Adventist Adventurer Awards/Astronomer

Astronomer
Builder

Name several stargazers of the Bible.

• Adam and Eve (Education, page 21)
• Abraham (Genesis 15:5)
• Joseph (Education, page 52)
• Jesus (SDA Commentary, Volume 5, page 1117)
• Moses (Patriarchs & Prophets, page 475)
• Wise Men (Matthew 2:2)

Identify one planet, two stars, and three constellations in the sky at night and give their correct names.

Go out at night to observe the sky and draw a picture of the planet, stars and the constellations you saw. When possible visit a planetarium.

Make a constellation peep box.

Find the complete instructions at Shoe Box Planetarium Project

Materials:

• shoe box
• black construction paper
• compass or sharp point
• scissors
• penny
• ruler
• star maps, books, or research links
• permanent marker
• tracing paper (optional)
• white crayon, whiteout, or gel pen
• index cards
• tape

Procedure:

Research your constellation and write the following information neatly on a 3 x 5 index card in black ink (you may type the info if you choose).

• Name of Constellation
• # of stars
• Season best viewed
• Name 3-4 constellations that border yours
• Coordinates in degrees and hours
• Brightest star(s) Name and Magnitude
• Special features found in your constellations (ex. galaxies, nebulae, meteor showers, etc...)
• Inside of shoebox lid:
• Write your name at the top of one end in permanent marker.
• Underneath your name, place a picture of your constellation that shows the stars connected.
• Place a picture of the mythological figure for your constellation.
• Glue the index card with your information underneath those 2 pictures.
• Place lid on box.

Shoe box bottom instructions:

• Place your name on the outside bottom of the shoebox using a permanent marker.
• Using your ruler, find the center of one end of a shoebox.
• Place a penny in the center and trace it. This will be your viewer.
• Using a scissor, carefully bore out the cardboard so that the view hole is the size of the traced penny.
• Place the lid on the shoebox.
• On the opposite end, draw a line where the lid meets the side. Take lid off.
• Using your ruler, mark 2 cm from the bottom, and 2 cm from each side.
• Cut out the rectangle
• Cut your black construction paper so that it will cover the rectangular opening.
• Use tracing paper to copy your constellation and then place it on top of the black paper. Poke holes through the tracing paper and black paper.
• Make larger holes for brighter stars and smaller holes for dimmer stars.
• Place the black paper inside the box to cover the rectangular opening. Be sure that the constellation is facing you, not the outside of the box.
• Tape paper to box.

Outside of Shoe Box

Have students bring in shoeboxes and let them spend a few minutes each day viewing the different boxes and guessing what constellation it is. To check, they can open the box and look inside the lid to see if they were right as well as check facts about their constellation.

Explain the difference between a planet and a star.

A star is a single body, such as the North Star. A constellation is a group of stars, such as the Big Dipper. Some of the brightest stars are Polaris, Castor, Regulus, Deneb, Altair, Rigel, Capella, and Vega. Orion, Leo, Libra, Lyra, Virgo, Taurus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Canis Major and Minor are a few of the constellations. Choose several of each, locating ones that are easiest to find and identify in your area during the time of year you are taking the class.

Observe two of the following and make a crayon resist

• moon rise
• sunrise
• sunset

Crayon Resist

Make a picture with wax crayons on a sturdy piece of paper. Leave some parts of the picture uncolored. Paint over the picture with tempera paints or water color. (Use black or dark blue for the night sky.) The paint will not stick to the crayoned part of the picture only to the blank paper, so the picture will stand out clearly against the painted background.

Find three texts in the Bible that refer to the heavens.

Genesis 1:16 (NIV)
God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars..

Deuteronomy 10:22 (NIV)
Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Isaiah 13:10 (NIV)
The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light..

Internal Resources

Solar System = Wikibook

External Resources

Adventurer Manual - KFW Adventurers