Materials
Cardboard tube with one end cut like fringe as shown in pictures
Scissors
Glue Stick
Pencil
Crayons, markers, or paint to decorate cardboard tube Constellation Patterns (included below)
Flashlight or phone
Directions
1) Choose a constellation from here and draw on it on a circular piece of paper, cardstock, or poster board.
2) Carefully poke holes with adult supervision in each star with scissors or a pencil.
3) Glue constellation onto a cardboard tube.
4) Decorate your cardboard tube with crayons, markers, or paint and write the name of the constellation.
5) Use flashlight or phone to illuminate the constellation.
To Use Your Constellation Scope
Hold the constellation scope up to your eye and look at the light coming through the holes marking each star in the constellation. You will see the outline of each star pattern as it would appear in the real nighttime sky. After viewing the constellation right-side-up, rotate the constellation scope to learn how this pattern looks in the sky when in different orientations throughout the evening. You can use your constellation scope in a dark room, shining a flashlight through the tube to illuminate the constellation on the wall of a dark room.
Activity adapted from the Museum of Science Boston