From our viewpoint on Earth, we are the centre of a huge sphere in space. And all the objects in the night sky appear as points on the sphere. But the night sky is a 3-dimensional place. Things that look close together in the sky may be far apart. This includes the stars that make up the constellations, which are all very different distances from our planet. If you could travel to another part of the Milky Way galaxy, those stars would not form the same shape.
Create a 3D model of the dazzling constellation of Orion and experience what it looks like from different viewpoints in the Milky Way galaxy.
The activity has been adapted from an Education Activity by McGill Space Institute, Montreal, Canada.
By the end of this resource you will:
- Know that constellations are imaginary shapes the stars make in the sky.
- Understand they only form those shapes from our viewpoint on Earth.
- Have used information in a table to carry out a set of instructions.
- Have made accurate measurements using a ruler.
- Have created a 3D model of the constellation, Orion.
To complete this resource you will need:
- An A4 printed copy of the Orion star map
- A4 piece of card
- Sticky tape
- Pen or pencil
- A copy of the data table
- 30 cm ruler
- 8 straws
- Scissors
- Some tin foil / blue-tak / or modelling clay
- A piece of drawing paper
IT Equipment
Printer
By Anirban Nandi - Own work, CC BY 3.0
Have a go!
Make sure your have all the equipment listed. Be careful when using scissors to cut straws and when using a pen or pencil to punch a hole in card. If you are not sure what to do, ask an adult for help.
What is a constellation?
A constellation is a group of stars that form a particular shape in the sky. The shape gives them their name. Historically, people used constellations for navigation and timekeeping. Different cultures have different sets of constellations (you can learn more using the Figures in the Sky website). Today, astronomers use 88 official constellations to map the night sky.
You can learn more about constellations by watching this 3-minute short video.
Follow these instructions to create your model:
- Tape your Orion star map to the piece of card.
- Use a pen or pencil to carefully punch a hole through the paper and the card at the location of each star.
- Use the information in the data table below to accurately measure each straw to the correct size using a ruler. Carefully cut the straws to the correct size using scissors.
- Look at the star map and insert the correct straw through each hole.
- The table above tells you how many small, medium, and large stars you need to make. Use that information to create your stars by scrunching up tin foil/blue tak/modelling clay into balls. Small stars should be about the same width as the straw. Medium stars should be twice the size of the small stars. Large stars should be about twice the size of the medium stars.
- Fix each star to the top of its straw. Use the star map and data table to make sure you put the correct sized stars in each location.
- View your model from above. This is our view from Earth. Can you see the pattern of Orion the hunter? Draw the pattern on one half of your piece of drawing paper.
- View your model from the side. Do the stars show the pattern of Orion? Draw the pattern you see on the other half of your piece of drawing paper.
Data Table
| Star Name | Star Size | Length of Straw (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| Alnilam | Large | 4 |
| Alnitak | Large | 13 |
| Bellatrix | Small | 20 |
| Betelgeuse | Medium | 14 |
| Meissa | Large | 8 |
| Mintaka | Large | 5 |
| Rigel | Medium | 12 |
| Saiph | Medium | 13 |
View a printable version of the data table.
Example
Credit: The Schools' Observatory