Circumpolar Constellations Lab Summary

The Purpose of this Lab: The purpose of this lab was the help the experimenter gain a better understanding of consolations by helping the experimenter be able to identify the circumpolar constellations, understand the effects of earth’s rotation on viewing consolations, be able to use the Sky Map app, and to describe the characteristics of an astronomy photograph.
Description of the Materials: Within this lab, the experimenter uses the Sky Map or SkyView in order help label and identify various constellations. This application is used to highlight these constellations in the night sky. The night sky too is used as a material as this when the constellations are visible, so the experimenter may see the constellations being examined. Finally, …show more content…
Next, the experimenter must note and investigate how humans developed, named, and used constellations historically. In addition, the experimenter must define and research circumpolar constellations by discovering when the various circumpolar constellations are visible in the night sky. Then, over the course of two different nights and times, the experimenter, using the Sky View app, observes the constellations visible in the sky at that time. After recording which constellations were visible, the experimenter gains a better understanding of the topic of apparent brightness by first defining the topic then describing the apparent brightness observed. After this, the experimenter must research the historical background of two of the constellations as to gain a better understanding of the historical significance of it. Finally, the experimenter is tasked with observing a vivid photograph of a celestial body by viewing it, reading the description by an expert, and then tasked with describing it …show more content…
I was easily able to follow the directions of the lab, but I believe to be able to handle this take-home lab and to use the application, it would best suit students in seventh and eighth grade if totally self-guided. I believe this lab helped me to better understand the intricacies of understanding the various kinds of constellations and how to classify them. I believe this would be a great way to have students work independently and also be able to grasp the concepts of constellations and the nighttime sky. I believe this lab is unique that it was done outside and with the use of technology by seamlessly marrying the natural work and technology. This would be a meaningful activity for students as it would allow them to embrace various mediums as well as learn how to work independently and