This gallery features scanned images of a middle school student’s Constellation Project. Although the scans cannot fully capture the vivid color, texture, and intricate details of the original artwork, they provide a meaningful look into the student’s creativity and effort.

As part of our integrated unit Myths and Identity, students explored how constellations appear in stories across different cultures. Stars and constellations were included as the science component of the unit because they are deeply connected to so many myths, legends, and identity-forming narratives throughout history.

For this project, the student chose four constellations to research and illustrate. The work displayed includes hand-drawn constellation maps, mythology summaries, historical explanations, and a personal reflection on the learning process.

After completing the constellation study, the student continued the science extension of the unit by learning about the life cycle of stars and how astronomers classify stars, using real data and tools through PARI — the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (https://scope.pari.edu).

The project concluded with a visit to the Planetarium, which served as both a culminating learning experience and a celebration of the student’s hard work and curiosity throughout the unit.

This gallery highlights the full arc of the project—from myths to science, from research to art, and from classroom study to real-world exploration.