Spot a constellation and make your own!
Appreciate the wonders of the night sky this Christmas. We have two activities planned for you today. One of which is a short guide to go on a stargazing experience, and the second is a guide to making Christmas tree ornaments inspired by the night sky.
Activity 1: Stargazing
Even though it’s raining a bit more often lately, the weather is still amazing. Just perfect to go for a stargazing activity this weekend! What’s even better is that since there’s going to be a new moon on Monday, it’s going to be pretty dark! The only thing we recommend you check is cloud coverage. You can use a website such as https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/luqa to check the amount of cloud coverage.
Get your materials ready!
Try it out!
Step 1
Download a smartphone app or print a star chart of the northern hemisphere. We usually use star charts which are freely available on skymaps: http://skymaps.com/skymaps/tesmn2012.pdf
I personally find it’s usually nicer to use a physical chart as it gives me the opportunity to be away from my phone for a few hours.
Step 2
Choose a dark location. There are a few places which do not have as much light pollution as the rest of Malta & Gozo. These are a few of those places:
Step 3:
Download Esplora’s Activity Sheet from here: Spot a Constellation Activity Sheet
You won’t be able to see all the constellations we’ve included in the activity sheet, even though they’re all visible in December. This is because different constellations will be visible from different locations. For example, if you go to Wied iż- Żurrieq and look out at the sea, you won’t be able to see the Big Dipper since you need to be in a north facing location to spot it right at the horizon.
If you take a star chart with you as well, you’ll be able to identify a lot more constellations since it will include all the constellations which are visible in December in the northern hemisphere.
Step 4:
Our eyes take around 5 minutes to adjust to the darkness and any white light source, including that of our phones, interferes with our eyes’ ability to adjust.
To avoid this, it’s best to use red light when you’re stargazing. But you don’t need to buy a red-light torch since you can make a DIY version.
All you need to do is to cover a torch with a piece of red plastic sheet (the same ones which are used to cover copybooks) to help you look at your star chart. You’ll need more than one layer of red sheet. Keep adding layers until the light from the torch shines deep red. Secure them in place with tape or rubber bands.
Step 5:
When stargazing, please be considerate of both the local wildlife as well as others who might be observing the night sky. Always dim your car lights when approaching observation sites.
Don’t forget to take a comfortable chair, insect repellent, something to keep you warm and lots of snacks. Don’t forget to leave the area clean before you leave.
Activity 2: Make your own Christmas tree decorations!
Are you ready to create constellations-inspired Christmas tree ornaments to go with your galactic art decorations?
Get your materials ready!
We had some wooden star beads which we used for this activity, but anything will work for this activity. You can use pompoms, DIY stars cut from paper or cardboard, painted pasta pieces, playdough, etc…
If you’re making the stars yourself, or if you’re using objects which do not have a hole in them like beads do, you’ll also need to attach the stars directly onto the pipe cleaner. You can use glue or blue tack for this. A hot glue gun will work best, but kids need to be supervised when using the glue gun since the glue can get very hot.
Try it out!
Step 1:
Choose your favourite constellation. Count how many stars it has since you’ll need to use that number of beads.
Step 2:
Take your pipe cleaner and pass the beads through the pipe cleaner and place them in the location where they can be found on the constellation.
Step 3:
Twist the pipe cleaner or wire into the constellation shape that you chose. You might need to move the beads to match the location of stars in the actual constellation.
Take note:
If you don’t have beads and will be using other craft materials for the stars, or if you’re making your own stars using paper, we suggest you first form the pipe cleaner into the shape of the constellation, and then attach the stars using blue tack or glue AFTERWARDS. That way you’ll be able to attach the stars to the exact position that you want.
Share your star decorations with us on social media
by tagging us on social media @esploramalta #esploramalta #getcuriousgetinspired
Take it further and help us protect the night sky!
Every little helps! Small changes can have a big impact. Here are a few things which we can do to help reduce the negative impacts of light pollution:
Show us what you’ve made! Take a photo of at least 4 of your favourite activities from Esplora’s Science Advent Calendar. Trust us, you’ll need them later!
