Last week Topla took you into space to learn the names of the planets and the composition of the solar system. This week, we're taking you to the stars! Discover the constellations and play at recognizing them in the sky!

Material :

• chenille wire
• pearls
• glue
• colored paper
• a pair of scissors
• a pencil

Step 1

Take 7 beads and a chenille wire.

Step 2

Thread the beads onto the chenille wire roughly as shown in the picture. We're going to represent the Big Dipper constellation!

Step 3

Bend the chenille wire at the beads as shown in the picture. We can clearly see the Big Dipper!

Step 4

Take a sheet of yellow paper and draw little stars on it.

Step 5

Cut out the stars.

Step 6

Glue them on the beads!

Step 7

Here is your constellation!

A constellation is a pattern formed by stars in the sky. They generally have no physical connection between them, it was the Greeks and their often overflowing imagination who invented all the constellations of the northern sky (e.g. Orion, Hercules, The Big Dipper)...

Some constellations are difficult to observe in the sky! You have to be very observant to see them... If you want to practice, observe them on an evening when there are no clouds and start by spotting the most famous ones, like the Big Dipper for example! You can also use a sky map!

In the last photo you can see Cassiopeia on the right, Cepheus in the middle and the Big Dipper on the left.

Here is a map of the sky: