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Table
of Contents

Lesson 1
Introduction
Lesson 2
What is astronomy?
Lesson 3
How big is the universe?
Lesson 4
The origin of the universe
Lesson 5
Watching the sky
Lesson 6
Why did God created the heavenly bodies?
Lesson 7
Space exploration
Lesson 8
A Tour of the Solar System
Lesson 9
A Tour of the Solar System—The Sun and the Moon
Lesson 10
Stars and galaxies
Lesson 11
Cosmic Catastrophes
Lesson 12
Catastrophes in the Solar System
Lesson 13
Are there other planets in the Solar System?
Author: Dr. Jonathan Henry

For thousands of years, people have gazed at the night sky and the bright

morning and wondered, ‘What’s out there?’. Our universe is so vast and

awe-inspiring that to learn about it is to learn about ourselves. The

Astronomy Book will show you: 



What long-ago astronomers thought about other worlds

Solar system facts

How constellations relate to astrology

The history of space exploration

Whether black holes exist

The origin and age of the moon

Why Mars doesn’t support life

The composition of stars

Supernova remnants

The myth of star birth

Asteroid legends and the extinction of the dinosaurs

Whether planets outside our solar system could be home to intelligent life

What UFOs are

The age of comets and meteor showers



Hardcover. (Junior High–Adult) 80 pages.

The Astronomy Book
by Dr Jonathan Henry

Lesson 5

Watching the sky

Textbook:

The Astronomy Book

Text:

pp. 8-21

Scripture:

Psalm 89:37
Psalm 104:19, 20
Psalm 136:8

Vocabulary Words

  • Lunar eclipse
  • Solar eclipse

Questions:

  1. Use the glossary (pp. 77-78) to define the vocabulary words.
  2. What do you need to be a ‘sky watcher’?
  3. Over the next few months, observe and record the moon going through its various phases. What is the current phase of the moon? (Check your local newspaper for the answer.)
  4. How long does it take for the moon to orbit the Earth?
  5. Describe the phases of the moon. Students should write a short paragraph describing how the moon looks in each phase. Younger students can draw the phases instead.
  6. What happens during a solar eclipse? Have students draw this event.
  7. What happens during a lunar eclipse? Have students draw this event.
  8. What are the two types of telescopes? How do they differ? How are they the same?

Activity:

NOTE: For this activity, a night-time class would be helpful to observe the sky. If you live in a well-lighted area, you may want to drive to a nearby park so you can see more.

On a clear night, go outside and look at the sky. How many constellations you can find? Your local newspaper should list moon-rise times, as well as which planets are visible and in which part of the sky they can be seen.

Additional information:

The Astronomy Book suggests the magazine Sky and Telescope. A word of caution, this magazine contains articles which talk about long ages (millions and billions of years), the ‘big bang’, the evolution of stars, etc. as if they are fact. The Sky and Telescope web site has an interactive sky chart and other useful information.