Night Skies Word Activity

Milky Way over the Atlantic Ocean from Sand Beach NPS Photo/Sardius Stalker

Stories of the sky have been told throughout human history. Although we can see similar stars, we all come from distinct cultures with unique ways of seeing the world. Culture shapes how we view and describe the night sky, including the stories we invent about it.

In this activity, you will get the chance to create a new story for a group of stars that communities of people have told tales about for millennia. Gather the following materials:

Writing utensil

Piece of paper

Someone to complete the activity with

The Summer Triangle

Go outside and look straight up into the night sky. Do you notice a triangle of bright stars that takes up a large portion of the sky?

If it is a clear night, you might be observing the Summer Triangle asterism.

An asterism is a small part of a larger constellation which can usually be simple shapes.

A constellation is a group of stars that form recognizable shapes and characters in the sky. There are eighty-eight defined constellations.

The Summer Triangle is most visible at Acadia in - you guessed it - summer. Splitting the Summer Triangle down the middle is a hazy glitter of stars, spilled as if from a glass of milk - our very own galaxy, the Milky Way! Altair, Deneb, and Vega are the three stars that together form a big, beautiful triangle that spans across the inky black sky.

NPS/Mariah Reading

Constellation Stories about the Summer Triangle

In Japan, Vega is called Orihime, a celestial princess or goddess. She falls in love with a mortal, Hikoboshi, represented by the star Altair. But when Orihime’s father finds out, he is enraged and forbids her from seeing this mere mortal. Then the two are placed in the sky, separated by the Celestial River or Milky Way. They are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

Each star in the Summer Triangle is also a part of its own unique constellation based on Greek mythology.

Deneb is in the constellation Cygnus, or the swan.

Altair is within the constellation Aquila, or the eagle.

The brightest star of the asterism is Vega, which is a part of the constellation Lyra.

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Duration:1 minute, 23 seconds

Watch the constellations drawn out to complete the Summer Triangle.

Besides Greek mythology, countless other cultures have created their own stories about these constellations. To get a snapshot of all the variety of stories that exist for each of these grouping of stars, let’s take a closer look at the constellation Lyra.

Here are a few ways various cultures have seen the constellation Lyra depending on when and where they were told.

Arabic Cultures see it as a vulture or eagle carrying a lyre in its wings or beak.

In Wales, Lyra is known as “King Arthur's Harp.”

In Australian Aboriginal astronomy, Lyra is known as the Malleefowl constellation. A Malleefowl is a chicken-sized, ground-dwelling bird.

Incas knew Lyra as “Urcuchillay," the llama-god who watched over animals.

These stories hold significance because of the locations where they were told and the cultures they came from. Together, we can create our own magical tale about how the constellations surrounding Vega and Altair came to be, based on all the cool things we see at Acadia National Park. It’s time to get that friend, pencil, and paper!

Instructions

If you’ve done a word activity before, you’ll know what to do. Otherwise, here’s how it works. You can grab a pencil and get ready to write down your friend’s responses in the blanks. Without reading the story, ask your friend to provide words to fill in the blanks. For example, if you say “Give me an animal found in Acadia,” they may respond with “sea star.” Go through the whole activity, and then once all the blanks are filled, read the story you created out loud!

Tell A Night Skies Story

Conclusion

Humans have been looking up at the night sky and passing down oral history of the stars for thousands of years. In an era impacted by climate change and light pollution, clear night skies are getting harder and harder to see. It is now, more than ever, essential to share the importance of the night sky and how we as humans fit within the cosmic landscape. By participating in this activity and sharing this word activity with a friend, you are the next link in the legacy of night sky stories.

Where this belongs

• Acadia National Park

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