This MCQ module is based on: Stars, Constellations and Space Missions
TOPIC 45 OF 46
Stars, Constellations and Space Missions
🎓 Class 6
Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 12 — Beyond Earth
⏱ ~14 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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12.8 Stars — The Twinkling Suns
Every tiny point of light in the night sky (except the Moon and planets) is a star. A star is a huge ball of hot gases, just like our Sun. They look tiny because they are very, very far away — so far that their light takes many years to reach us.
Light-year: The distance that light travels in one year. Distances in space are so large that we measure them in light-years instead of kilometres.
Why do stars twinkle?
Star-light passes through many layers of Earth's atmosphere. The air in these layers is always moving and changing temperature. As the starlight bends a little this way and that, the star appears to twinkle.
Then why don't planets twinkle? Planets are much closer, so they look like tiny discs rather than points. Light from different parts of the disc averages out, and the planet shines with a steady glow.
Brightness and colour of stars
Not all stars look the same:
- Brightness depends on the star's size, temperature, and distance from us.
- Colour depends on temperature — blue stars are the hottest, yellow stars (like our Sun) are medium, and red stars are the coolest.
12.9 Constellations — Patterns in the Sky
If you join certain bright stars in the sky with imaginary lines, you get shapes that look like animals, tools, people or gods. These shapes are called constellations.
People have used constellations for thousands of years to find directions at sea, to fix the date of festivals, and to tell stories at night.
Saptarishi (Ursa Major / The Great Bear)
The most famous constellation in Indian skies is Saptarishi — "the seven sages". Its seven bright stars form the shape of a big ladle (or a question mark). In English it is called the Great Bear (Ursa Major), and its main seven-star pattern is the Big Dipper.
Orion (Mriga — The Hunter)
Another easy constellation to find in winter is Orion. It looks like a hunter with a belt of three bright stars in a straight line. In Indian tradition it is often called Mriga (the deer).
Finding the Pole Star (Dhruv Tara)
The Pole Star (Dhruv Tara) always appears in the north. It does not move across the sky like other stars. You can find it by drawing an imaginary line through the two end stars of Saptarishi and extending it outwards — it leads straight to the Pole Star! Travellers and sailors have used it for centuries to find direction.
12.10 India's Journey Into Space
India has made remarkable progress in space science. Our national space agency is the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), set up in 1969 and headquartered in Bengaluru.
| Year | Mission | What It Did |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Aryabhata | India's first satellite — launched with Soviet help; named after the great Indian astronomer–mathematician. |
| 1984 | Rakesh Sharma | First Indian to travel to space, aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11. His famous reply when asked how India looked from space: "Saare jahan se achha." |
| 2008 | Chandrayaan-1 | India's first mission to the Moon. It confirmed the presence of water on the Moon's surface. |
| 2013 | Mangalyaan (MOM) | India became the first Asian country to reach Mars — and did it on the very first try. |
| 2019 | Chandrayaan-2 | An orbiter, lander and rover. The orbiter is still studying the Moon. |
| 2023 | Chandrayaan-3 | Landed the rover Pragyan near the Moon's south pole — a world first. The lander was named Vikram, after ISRO's founder Dr Vikram Sarabhai. |
| 2023 | Aditya-L1 | India's first mission to study the Sun. |
Astronauts and Space Explorers
An astronaut is a person trained to travel and work in space. The first human in space was Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union in 1961. The first woman in space was Valentina Tereshkova. India's first astronaut was Rakesh Sharma (1984). Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, both of Indian origin, have spent many days in space.
Gaganyaan is ISRO's upcoming mission to send Indian astronauts to space on an Indian rocket — for the very first time.
Activity 12.3 — Spot Saptarishi Tonight
You need: a clear dark sky (away from bright lights), a compass or smartphone, a notebook.
- On a clear night, go to a place with open sky — terrace, balcony, or park.
- Face north (ask an adult to help you use a compass).
- Look high in the sky — try to spot seven bright stars arranged like a big ladle. That is Saptarishi.
- Use the two "pointer" stars at the front of the ladle to draw an imaginary line. Follow it outward — can you see a lone, steady star? That is Dhruv Tara, the Pole Star.
- Draw what you see in your notebook.
Predict: If you look again two hours later, do you think Saptarishi will be in the exact same place, or will it have moved?
Saptarishi will appear to have moved — it slowly circles around the Pole Star during the night. This is because the Earth is rotating, which makes the whole sky appear to rotate from east to west. But the Pole Star itself stays nearly still because it lies almost directly above Earth's North Pole.
Competency-Based Questions
Riya's uncle works at ISRO. During a visit, he shows her photographs of India's Moon and Mars missions, and explains how India has joined the very small group of countries that can reach space.
Q1. Which Indian mission confirmed the presence of water on the Moon? L1
(b) Chandrayaan-1 (launched in 2008) detected traces of water molecules on the Moon.
Q2. Why do stars twinkle while planets do not? L2
Stars are so far away that their light comes as a tiny point. When it passes through Earth's moving air layers, the point shifts slightly — making the star appear to twinkle. Planets are much closer and look like tiny discs, so their light averages out and stays steady.
Q3. Match the colour of the star with its temperature:
(i) Blue — (ii) Yellow — (iii) Red. L3
(i) Blue → hottest. (ii) Yellow → medium temperature (like our Sun). (iii) Red → coolest.
Q4. Fill in the blanks: The first Indian satellite was ______, and the first Indian in space was ______. L1
Aryabhata (1975); Rakesh Sharma (1984).
Q5. True or False — Saptarishi is a planet group of seven planets. Correct it if false. L4
False. Saptarishi is not a planet group — it is a constellation made up of seven bright stars. In English it is called the Great Bear or the Big Dipper.
Assertion – Reason
Assertion (A): The Pole Star appears fixed in the sky all night long.
Reason (R): The Pole Star lies almost directly above the Earth's North Pole.
Answer: A. Because the Pole Star sits almost on Earth's axis of rotation, it barely seems to move as Earth spins.
Assertion (A): Chandrayaan-3 made India the first country to land near the Moon's south pole.
Reason (R): Chandrayaan-3 was launched by NASA in 2023.
Answer: C. A is true — India was indeed the first to land near the Moon's south pole. R is false — Chandrayaan-3 was launched by ISRO, not NASA.
Assertion (A): Our Sun is a star.
Reason (R): Like other stars, the Sun produces its own light and heat from hot glowing gases.
Answer: A. The Sun is the nearest star, and the given reason is exactly what defines a star.
Frequently Asked Questions — Stars, Constellations and Space Missions
What does the topic 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' cover in Class 6 Science?
The topic 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' is part of NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth. It covers the key ideas of stars, constellations, Ursa Major, Orion, space missions, ISRO, Chandrayaan, Aditya-L1, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Class 6 students learn simple definitions, see why each idea matters in daily life, and try short experiments and observations. The lesson uses easy language, colourful pictures and small questions so that young learners build a strong base for higher classes and for competency-based questions in CBSE school tests.
Why is 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' important for Class 6 NCERT Science?
'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' is important because it builds the first ideas of science that Class 6 students will use again in Class 7, 8 and beyond. NCERT Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — introduces stars and connects it to things children already see at home, at school and in nature. Learning this topic helps students ask better questions, understand simple news about science, and score well in CBSE tests that use competency-based questions. The chapter also supports NEP 2020 by encouraging curiosity, observation and learning by doing rather than only reading and memorising.
What are the key ideas students should remember from Stars, Constellations and Space Missions?
The key ideas in 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' for Class 6 Science are: stars, constellations, Ursa Major, Orion, space missions, ISRO, Chandrayaan, Aditya-L1. Students should be able to say each term in their own words, give one or two easy examples from daily life, and draw a small labelled diagram where needed. A good way to revise is to make flashcards, write a short note in the science notebook, and solve the NCERT in-text and exercise questions of Chapter 12. Linking every idea to something seen at home or school — in the kitchen, garden, playground or sky — makes these ideas easy to remember for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.
How is Stars, Constellations and Space Missions taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 6?
NCERT Curiosity Class 6 Science teaches 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' through an inquiry-based approach using Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students first make a guess, then try a small experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what happened and why. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — the textbook has hands-on tasks, labelled pictures and thinking questions built for Bloom's Taxonomy Levels 1 to 6. Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding instead of only rote learning.
What real-life examples of stars can Class 6 students see at home?
Class 6 students can see stars at home in many simple ways linked to 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions'. Kitchens, school bags, playgrounds, the garden and the night sky are full of examples that match NCERT Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth. For example, students can look at food labels, watch changes while cooking, try safe activities with water, magnets or shadows, and observe the Sun, Moon and weather each day. Keeping a small science diary — with the date, what was observed and a quick drawing — turns daily life into a mini science lab. These real-life links make concepts easy to remember and help in answering competency-based questions in CBSE Class 6 Science.
How does 'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' connect to other chapters of Class 6 Science?
'Stars, Constellations and Space Missions' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 6 Science Curiosity. The ideas of stars come back when students study related topics like diversity in the living world, food, magnets, measurement, materials, temperature, water, separation, habitats, natural resources and the solar system. For example, what students learn here helps them build mental pictures for later chapters and for Class 7 and Class 8 Science. Teachers often ask cross-chapter questions in CBSE exams to check if students can use what they learned in Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — in new situations. This linked approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.
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