Constellations What are they?  Constellations are groups of stars that form a pattern or shape in the sky.  There are 88 of them and they help people orient themselves and determine the time of year. The Earth's revolution around the sun cause us to see different constellations at different times of the year.  Their appearance changes also. When you have completed the indoor constellation activity, you should have a better understanding of the way constellations are identified. Here is another activity for you to try; it involves observing stars!
Indoor Constellations This activity can be found on pages 210 -  214 of a book entitled   *202 Scientific Investigations.  The author of this book is Marjorie Frank; it was published by http://www.incentivepublications.comhttp://www.incentivepublications.com Nashville, TN.
Problem or Purpose	It is hard to see constellations during the school day.  This activity gives students a way to view "constellations" indoors during the daytime.
Materials	Flashlight, black paper, compass, straight pins, nails, cardboard tubes (4 to 6 inches in diameter), rubber bands, black paint, paint brushes, water, tape, and a large black trash bag. You will also need diagrams of the constellations and the arrangement of stars within them.  (Pages 212-214 of the reference above provide these.)
Procedure (taken from the reference above)*	1.  Paint the inside of the cardboard tube black. 2.  Cut several circles of black paper 2 inches larger in diameter than the tube. 3.  Use straight pins and nails of different sizes to punch one constellation in each circle.  Make sure you label the constellation's name on the black paper. 4.  Tape the black garbage bag to the wall. 5.  To view your constellation,  fasten the circle over one end of the tube with a rubber band. 6.  Turn out the lights and shine the flashlight into the open end of the tube.  Point the tube toward the trash bag "screen." 7.  Turn the tube around so that you can see how the constellation looks from different viewpoints. 8.  Repeat the process with several other constellations.
Results and explanation	Constellations change locations in the sky with the seasons as the earth revolves around the sun in its orbit.
Extension:	Create your own constellations; see if others can identify the shape or animal you chose as your pattern.  Think.  Are all the stars in constellations the same distance away from earth?  If you looked at a constellation from the side - would the stars line up on the same "plane?"