The Movement of Stars Worksheet
Our Sun is constantly moving around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Other stars also move. The motion changes the patterns of stars in the constellations. This is true of the Big Dipper, a constellation that is easy to locate in the sky. Although the stars in the Big Dipper are moving, they are so far away that the distances they move may not be noticed on Earth for hundreds of years. The pictures below show how the Big Dipper has probably changed over the centuries.
- Picture 1 shows the way scientists think the Big Dipper looked a long time ago. Did it look like a dipper at that time? __________________________.
- Picture 2 shows how the Big Dipper looks today. Compare the positions of the stars a and b in Pictures 1 and 2. Draw arrows next to the two stars in Picture 1 showing the direction they probably moved to reach their current position.
- Picture 3 shows how scientists think the Big Dipper will look thousands of years from now.Will it still resemble a dipper? __________________________.
- Compare Pictures 2 and 3. Draw arrows in Picture 2 showing the direction the two stars will probably move in the future.
WORKSHEET & Sample PDF Activity
Sample PDF Activity
Answer Key – The Movement of Stars
- Yes, to some extent it looked a bit like a dipper.
- Students should draw arrows from star a, moving down and to the right, and from star b, moving straight down.
- no
- Students’ arrows should match the stars’ positions in Picture 3.
