Download Astronomy Merit Badge Workshop

Astronomy Merit Badge
Workshop
Workbook & Observation Journal
Boy Scouts of America & Adler Planetarium
Hello!
Space—the final frontier. Whether you’re a Star Trek fan or not, the study of the
cosmos—Astronomy—is an amazing and infinitely rewarding journey and is a field that
is constantly expanding the frontiers of knowledge. From quarks to quasars and black
holes to binary stars, we live in a complex and ever-changing universe. Welcome!
This workbook is your introduction to the study of Astronomy, and must be completed
before attending the Astronomy Merit Badge Workshop at the Adler Planetarium on
________. The remaining requirements NOT included in this workbook will be
completed at the workshop.
The workspace provided for each requirement is designed for you to research, make
notes, draw sketches, collect data, and share your results with your Counselor AND the
Blue Card-Certified staff member at the Adler Planetarium.
Does not lose this workbook! You will need to bring it with you to the Planetarium.
Good luck, and keep looking up!
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Table of Contents
Welcome Page
Identifying Stars & Constellations
Requirement 4a, 4b, 4c
Identifying the Planets
Requirements 5a, 5b, 5c
Identifying the Moon
Requirement 6b
Site Work
8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, or 8e
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Identifying Stars and Constellations
Requirements Satisfied: 4a, 4b, 4c
4a. Identify in the sky at least 10 constellations, at least four of which are in the
zodiac.
Suggestion Procedure:
Using a Star Finder (also called a Planisphere), go outside on a clear night, set the
correct time and date, and orient yourself so that you and the Star Finder are aligned to
true north.* The visible field in your Star Finder should roughly correspond to what you
see in the night sky. Pick out 10 constellations (at least 4 of which are in the Zodiac)
and note them below. Alternatively, do an internet search for constellations visible from
your area at this time of year, pick out 10, and note them below.
*Do an Internet search for “Star Finder” of “Planisphere.” There are several good
templates on the Internet; all you need to construct your own is a printer, scissors, and a
brass fastener.
Constellations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
4b. Identify at least eight conspicuous stars, five of which are magnitude 1 or
brighter.
Suggested Procedure:
Just by looking up at a star-filled night sky, it is obvious that stars vary in brightness.
Some are very large yet very far away, while others are smaller than our Sun but could
be hundreds or thousands of light years closer. The brighter the star, the lower the
magnitude—the brightest stars have a magnitude around 1 or less. The Sun, for
example as an apparent magnitude of -26.72! Use your Star Finder to locate
conspicuous stars in the night sky, and/or do an internet search for at least five stars
which are magnitude 1 or brighter.
Stars:
1.
4
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
4c. Make two sketches of the Big Dipper. In one sketch, show the Big Dipper’s
orientation in the early evening sky. In another sketch, show its position several
hours later. In both sketches, show the North Star and the horizon. Record the
date and time each sketch was made.
Suggested Procedure:
Choose a clear night when you will have time and the ability to make observations some
hours apart. Looking north, draw the position of the big dipper in relation to the North
Star. Note the time next to it. Several hours later (six hours are best but at least four and
preferable more than five hours) draw the position of the Big Dipper in relation to the
North Star and note the time next to it. (Be sure clearly identify which diagram
represents which observation.)
Date: ___/___/___
Time:_______
North Star / Polaris
Date: ___/___/___ Time:_______
North Star / Polaris
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Identifying the Planets
Requirements Satisfied: 5a, 5b, 5c
5a. List the names of the five most visible planets. Explain which ones can appear
in phases similar to lunar phases and which ones cannot, and explain why.
Suggested Procedure:
Use the Internet (with your parent’s permission) books, and other resources to find
information on the five most visible planets and why/why not they display phases similar
to the moon as seen from Earth.
Planets
Phases?
Why?
5b. Find out when each of the five most visible planets that you identified in
requirement 5a will be observable in the evening sky during the next 12 months,
the compile this information in the form of a chart or a table.
Suggested Procedure:
Use the Internet (with your parent’s permission), books, and other resources to find out
when the five most visible planets will be in the evening sky over the next 12 months.
Planet /
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
5c. Describe the motions of the planets across the sky.
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Suggested Procedure:
Use the Internet (with your parent’s permission), books, and other resources to find out
how the planets move across the sky. Make sure to explain in your own words!
Identifying the Moon
Requirements Satisfied: 6b
6b. Sketch the phase and the daily position of the Moon, at the same hour and
place, for four days in a row. Include landmarks on the horizon such as hills,
trees, and buildings.
Suggested Procedure:
First check to see whether it is a morning or evening moon and choose a time to view
the moon. Avoid an observation period when there will be a new moon. Choose a
time and place you are going to be able to observe the moon each day. On the first day,
sketch the relative position of the moon across the southern horizon noting its height
and shape (phase). Draw some landmarks on the sketch as points of reference. On the
same drawing, repeat this at the same time each day for the next three days, showing
the height and shape of the moon for each observation. Note the date and time of
your observations next to each sketch of the moon.
If the sky is overcast and the moon is not visible, either extend the observations until
you can make four of them, and/or using the other observations, predict where the
moon would have been and what shape it would have been on the overcast day(s) and
indicate that this is due to an overcast sky.
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Sketch 1: Date:___/___/___ Time:_____
Sketch 3: Date:___/___/___ Time:_____
East
South
Sketch 2: Date:___/___/___ Time:_____
Sketch 4: Date:___/___/___ Time:_____
West
Explain the changes you observe.
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Site Work
Requirements Satisfied: 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, or 8e
DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
8a. Visit a planetarium or astronomical observatory. Submit a written report, a
scrapbook, or a video presentation afterward to your counselor that includes the
following information:
1. Activities occurring there.
2. Exhibits and displays you saw.
3. Telescopes and instruments being used.
4. Celestial objects you observed.
8b. Plan and participate in a three-hour observation session that includes
binoculars or a telescope. List the celestial objects you want to observe, and find
each on a star chart or in a guidebook.
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Prepare an observing log or notebook. Show your plan, charts, and log or
notebook to your counselor before making your observations. Review your log or
notebook with your counselor afterward.
8c. Plan and host a star party for your Scout troop or other group such as your
class at school. Use binoculars or a telescope to show and explain celestial
objects to the group.
8d. Help an astronomy club in your community hold a star party that is open to
the public.
8e. Personally take a series of photographs or digital images of the movement of
the Moon, a planet, an asteroid or meteoroid, or a comet.* In your visual display,
label each image and include the date and time it was taken. Show all positions
on a star chart or map. Show your display at school or a troop meeting. Explain
the changes you observed.
*Resources:
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/QUICK.HTM
http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography-complete-guide
http://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/MicroObservatory/
https://skynet.unc.edu/
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