S.T.E.A.M. | Constellation Spy Tubes

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Have you ever gazed up at the night sky and counted the stars? People have been looking to the stars since ancient times. The positions of the stars guided people to create calendars, told them when seasons were changing and when to plant crops, and also guided ships traveling across oceans.

A constellation is a group of visible stars that form a pattern when viewed from Earth. The pattern they form may take the shape of an animal, a mythological creature, or an inanimate object such as a compass. The sky was divided up into 88 different constellations in 1922.

A few of the most popular constellations include: Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco and Pegasus. Small patterns of stars within a constellation are called asterisms. These include the Big Dipper and Little Dipper.


You can learn more about what each constellation looks like by creating these constellation spy tubes. Once you are familiar with their patterns, go stargazing! Pick a clear night away from artificial light, like street lights. Lay down on a blanket and stare up at the sky. It’ll take a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they do, the stars will seem to suddenly appear in the sky. In the summer sky in the Northern Hemisphere, you should be able to easily find Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cygnus, Hercules, Lyra and the Northern Cross.

 

What To Do:

STEP 1

Cut aluminum foil into squares that are slightly bigger than the opening of the paper tube.


STEP 2
Take your constellation print out and select the ones you wish to create. Using a sharp “pokey” object, poke holes in the stars on the sheet.

STEP 3
Place the sheet of paper on top of your foil square. Using a marker, press hard on each star to make a mark through the paper, onto the foil. (Tip: draw a small arrow or other mark to indicate which way is “up” on your star pattern.)

STEP 4


Take each square and cover one open end of the paper roll. (We made marks on the rolls to match up to the mark on the “up” of the constellations so we would know which way to gaze.)

STEP 5
Wrap a bit of tape around the foil to secure it to your tube.

STEP 6
Using a “pokey” object, poke holes in the marker dots on the foil.


STEP 7

Hold the foil end to the light and gaze into the open end to see the stars shine bright!

 

What You’ll Need:

  • Toilet paper tubes
  • Aluminum foil
  • Sharp “poking” object, such as a toothpick, pin, or paper clip
  • Marker
  • Tape
  • Print-out of constellations, found at familyfirsthouma.com

 

Tips:

  • We found a toothpick worked best to poke holes in the foil and a paper clip worked best to poke holes in the paper.
  • An adult may need to assist with poking holes.Aluminum foil tears very easily!
  • If you can’t print out the constellation sheet, feel free to use your imagination to create star formations of your own! Don’t forget to name them!