Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep108: Constellations in the sky

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Ep108: Constellations in the sky · Kidcast Daily

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  Welcome to Kid Cast Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're going on a magical journey to explore the night sky
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  and learn all about finding constellations.
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  Have you ever looked up when it's dark outside and wondered
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  what those bright dots in the sky are?
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  Those dots are stars, and when you connect some of them, they
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  create pictures called constellations.
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  It's like playing a giant game of connect the dots, but the
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  dots are twinkling stars high above us.
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  So what exactly is a constellation?
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  A constellation is a group of stars that people imagine as
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  shapes or pictures. Long ago, people looked up at
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  the stars and saw patterns that reminded them of animals,
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  people, or objects. For example, some stars make the
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  shape of a lion, and that constellation is called Leo,
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  which means lion in Latin. Others look like Dragons, bears,
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  or even heroes from stories. These star pictures helped
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  people tell stories, find their way, and even know when to plant
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  crops. Imagine you have a big box of
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  crayons and a giant piece of black paper.
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  The stars are like bright dots of light on the paper and you
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  get to draw lines between them to create pictures.
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  That's exactly what ancient people did.
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  They use their imagination to connect stars and create
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  constellations. Some of these stories are really
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  old and come from myths, special tales about gods, heroes, and
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  magical creatures. The Greeks and Romans made-up
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  many of these stories, which is why many constellation names
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  come from their myths. One of the most famous
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  constellations is called the Big Dipper.
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  It's made of seven bright stars that look like a big spoon or
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  ladle. Depending on where you live,
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  people might see it as a plow or even a wagon.
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  The Big Dipper is part of a larger constellation named Ursa
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  Major, which means Great Bear. Nearby is another constellation
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  called Ursa Minor or Little Bear, which includes the North
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  Star, also known as Polaris. The North Star is very important
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  because it helps travelers know which way is north.
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  Finding constellations is easier than you think if you know a few
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  tricks. First, go outside on a clear
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  night when the sky is dark and full of stars.
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  If you live in the northern part of the world, look towards the
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  northern sky to find the Big Dipper.
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  The Big Dipper helps you find the North Star because two stars
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  at the edge of the Big Dippers bowl point straight to it.
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  Once you find the North Star, you can find other
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  constellations around it. It's like having a star map in
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  the sky. Constellations change throughout
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  the year because Earth moves around the sun Imagine Earth as
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  a car driving on a big round track around the sun.
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  As we move, we get to see different parts of the sky.
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  So the constellations you see in winter will be different from
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  the ones you see in summer. This is why some constellations
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  are called seasonal constellations.
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  For example, Orion the Hunter is easy to spot in the winter, and
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  the Big Dipper is higher in the sky during summer.
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  Some constellations are named after animals, like Draco the
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  Dragon or Leo the Lion. Others are named after heroes or
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  magical creatures. Did you know that the Pleiades,
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  also called the Seven Sisters, is a group of stars that look
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  like a tiny cluster? It's often seen as a little
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  group of sisters in the sky and is one of the closest star
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  clusters to Earth. People have used constellations
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  for thousands of years for many reasons.
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  Ancient farmers use them as a calendar to know when to plant
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  seeds or harvest crops. Travelers and sailors used
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  constellations to find their way across oceans and deserts before
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  there were maps or GPS. Even today, astronomers use
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  constellations to help locate stars, galaxies and nebula.
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  Those are huge clouds of gas and dust in space where new stars
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  are born. Here's a fun idea.
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  Try making your own constellation.
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  Look up at the night sky and pick out a few stars that catch
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  your eye. Use your imagination to connect
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  them with lines and make a shape or picture.
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  It could be your favorite animal, a spaceship, or anything
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  you like. Then give it a special name and
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  tell a story about it. You've just become an ancient
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  stargazer, creating your own myth in the sky.
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  Did you know that even though stars and constellations look
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  close together, they're actually very far apart in space?
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  Some stars might be hundreds or even thousands of light years
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  away from each other. The shapes we see depend on our
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  point of view from Earth. It's like looking at a drawing
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  made with dots on a flat page, but the stars are spread out in
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  3 dimensions, far away from us. Now let's recap what we've
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  learned today. First, constellations are groups
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  of stars that people imagine as pictures or shapes in the sky.
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  They helped ancient people tell stories, navigate, and keep
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  track of time. The Big Dipper is one of the
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  easiest constellations to find and helps us locate the North
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  Star. Different constellations appear
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  at different times of the year because Earth moves around the
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  sun. People named many constellations
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  after animals, heroes, and myths.
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  And even today, constellations help astronomers explore space.
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  So next time you look up at the night sky, remember that you're
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  looking at a giant cosmic connect the dots puzzle filled
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  with stories, adventures and mysteries waiting for you to
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  discover. Keep exploring, keep dreaming,
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  and who knows, maybe you'll create a new constellation for
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  the whole world to see. Thanks for joining us today on
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  Kitcast Daily. Until next time, keep your eyes
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  on the stars.