Your Night Sky
What does the night sky look like from where you live?
What do you see when you look at the sky where you live? Do you have a view of the sky through buildings, over mountains, through a forest? Can you see a patch of sky through a window? In this week's activity, you will draw your view of the night sky. Begin by drawing your view of the horizon. The horizon is the place where the solid Earth meets the sky. In your view, the horizon may have buildings, trees, or land.
During the week, try to watch the sunset. The sunset may not be in your usual view of the sky. Do the best you can to mark the place on your drawing where the sun sinks below the horizon.
Ask your teacher to make some copies of your drawing. During the week, take out your drawing for a few minutes each night. Look at the part of the sky that you can see. Do you see any stars? What else do you see in the sky? Each night, mark the stars you can see on one of your drawings. Label the drawing with the time and date. At the end of the week, compare the drawings you did on different nights. What changed? If possible, make more copies of your blank night sky drawing, and do this activity once a week for a year. You will see different stars during each season.