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?

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

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

   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 9:32 p.m.
   • About 9:56 p.m.
   • About 10:04 p.m.
   • About 10:28 p.m.
6. 4.

   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 6 p.m.
   • About 10 p.m.
   • About 8 p.m. again
7. 5.

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

   • Disagree: they just look close from Earth
   • Disagree: they are planets
   • Agree: they keep their shape, so they must touch
   • Agree: chart lines join them in space
8. 6.

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

   • Disagree: Earth's spin hides them for months
   • Agree: they moved behind Earth for good
   • Agree: stars rest during the summer
   • Disagree: they are in the daytime sky then
9. 7.

   Pia's classmate says the whole sky seems to turn each night because the stars circle Earth. Agree or disagree?

   • Disagree: the sky stays still through the night
   • Agree: Earth's orbit turns the sky each night
   • Agree: the stars circle Earth each day
   • Disagree: Earth's spin makes the sky seem to turn
10. 8.

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

    • Its stars travel faster than Orion's
    • Earth's orbit holds it up through the night
    • It shines brighter, so it cannot set
    • It circles Polaris and stays above the horizon
11. 9.

    Every star seems to circle through the night except Polaris. Why does Polaris barely move, Tala?

    • Polaris travels along with Earth
    • Polaris is the nearest star to Earth
    • Polaris is the brightest star in the sky
    • Earth's spin axis points almost at it
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?

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