Thank you to skatinglils and stephy for the class suggestion. You both earn 10 points and are still able to complete this class

Part 1:

There are many many stars in the solar system and even more out of it. Choose two stars in which stand out for you. Cover the background of the star as well as the characteristics, the name meaning and why this star stands out above the rest.
To finish this part, compare these two stars to the sun and the other stars near us.

I've chosen the following two stars : Sirius and Canopus

SIRIUS

Sirius is recorded as being the brightest shining star in the soloar system. It is documented at being at 8.6 light years away and its name is translated to mean "The Greater Dog". It is found in the Canis Major constellation and is found as a part of the constellation of Orion just above the horizon. This star is able to be seen in almost any of the inhabitant areas and regions of the earth. In the Northern Hemisphere it is a known vertex of the "Winter Triangle". January 1st is when the star reaches the meridianat midnight and documented; this is the best time to see it. How this star was named was after orion's dog, Sirius. Sirius is associated with summer heat and it also translates into ''scorching." Viewing this star in the daytime is possible if you are high up, and with a clar sky around you. The star should be overhead as the sun is lower in the horizon.

CANOPUS

Canopus also referred to as "Alpha Carinae" is the second of the brightest stars in the night sky. Like Sirius, it is located in a constellation and or cluster of stars. It is found in the souther constellation of Carina and is roughly 310 light years away from our solar system. It is also a super giant star and is colored in a yellowish white hue. Its located in the souther hemisphere and commonly said to be able to be viewed in the states of Kentucky and Virginia. Though outside of the United States, it can be viewed as far as the Mediterranean Sea in Africa.
An interesting fact is that this star is 20,000 times brighter than the sun. The sun's larger but Canopus is far more brighter. It is positioned far away from our orbital solar system and is in contrast with Sirius which is quite the opposite.This star was popular in Egypt as there was a port named after it along the Nile River.





(Word count: 150 – 200 words per star)
(Possible housepoints: 25)

Part 2:

Create your own star, covering where, when and how it was discovered, its name and meaning and anything else you deem important

My star is called "soffafelinus' the ''lazy feline' that is located up near the constillation of Burmese in the Western Hemisphere most easily viewed by Californians. It is large light blue with a hue of purple and pink wisps surrounding it. Soffafelinus was named after the great cat that squashed the Greek Empire and left it in ruins. Soffafelinus was the pet cat of Zeus. SHe was a soft pink color and had bright purple eyes. She was so soft, softer than silk and more radiant than the sun. A perfect creature for the God of the Gods. One day she was ordered to destroy all who tried to overthrow the gods of Olympus and told to purge the world of all the traitors. Aphrodite did not like such a beautiful creature causing havoc and chaos so she went to Zeus and begged for him to forgive the people and so finally he did and he called for Soffafelinus to return. The cat did not. She was enjoying her destructive powers and refused to go back. Athena was sent down to try to coax the large beast back but sadly her attempts failed. Zeus then sent down Hermes with a message and warning for Soffafelinus. She responded by attacking the messenger and scratching him. Despite all of Zeus's warnings the cat couldn't be controlled. He didn't want her destroyed so he sent Artemis down to her. Artemis turned Soffafelinus into a star; one that would shine beautifully for all eternity.
Soffafelinus was discovered by a witch on a broom as she was flying skyclad in the night's sky during Samhain. Soffafelinus shines ever brightly today and is located in the constellation of Burmese.


(Possible housepoints: 10)


Part 3:

Create a constellation in which your star sits. Write a brief history of the constellations as well as the name and shape meaning and where your created star sits. Also show what other stars sit within your constellation and their names etc.

Burmese is the name of my constellation where some of the most noteable beautiful stars can be found. Among the stars in this constellation, are Simasa, Himi, Rus, Tabio, Persiani, Calicoa, and of course the ever famous Soffafelinus.

Persiani, Himi, Rus, and Tabio all make up the lower sections or the ''feet'' of the cat constellation. The left ''ear'' is created by Calicoa and the right ''ear'' is where Siamasa is found. Soffafelinus is the bright glow of the ''eye'' of the cat and therefore radiates the entire constellation with its colorful hue. All of these stars were once pets that belonged to the Greek Gods and Goddesses and were never forgotten about, instead they were turned into what is seen now along in their constellation.
The stars and their brief history:

Soffafelinus- the pet cat of Zeus that got out of control and became obsessed with destruction.
Siamasa- a siamese cat with 4 tails who fought against the Cerebrus when he escaped the underworld. This cat was the pet of Athena as his black ''masked face'' reminded Athena of the ''eclipse of the moon" When Cerebrus attempted to attack Athena, Siamasa came to her aid and fought the three headed dog the best he could. However, the dog was too powerful and bit Siamasa in half, killing him instantly.
Himi- A himilayan type cat with only one eye and was blood red in color. A favorite pet of Apollo's for it could breathe fire. Tragically it fell into the forbidden waters or Rhea and lost it's fire abilities. Apollo was displeased and cast the cat into the heavens where it was turned into a star. It's still reddish appearance glows in the night sky.
Rus- a fantastic swimmer-the fastest swimming cat and was the only one able to breathe underwater. Posiedion's water guardian-The cat Rus, had glassy blue eyes and two front webbed feet. It's hindquarters were part fish and it had gills.
Tabio- a small brown tabby cat that lived in the forest. It was born blind but made up for it with its keen sense of hearing and smell. It was frail and did not have a long life span ahead of it, so it's owner took it to the Gods and Goddesses in hopes of them healing it. And then once it was healed its owner never returned so it became the pet of Zeus.
Persiani- the black spectacle of a spastic trouble maker. With only yellow glowing eyes and cloaked in a black mist, this eerie cat was non other than that which belonged to Hades of the underworld. He was a rather proud and happy cat. However after Persephone arrived, he became bitterly jealous. Afraid that the jealous cat would kill his wife, Hades had Persiani sent to Ares the God of War. Ares took Persiani in and gave him his own room. Persiani became restless and eventually started killing his feeders and those who waited upon him. With so many wars to star and soo much to do, Ares didn't have time to take care of the cat, so he had him turned into a star.
Calicoa- the cat who gave birth to 200 kittens at once and was the pet of Dionysis-the God of Wine. This cat drank ONLY Wine and ate grapes throughout her entire 1 year pregnancy. She was mated with Siamasa, the pet cat that belonged to Athena. After the kittens were born and weened, Calicoa wanted to have more but was unable to with her mate for Siamasa was killed by Cerebrus. And after his death, she too died grieving over him.


(possible housepoints: 15)
http://www.crystalinks.com/sirius.html
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020034
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/Canopus+(star)