Astronomy

Note that Instructors don't teach the astronomy classes, but we usually have one or two that helps out. Guest astronomers or the director will teach astronomy to the half the groups while instructors are out on night hikes with their students, switching the second night. On the 5-day week, we teach moon phases to all the groups the first night, and do the Night Hike/Astronomy classes the next two nights.

For the past few years, our Astronomy lesson has been taught by guest speakers - Dave Hardin did a great program with all the students up until 2019, and Mark Hodges from CalTech brings telescopes and someone else takes the other half and we rotate. Maggie Riley has done the astronomy program since 2019 with a program that incorporates some of what Dave Hardin used to do - see a summary of the lesson below. It is very helpful to have at least one helper with each group for astronomy, to assist with "crowd control."

Note that Solar System Rescue  (laser disc game - player and TV in Sierra Classroom) has been used in the past for half the students and they switch to telescopes or stargazing for the other half, but I have kept it as a rainy night option only. I've heard kids enjoy it and get really engaged, but have not seen it taught. 

Notes/Caution on use of Laser Pointers:

Laser pointers can damage eyes - do NOT let anyone else use it. Be careful to always point toward the sky or high above where any people may be. Watch for planes - it is illegal to shine at a plane as if by chance you got it in the pilot's eyes, it could momentarily blind them.

Lesson Notes: Do the Intro with both groups (telescopes and astronomy lesson) before going out to the field - try to keep it no longer than 20 minutes - less would be better as you only have half the time left for each lesson (swap with telescopes half-way through). It REALLY helps if the instructors and counselors know where they are going and prep their kids, and kids are all sitting in their groups at campfire to make dismissal go more smoothly and quickly. Dismiss night hikers first, and they head to their respective trails for their hikes so you can jump right into the intro.

"All men have the stars," he answered, "but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, they are guides. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth... You - you alone - have the stars as no one else has them..."

"I wonder whether the star are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again..."

"...The stars, the desert - what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible."

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

― Antoine de Saint Exupery, in The Little Prince