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Stargazing

Have you ever looked up from a city street and found you couldn’t see the stars? Why not reconnect with the night sky? It’s been a source of cultural and scientific inspiration to people all over the world for all of human history!

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Plan

  • When and where are you going to do some stargazing? Consider the weather forecast and the “seeing forecast”—a projection of the overall visibility for stargazing.
  • What equipment do you need to help identify objects in the night sky? What else could make this a fun and comfortable experience?
  • What do you already know about astronomy? How can you learn more?
  • Study star charts in advance of the activity. Learn to coordinate them for your time and place, and to properly orient them.

Do

  • Visit a place that’s suitably dark for stargazing and learn about the night sky.
  • Help one another to recognize constellations. You can even make up your own constellations, and the legends to go with them.
  • Can you help others to see what you see in the night sky?

Review

  • What do you know now that you did not know before?
  • How were the conditions on the evening you went out?
  • How did your group get along? Did you help one another to identify what you were looking at?

Keep it Simple

  • Look at the sky above you! What pictures do you see in the stars? Make up some stories about the things you see and share them with the other members of your Section.

Take it Further

  • What celestial objects do you see in the sky? Learn how to use a telescope and use a telescope to find different objects in the night sky!