Fourth Grade
Worksheets
New Moon Star-Gazing
New Moon Star-Gazing
Reading Comprehension for September 29
With a star map in his grip, Sullivan Troy stepped outside his suburban home. His gaze rose to the cloudless heavens. Dusk drained the color from the sky, leaving behind small points of light to shimmer and twinkle. A cool breeze swept by him as he searched the night for familiar constellations. In the moon's absence (it was the night of the new moon), the stars shone more brightly.
"It doesn't seem as if there are as many stars as there should be," Sullivan thought to himself. "Still, who cares, as long as I can find some constellations?"
In days gone by, voyagers could travel at night with only the stars to guide them. Adventure awaited those who knew the secret code written in the sky. Sullivan was anxious to learn those secrets.
Sullivan walked to the curb to get a better view away from the shade trees. Facing north, he studied the skyline. There was the Big Dipper! Lifting his gaze higher, he found the upside-down Little Dipper. Sullivan nearly danced with joy!
Turning to face west, Sullivan searched until he found the constellation called Hercules. Hercules was similar to the constellation of Orion, except that Hercules only had two stars in his middle, while Orion had a three-star belt.
Above Hercules was Vega, a star located 25 light years away in the constellation Lyra. The only reason Sullivan knew it was Lyra was because Vega is the brightest star in the summer sky, although technically the season had recently changed to autumn.
After seeing Vega, spotting Cygnus was easy. Supposedly in the shape of a flying swan, Cygnus was overhead and shaped like a cross lying diagonally in the sky. Sullivan tried to imagine the stars revealing a giant swan soaring through the night.
The front porch light flicked on at the house across the street. Startled, Sullivan watched as the front door was flung open. Amber Barnes traipsed up the driveway toward him.
"Hey, Sully," she called. "What are you doing out here in the dark?"
