With the beginning of the new school year, the astronomy classes at Dutch Fork High School are already in full swing.
The classes have jumped right into studying stars and constellations. Students are investigating what constellations are, as well as how and where they can be observed.
Soon, students will create their own constellations and determine their positions in the night sky. They will select actual, referenced stars to serve as points for their designs and then develop a backstory explaining how their constellation came to be.
Dutch Fork High School’s astronomy classes strive to integrate multiple disciplines into the curriculum, combining science with creativity, history and storytelling.
Constellations are recognizable patterns of stars in the night sky that represent something memorable or meaningful to a particular culture. Throughout history, people from cultures around the world have identified their own constellations and created stories to explain them.
The astronomy students will use star charts to help locate the 88 officially recognized constellations of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) when observing the night sky.
