Category

The Summer Triangle

Looking for the Summer Triangle

The "Star Festival" has become a regular summer event. Here we describe an educational exercise we have prepared in association with this.

In this activity, students look at a photo of the night sky in the region of the summer triangle, and by sticking different labels on the stars according to their brightness, they can understand the different brightnesses of stars.

In addition, it is a useful means of introducing the name of the stars and constellations making up the summer triangle, by devising the cartoon characters.

Experimental Method

Things to Prepare

　A4-sized photo of the night sky showing the Summer Triangle region (ideally have familiar scenery such as a school building in the foreground); Sheet of A4 Transparency for OHP; The OHP seat to which the picture of the constellation is printed (A4 size), Seal of gold, Seal of silver.

Actual photo of the night sky (Credit: Yoshiharu Ito, Education Induction Centre in Miyagi Prefecture)
By using a familiar building as a backdrop to the picture, students will get a sense that these stars are associated with their local area, and not a foreign part of the world.

OHP Slide showing figures of the constellations

Preparation of the Worksheet

Align the OHP slide on top of the photo of the night sky.

←Worksheet and Labels

Identifying the Stars

1. Identify the three brightest stars, and stick gold labels on them.
2. Identify the remaining bright stars, and stick silver labels on them.
3. Place the OHP slide over the photo to identify the constellations.

Experimental Results

The three brightest stars were identified with gold stickers, as shown on the right. It is apparent that they make up a triangle in the sky. This is the Summer Triangle.	In the second part of the exercise, the remaining bright stars were identified with silver stickers, and the photo was overlaid with the OHP slide of the constellation figures, as shown on the right. This will allow the constellations, the Swan, the Lyre, the Eagle, to be identified in the photo.

Practical Exercise

　On a clear night, have a look at the starry sky between 7pm and 9pm.
In the summer, look at the eastern sky, and in the autumn, look towards the zenith. You will see three bright stars. This is the Summer Triangle. Can you identify the shapes of the constellations which make it up?
　Do not go out after dark on your own!

Photos & Figures

Here are photos and figures actually used by the primary school attached to Miyagi University of Education.
Click on an image for a larger version.

Orihime	Kamisama		Hikoboshi
Starry Sky Photograph		Illustration of constellation