Nerdy Activity: Exploring the Night Sky
June 30th 2008 21:20
Every now and then I’ll be posting an idea for a family activity that can be fun and educational for everyone. So when you’re sitting around Friday night wondering what to do, you can’t say I didn’t try to help!
This week: Exploring the Night Sky
I’ve always had a great interest in astronomy. If I was any better at math, I probably would have ended up in astrophysics instead of music or English…c’est la vie! We started classifying ourselves as “amateur astronomers” after we decided to upgrade our little walmart style telescope to a 10 inch reflector that stands about 4-5 feet tall. We covered it in flame decals so we could officially be the only people we know with a tricked-out telescope. But you don’t have to run out and purchase your own monster-scope to enjoy the sights.
One of the best ways for an amateur to learn about the night sky, or for kids to get excited about it, is to go to a star party. There are astronomical societies all over the country and world- enough that there should be one within driving distance no matter where you live. Most societies host a star party once a month that is open and free to the public. All the society members bring their telescopes so that visitors can view different objects. You get to use all kinds of scopes and don’t have to put out the big money to do it. The members are usually very knowledgeable and love to answer any questions that curious little minds may have.
If you are worried about your kids not “getting it,” don’t. In a lot of cases, children actually are better viewers than their parents. I’ve seen kids easily see the littlest fuzzy while the parent struggles amid lots of “God dad- its right in the corner!”s. Both adults and kids can enjoy the chance to see something live that they otherwise only saw in pictures or TV.
If you want to have a night of at-home observing instead, there are a couple things that are helpful. A Planisphere is a little handheld map of the sky that you turn to reveal your exact map for any given night. Paired with some regular old binoculars, you should be able to see some clusters and constellations, and maybe even a bright galaxy like Andromeda. In fact, some sights, like the Pleiades, can be viewed better through binoculars than a close telescope because of their size.
Another fun thing to do from home is to look for satellites. They look like little stars that move evenly accross the sky. Alot of people mistake them for shooting stars, but they move much slower than a meteorite will. Others confuse them for UFOs, but the lack of a little green face in the window should help you tell the difference (Insert cheesy laugh track here). They all run on a schedule, so you can predict when they will show up and in what part of the sky. Use a website like http://www.heavens-above.com/ along with your planisphere and you’re sure to find a few.
How old do kids have to be to enjoy this type of activity? It’s pretty arbitrary, but if they can look at stars or the moon that’s pretty much all you need. They don’t necessarily have to know how to look though binoculars or a telescope, or really understand what they are seeing. We have a computer program called Starry Night that’s like a live planisphere. My almost 3-year-old loves to click around the sky and see the planets while we look at them through the telescope. He has some idea of what he is looking at thanks to the Blue Skidoos to the Planets book and episode. He’s learned the names of the planets from it and can recognize them in pictures. His favorites and Jupiter and Saturn, or “big one” and “icy rings” as he calls them. He isn’t quite old enough to get the concept of looking through a telescope- he still squints and doesn’t open his eyes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t and doesn’t enjoy the activity along with us!
This week: Exploring the Night Sky
These look like stars, but look closer-they are actually galaxies! Amazing huh?
One of the best ways for an amateur to learn about the night sky, or for kids to get excited about it, is to go to a star party. There are astronomical societies all over the country and world- enough that there should be one within driving distance no matter where you live. Most societies host a star party once a month that is open and free to the public. All the society members bring their telescopes so that visitors can view different objects. You get to use all kinds of scopes and don’t have to put out the big money to do it. The members are usually very knowledgeable and love to answer any questions that curious little minds may have.
If you are worried about your kids not “getting it,” don’t. In a lot of cases, children actually are better viewers than their parents. I’ve seen kids easily see the littlest fuzzy while the parent struggles amid lots of “God dad- its right in the corner!”s. Both adults and kids can enjoy the chance to see something live that they otherwise only saw in pictures or TV.
If you want to have a night of at-home observing instead, there are a couple things that are helpful. A Planisphere is a little handheld map of the sky that you turn to reveal your exact map for any given night. Paired with some regular old binoculars, you should be able to see some clusters and constellations, and maybe even a bright galaxy like Andromeda. In fact, some sights, like the Pleiades, can be viewed better through binoculars than a close telescope because of their size.
Another fun thing to do from home is to look for satellites. They look like little stars that move evenly accross the sky. Alot of people mistake them for shooting stars, but they move much slower than a meteorite will. Others confuse them for UFOs, but the lack of a little green face in the window should help you tell the difference (Insert cheesy laugh track here). They all run on a schedule, so you can predict when they will show up and in what part of the sky. Use a website like http://www.heavens-above.com/ along with your planisphere and you’re sure to find a few.
How old do kids have to be to enjoy this type of activity? It’s pretty arbitrary, but if they can look at stars or the moon that’s pretty much all you need. They don’t necessarily have to know how to look though binoculars or a telescope, or really understand what they are seeing. We have a computer program called Starry Night that’s like a live planisphere. My almost 3-year-old loves to click around the sky and see the planets while we look at them through the telescope. He has some idea of what he is looking at thanks to the Blue Skidoos to the Planets book and episode. He’s learned the names of the planets from it and can recognize them in pictures. His favorites and Jupiter and Saturn, or “big one” and “icy rings” as he calls them. He isn’t quite old enough to get the concept of looking through a telescope- he still squints and doesn’t open his eyes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t and doesn’t enjoy the activity along with us!
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