Constellations and the changing night sky

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   not to scale

3. 1.

   It is December (position B). At about midnight, which constellation is high in Ari's southern sky, and why?

   • Scorpius: it is closest to Earth then
   • Orion: Earth's night side faces it
   • Pisces: Earth's spin points at it
   • Virgo: it sits behind the Sun
4. 2.

   Three months after position A, Earth reaches B. Which constellation has replaced Pisces in Bo's midnight sky?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Virgo
   • Scorpius
   • Orion
   • Pisces is still there
5. 3.

   At position C (March), which constellation can Esme see at midnight, and which is hidden by daylight?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Both are up through the whole night
   • Pisces is up; Virgo is hidden by daylight
   • Virgo is up; Pisces is hidden by daylight
   • Both are hidden: their stars stop in March
6. 4.

   A star rises about 4 minutes earlier each night. Tonight it rose at 10:00 p.m. About when will it rise 7 nights from now, Jun?

   • About 10:28 p.m.
   • About 10:04 p.m.
   • About 9:56 p.m.
   • About 9:32 p.m.
7. 5.

   About 4 minutes earlier each night adds up. After about 30 nights, how much earlier does a star rise, Kira?

   • About 30 minutes earlier
   • About 2 hours later
   • About 4 minutes earlier
   • About 2 hours earlier
8. 6.

   In early December, Orion rises at about 8 p.m. (example time). About when will it rise one month later, Luz?

   • About 7:56 p.m.
   • About 8 p.m. again
   • About 6 p.m.
   • About 10 p.m.
9. 7.

   Milo reads a claim: "The stars of the Big Dipper are close neighbors in space." Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: chart lines join them in space
   • Disagree: they just look close from Earth
   • Agree: they keep their shape, so they must touch
   • Disagree: they are planets
10. 8.

    A claim says, "Constellations we can't see in summer have stopped shining." Agree or disagree, Noah?

    • Agree: they moved behind Earth for good
    • Disagree: Earth's spin hides them for months
    • Agree: stars rest during the summer
    • Disagree: they are in the daytime sky then
11. 9.

    Orion sets each night, but Cassiopeia, near Polaris, never sets for Ren in the northern US. Why?

    • It circles Polaris and stays above the horizon
    • Its stars travel faster than Orion's
    • It shines brighter, so it cannot set
    • Earth's orbit holds it up through the night
12. 10.

    Zee's chart shows Altair, Deneb and Vega as the Summer Triangle, yet they belong to three constellations. What is the Summer Triangle?

    • The 89th official constellation
    • A constellation of three touching stars
    • An asterism: a known pattern, not one of the 88
    • A group of three planets