Looking at the night sky, there is no clue that stars lie at very different distances from us. Moreover, there is a general idea that stars in a constellation lie near each other. This activity helps students identify a few constellations; realize what constellations are (areas in the sky) and their important role in the history of mankind. Using the planetarium software Stellarium and Digital Universe, students will discover that stars on the same constellations are unrelated to each other and with a hands-on model they will understand why stars seem to be all at the same distance.
Educational Object Link