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.

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

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

   • About 4 minutes earlier
   • About 2 hours later
   • About 30 minutes earlier
   • About 2 hours earlier
7. 5.

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

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

   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
   • Agree: they keep their shape, so they must touch
   • Agree: chart lines join them in space
   • Disagree: they are planets
9. 7.

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

   • Agree: the stars circle Earth each day
   • Agree: Earth's orbit turns the sky each night
   • Disagree: the sky stays still through the night
   • 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?

    • Earth's orbit holds it up through the night
    • It shines brighter, so it cannot set
    • Its stars travel faster than Orion's
    • 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 is the nearest star to Earth
    • Earth's spin axis points almost at it
    • Polaris travels along with Earth
    • Polaris is the brightest star in the sky
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
    • An asterism: a known pattern, not one of the 88
    • A group of three planets
    • A constellation of three touching stars