Astronomy
Common Core State Standard
CT Science Standards: 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.3
Common Core Standards: RI (Reading Standards for Informational Text): grades 3-5(1,2,3,5,7) and RF (Reading Standards for Foundational Skills): grades 2-5(4)
Winter Solstice and Stars
Written by Noreen Grice, Travelers Science Dome at the Gengras Planetarium
As the first snowflakes of winter begin to fall, you may be observing some changes happening in the sky. The first change has to do with the Sun. For those of us who
live in the Northern Hemisphere, have you noticed that the Sun rises later in the winter and sets earlier, and
when the Sun is highest in the sky around noon, it’s not really all that high at this time of year?
Thousands of years ago, people noticed these things, too. Sky watchers observed that the Sun followed a pattern
each year. During summer months, the Sun took a high path across the daytime sky, but that path seemed to
change; by wintertime, the Sun’s path was very low. Stone calendars like Stonehenge in England were used to
follow the changing location of the Sun’s rising and setting positions.
We now know that the changing path of the Sun in our daytime sky is related to the tilt of Earth’s axis and its
orbit about the Sun. But in earlier times, some people felt that the Sun was growing old and needed their help,
so they lighted fires to strengthen the weakened Sun. Their efforts always seemed to help, because the Sun’s path
began to climb higher each day after the winter solstice (the first day of winter). Many of the winter holidays
still include symbols of fire and light. Can you think of a few of these celebrations? Here’s a hint: think of holidays
that include candles, trees and fireplace logs.
Other predictable changes also occur each year; one is that we see different stars during different seasons. The
stars of winter are great to observe because many are very bright. The symbol of winter is very easy to spot. Look
for three stars in a row that mark the starry belt of Orion the Hunter. Two stars above the belt outline his shoul-
ders, and two stars below his belt indicate his knees. Orion holds a curved shield in one hand and a club in the
other.
A great battle is raging in the night sky. If we imagine a line through Orion’s belt, it points to a “v” pattern of stars; this is the face of Taurus the bull. The red star Al-
debaran marks one eye. Horns extend up from his face (above the “v”). A group of stars, called the Pleiades, marks a wound in the shoulder of Taurus. The angry bull
is now charging toward Orion. The hunter stands ready to defend himself.
If we return to Orion’s belt and follow our imaginary line in the other direction, we come to the brightest star of the night sky. This is not the North Star, but a star
named Sirius. It’s really a binary star system, but the two stars are so far away and close together that it appears as one bright star. Sirius is the brightest star in the
constellation Canis Major, the great dog.
Did You Know Fun Things To Do
As our tilted Earth travels about the Sun, Track the motion of the Sun during the seasons by following shadows. Find a flag-
the most direct rays of sunlight shift north pole or street sign and measure how long the shadow is at noon on the winter sol-
or south of the equator. This causes oppo- stice (the 2014 winter solstice occurs on Dec. 21st).
site seasons for the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres. When it is winter in the North-
ern Hemisphere, it is summer in the southern
one. If you took a vacation around the time
Find it in the NEWS
of the winter solstice, you would need to Look through this week’s Hartford Courant to find:
pack a winter coat • Weather forecasts for places around the world. Can you name some cities with the most
for a trip to Boston extreme temperatures?
but a bathing suit
for a trip to Sidney, Visit the New Children’s Museum in West Hartford!
Australia! • Check out the stars in the Traveler’s Science Dome.
• Check out winter animal behavior in the Wildlife Sanctuary.