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Astronomy Year / Week 11 / Tuesday
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Week 11 · Dark Skies

Tuesday

A band of starlight
// The Milky Way and light pollution
⏱ about 15 min

Tuesday: A band of starlight

Raven shows a photo from a very dark place. A soft, cloudy band crosses the sky.

"Is that a cloud?" Rocket asks.

Raven asks, "What do you notice inside it?"

Nova zooms in. "Hint: it is made of stars, very far away."

What the Milky Way looks like

Go to a really dark place.

There, the Milky Way looks like a soft band of light.

It is the light of billions of faraway stars.

Each one is too far and faint to see alone.

Their light blends into a glowing band.

On summer evenings, the band stretches overhead.

It passes through Cygnus, the Swan.

Milky Way factTrue or false?
The Milky Way looks like a soft band of light.?
The band is a cloud of rain.?
The band is made of very faraway stars.?
You need a dark place to see it.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEDistance makes billions of stars blend into one glow.
BAND CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Why can we not see each star in the band alone?
When does the Milky Way stretch overhead in the evening?

Find the band

You need a really dark place to see the band.

Pick a night with no bright moon.

Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust.

Use only a red light while you wait.

BAND HUNTER
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What kind of place do you need to see the Milky Way?
Does a bright moon help or hide the band?
How long do your eyes take to adjust to the dark?
The summer band passes through which star group?
GET READY TO SEE THE BAND
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
Try it
On dark paper, make lots of tiny chalk dots close together.
Look at them up close. You can see each dot.
Now step back across the room.
Do the dots blend into a soft band?
Draw a dark sky with a soft band of light across it.

You found out what the band is! Tomorrow we learn what hides it.

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