Astronomy ›  Unit 1

Unit 1 Observing the Sky

Constellations, coordinates, seasons, moon phases, and eclipses — the vocabulary for reading what's overhead. Ends with a real Sky Report, for a date and place you don't get to pick.

🕐 ~2 weeks🅰️ 4 Activities🅿️ 2 Projects🅱️ 1 Problem
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The Path Through Unit 1

Your cousin's family is driving up to the lake this weekend for the meteor shower everyone's posting about. She just texted you: "will we actually see anything?" Read the full case →
AActivity3 days total
1-1-1Reading the Sky — Constellations & Celestial Motion
2 days→
1-1-2Celestial Coordinates — Alt-Az and RA/Dec
1 day→
PProject🕐 3 class days

1-1-3  Star Chart & Sky Journal

Pick a constellation family and track it for a week — plotting where it sits at the same time each night. The chart is simple to start; explaining why it moves the way it does is the real task.

Turn in: Completed star chart + observation log entriesOpen →
AActivity3 days total
1-2-1Why We Have Seasons — Earth's Axial Tilt
1 day→
1-2-2Predicting Moon Phases
2 days→
PProject🕐 3 class days

1-2-3  Eclipse Explainer

Build a short infographic or video walking through the Sun-Earth-Moon geometry behind solar and lunar eclipses — and why we don't get one every single month.

Turn in: Infographic or 60–90 second video + geometry diagramOpen →
BProblem🕐 3 class days

1-3-1  Sky Report

You're handed a date, a location, and a time — nothing else. Determine the Moon phase, what's actually visible overhead, and whether anything (eclipse, glare, weather-adjacent factors) will get in the way. Defend your report.

Turn in: One-page sky report with supporting sketches/calculationsOpen →