This week’s special wonder is all about star constellations. Do you know what a constellation is? It’s a group of stars in the sky. There are many constellations and Star Belle lights them up one at a time.
This is Orion. Can you see Orion’s belt and sword? Thank you AtomicShark
for the lovely photo.
Star Belle loves to spot the different constellations in the sky. They’re a bit like a dot-to-dot - when you join the stars together, the constellations make shapes! Here are her favourites:
Orion – people once thought that this constellation made the shape of a great hunter from Greek stories, called Orion. In the middle, three bright stars make the shape of Orion’s Belt and, below that, stars make the shape of his sword!
The Little Dipper - it looks a bit like a small saucepan! Right at the top is a very bright star called Polaris or the North Star. Look for a big bright star in the sky and you’ll probably find the Little Dipper constellation.
The Big Dipper - this is an even bigger saucepan! The stars in this constellation are very bright, so it’s easy to find. The Big Dipper has lots of other names, like Ursa Major, the Great Bear and the Plough!
Why don’t you make your own mini constellation? Younger children will need your help, but older children can do this with careful supervision. Here’s how:
Make a Mini ConstellationYou need:
Black card
Pin or needle
Towel or tea towel
- Place the black card on a towel and prick lots of holes in it, using a pin.
- Wriggle the pin in some of the holes to make them a bit wider. Be as random as you can or prick out a specific shape.
- When you’ve finished, hold the black card up to the window or to a light. There you have it - your own amazing mini constellation!
We hope you have great fun doing this! Lots of love and magic dust from Star Belle and her friends in Bellevue xxx
