Science: Day 9
Evening Sky-Viewing Session

Objectives:

1. Students/parents will get an up close and personal look at the beautiful heavens.
2. Students/parents will learn the basics of using a sky map.
3. Students/parents will be introduced to observing the planets (and their moons) and the stars.
4. Students/parents/teachers will be amazed at the wonder of God’s creation.

Materials:

1. Binoculars (students may bring their own)
2. Telescope(s), if available
3. Sky maps (for an example, visit www.Skymaps.com)
4. Reddened flashlights (putting red film over a flashlight allows your eye to maintain its night vision capabilities – white light ruins your night vision)
5. Chairs (optional)
6. A dark, open field on a relatively cloudless night
7. A night where the moon is NOT full – it is so bright that it becomes more difficult to find other objects

Procedure:

1. Before everyone arrives, be sure to have selected and found some objects to view in the sky.  Set up the telescope so that it’s ready to go.
2. Welcome parents and students to the sky-viewing session.  Open with a verse from Scripture (e.g., Psalm 8) and/or a song of praise.
3. Pass out the sky maps and briefly explain how to use them.
4. Encourage the use of reddened flashlights (they save your night vision)
5. Begin by pointing out easy-to-find objects like the moon, and planets like Saturn and Jupiter (when they’re visible).
6. Answer questions and encourage discussion on each object viewed.
7. Encourage students to share what they have learned about the planets and stars.
8. Use the telescope to give students and parents an up close view of the objects.
9. When possible, it’s best to find an object using first the sky map and your naked eye, then your binoculars, and lastly, the telescope.
10. As the evening progresses, move on to easily found stars, star clusters, and any other interesting objects.
11. You may wish to point out several constellations and show the parents/students how to use their maps to identify the many constellations.
12. Close with prayer.