would be placed right next to Taurus in the night sky!

History Channel ConstellationsBill Nye on Astrology

Read the three horoscopes for the same sign out of three different newspapers

Answer the following questions: 1. How well do the predictions of

different astrologers agree? 2. How specific are the newspaper

statements? 3. In what ways could the statements

apply to different people?

Directions: Read the horoscopes below. Try to find the one for your sign. If you aren’t sure, pick the one you’d want to be yours. Write the number of the horoscope you believe to be yours on the line below:

My horoscope is horoscope number: ________

Directions: The horoscopes in Activity Two were from Saturday October 31, 2009. After finding out which horoscopes are for which sign, write a brief paragraph comparing your day on Saturday to the kind of day your horoscope forecasted for you. Was the horoscope accurate? Do you “buy into” astrology?