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How to Build a Model of a Star Constellation

For thousands of years, people have looked to the night skies with fascination and imagination. They saw patterns in the arrangement of the stars, and created stories that accounted for those positions. The advancing centuries have revealed that stellar positions are not due to the caprices of ancient gods who plucked creatures from the Earth and catapulted them into the heavens, but the random result of a cascade of physical interactions. Still, the constellations are of use to anyone who wants to navigate their gaze across the sky. According to the International Astronomical Union, there are 88 ̶0;official̶1; constellations, and you can model any of them.

Things You'll Need

Shoebox
Black construction paper
Finish nails, pins, sewing needles or awl
Glue stick
Colored cellophane and tape
Small light fixture
Small compact fluorescent bulb

Instructions

- 1
  Write down the angular separation of the stars in the constellation you are modeling. You can find the angles in a star chart by simply measuring the distances from star to star on the chart. You can also measure the angles yourself, using rough measurements such as that your thumb at arm̵7;s length is about one degree from side-to-side, or that your spread hand, from tip of thumb to tip of pinkie, is about 20 degrees.
- 2
  Note the magnitude of all the stars in the constellation. The magnitude measures a star̵7;s brightness, and if you̵7;re getting this from a star chart remember that smaller numbers mean brighter stars. If you̵7;re observing the stars, just note their relative brightness in any terms you want.
- 3
  Cut the construction paper to fit the cover of the shoebox and glue the paper to the cover. Measure the height and width of the cover.
- 4
  Scale the constellation so it will fit the cover. For example, you could have a shoebox of 12 inches by 8 inches, and you could be modeling Camelopardalis, which is about 20 degrees by 15 degrees. The scale would be either 12 inches/20 degrees = 3/5 inches per degree, or 8 inches/15 degrees, which is just over 1/2 inch per degree. To be sure the whole constellation will fit, you need to choose the smaller number.
- 5
  Lay out the constellation, using the scale determined in the previous step. You need to make a decision about which stars to include in your model ̵2; the handful of stars that outline the shape, the dozens of about the same brightness, or the hundreds (or more) contained within the constellation̵7;s region.
- 6
  
  Although the constellation Camelopardalis doesn't really look like a giraffe, people can pretend.
  
  Put holes in the cover of the shoe box at the location of each star outlined in the previous step. Use whatever pointed tool you have at hand. Use enough control that you can make the sizes of the holes larger for the brighter stars and smaller for the dimmer stars. For a constellation like Camelopardalis, the 10 or 2o brightest stars are about the same brightness, so the holes would all be about the same size.
- 7
  Tape different colors of cellophane over the holes representing stars of different colors. Cut small pieces and tape them from the inside of the box. Although stars have different colors, those variations are often barely visible to the naked eye, so if you choose to do this, you will be exaggerating their visibility. Camelopardalis, for example, has white, yellow, blue and red stars, although the colors are only easily seen with a telescope.
- 8
  Cut a small hole in the back of the shoe box, put the lamp inside the box, and route the cord through the hole. Put the cover on the box and plug the light in. Your constellation appears.

Astronomy