TAKEN FROM NCERT BOOK (TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS VI)
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How wonderful it is to watch the sky after sunset! One would first notice one or two bright dots shining in the sky. Soon you would see the number increasing. You cannot count them any more. The whole sky is filled with tiny shining objects – some are bright, others dim. It seems as if the sky is studded with diamonds.
They all appear to be twinkling. But if you look at them carefully you will notice that some of them do not twinkle as others do. They simply glow without any flicker just as the moon shines.
Along with these bright objects, you may also see the moon on most of the days. It may, however, appear at different times, in different shapes and at different positions. You can see the full moon only once in about a month’s time. It is Full moon night or Poornima. A fortnight later, you cannot see it at all. It is a New moon night or Amavasya. On this day, you can watch the night sky best, provided it is a clear night.
The sun, the moon and all those objects shining in the night sky are called celestial bodies.
Some celestial bodies are very big and hot. They are made up of gases. They have their own heat and
light, which they emit in large amounts. These celestial bodies are called stars. The sun is a star.
While watching the night sky, you may notice various patterns formed by different groups of stars. These are called constellations. Ursa Major or Big Bear is one such constellation. One of the most easily recognisable constellation is the small bear or Saptarishi (Sapta-seven, rishi-sages).
FIGURE 1
It is a group of seven stars (Figure 1) that forms a part of the large Ursa Major Constellation. Ask someone elder in your family or neighbourhood to show you more stars, planets and constellations in the sky.
In ancient times, people used to
determine directions during the night
with the help of stars. The North star
indicates the north direction. It is also
called the Pole Star. It always remains
in the same position in the sky. We can
locate the position of the Pole Star with the help of the Saptarishi. Look at Figure 1. You will notice that, if an imaginary line is drawn joining
the pointer stars and extended further, it will point to the Pole Star.
Some celestial bodies do not have their own heat and light. They are lit by the light of the stars. Such bodies are called planets. The word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek word “Planetai” which means‘wanderers’.
The earth on which we live is a planet. It gets all its heat and light from the sun, which is our nearest star.
If we look at the earth from a great distance, say the moon, it will appear to be shining just as the moon.
The moon that we see in the sky is a satellite. It is a companion of our earth and moves round it. Like our
earth, there are eight other planets that get heat andlight from the sun. Some of them have their moons too.
Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have rings around them. These are belts of small debris. These rings may be seen from the earth with the help of powerful telescopes.
Please subscribe this blog by clicking "Joint this Site" Button.
How wonderful it is to watch the sky after sunset! One would first notice one or two bright dots shining in the sky. Soon you would see the number increasing. You cannot count them any more. The whole sky is filled with tiny shining objects – some are bright, others dim. It seems as if the sky is studded with diamonds.
They all appear to be twinkling. But if you look at them carefully you will notice that some of them do not twinkle as others do. They simply glow without any flicker just as the moon shines.
Along with these bright objects, you may also see the moon on most of the days. It may, however, appear at different times, in different shapes and at different positions. You can see the full moon only once in about a month’s time. It is Full moon night or Poornima. A fortnight later, you cannot see it at all. It is a New moon night or Amavasya. On this day, you can watch the night sky best, provided it is a clear night.
The sun, the moon and all those objects shining in the night sky are called celestial bodies.
Some celestial bodies are very big and hot. They are made up of gases. They have their own heat and
light, which they emit in large amounts. These celestial bodies are called stars. The sun is a star.
While watching the night sky, you may notice various patterns formed by different groups of stars. These are called constellations. Ursa Major or Big Bear is one such constellation. One of the most easily recognisable constellation is the small bear or Saptarishi (Sapta-seven, rishi-sages).
It is a group of seven stars (Figure 1) that forms a part of the large Ursa Major Constellation. Ask someone elder in your family or neighbourhood to show you more stars, planets and constellations in the sky.
In ancient times, people used to
determine directions during the night
with the help of stars. The North star
indicates the north direction. It is also
called the Pole Star. It always remains
in the same position in the sky. We can
locate the position of the Pole Star with the help of the Saptarishi. Look at Figure 1. You will notice that, if an imaginary line is drawn joining
the pointer stars and extended further, it will point to the Pole Star.
Some celestial bodies do not have their own heat and light. They are lit by the light of the stars. Such bodies are called planets. The word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek word “Planetai” which means‘wanderers’.
The earth on which we live is a planet. It gets all its heat and light from the sun, which is our nearest star.
If we look at the earth from a great distance, say the moon, it will appear to be shining just as the moon.
The moon that we see in the sky is a satellite. It is a companion of our earth and moves round it. Like our
earth, there are eight other planets that get heat andlight from the sun. Some of them have their moons too.
Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have rings around them. These are belts of small debris. These rings may be seen from the earth with the help of powerful telescopes.
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