STARS IN MOTION
YOU WILL NEED

• A dark, solid-colored umbrella
• Star-shaped stickers
• A friend

HERE'S HOW

Stick star-shaped stickers on the inside of a dark, solid-colored umbrella in the shape of the Big Dipper (see illustration). Place a sticker to represent Polaris, the North Star, in the center of the umbrella. Have a friend hold the umbrella above you. Stand under Polaris and slowly turn yourself counterclockwise. Polaris appears to stay still as the other stars circle it.

WHY?

Your turning represents the Earth’s rotation. Most stars appear to move as the Earth turns. But Polaris is almost exactly above the North Pole and the Earth’s axis. Polaris seems to stay still while the other stars seem to be whirling around it.

Text by Laura Daily

Illustration by David Bamundo