Step 1: Observe the sky for a few nights. Things that are visible in the sky will change from night to night based on weather conditions, so be sure to glance up at the sky for several nights in a row. When you look at the sky, keep your eyes on the lookout for any object that stands out to you. This could be an especially bright star or even a planet. (You can distinguish a planet from a star because stars typically twinkle while planets do not.) The only requirement is that you choose an object other than the sun or moon. Make sure you are able to view the object for several nights, as you will be asked to monitor its movement for this activity, so you need to be sure the object will remain visible for several days.

After a few nights of observation, select the object you’d like to track.

Step 2: Choose a tool to measure the movement of this object in space.
The goal of this activity is to use a tool to measure the way your chosen object moves across space. There are several ways to do this:

Use a finger on your hand as a measuring device (For guidance, see A Handy Guide to Measuring the Sky or Measure the sky with your hands)
Build something out of wood or another material. Feel free to reference books, websites, or articles to gather some ideas as well. (For an example, see How to make a sky ruler for stargazing)
Use a free application on a smartphone to track objects in the night sky. There are many apps available that offer this service including SkyView and Night Sky.
Step 3: Use your tool to measure the movement of your object.
Once you have chosen your tool, use it for three consecutive nights in order to track the movement of the celestial object you chose. Note that we are not concerned with how much actual distance your object traveled, as it is likely impossible to know that if we don’t know how far away it is. Instead, we just want to keep track of how your object moved within the canvas of space that is visible to you.

Choose the tracking method that works best for you, but do employ the same method each night you observe. Here are two options:

Draw a picture of the visible sky and surrounding landscape and mark the object’s location in different colors each night.
Measure based on a certain unit (say, a centimeter) and create a chart that graphs your numerical results (for example—night 1 the object had moved .5 cm, by night 2 it had moved 1.3 cm, etc.).
If there is a night when your object is obscured due to clouds, weather, or light pollution, simply skip that night and find your object the next night. Your three days of observation do not have to be consecutive, but try to complete your tracking within a week’s time. Also, no matter which measurement tool you are using, be sure to use it in the same way each time. For example, if you choose to use your hand to measure, hold it the same distance from your face each time you measure.

Step 4: Write a short paragraph reflecting on your experience.
Your paragraph should answer the following questions:

What tool did you choose to track your object? Why?
In general, how did your object move across the sky? Describe its pattern.
Do you have an idea about what your object is? How do you know?
To complete this activity, submit:
Your tracking drawing and/or measurements (if you need to submit a photo of this, that is fine)
Your reflection paragraph