Astronomy Requirements 5B & 6. Yes very confusing.

[garyg]

Two items: Resources and time to complete the reqs.

1) In req. 5B, the req. says "Find out when each of the five........" Anybody have a good web site that will allow one to put in future dates, i.e. a date in each of the next 12 months?
This will give a picture of a planet position against the stars.

2) As to the time to complete, I would "assume" that if one followed the exact reqs. it would take a minimum of four weeks, as per req. 6.

However, in 5B, even if the scout were to find a planet position planner and drew out the next 12 months' positions, then the requirement says "Update you chart monthly......". So it would be a 12 month project. The attention span of 12 year old won't last 15 minutes, let alone 12 months.

I am going to copy this to National in Irving and see if I can get a reply from them. In the meantime any web sites that will give a future date option would be great.

Thanks you
Gary

[ThunderingWind]

Try heavens-above.com I like it. It even gives viewable satellite info. I never go tot he woods without makeing a bunch of notes. It freaks people out when I can get pretty close to the correct time without a watch on a clear night. I like surprising them with satallites. I usually tell them to wave and smile as it is the Russians still spying on us.

http://www.heavens-above.com

[garyg]

Thank you.

I have sent an email to National on their "Feedback". If and when I get a reply I'll post it here.

[scoutaholic]

The easiest and fastest way to do these requirements is at your local planetarium. They can set the clock on the star projector to any date/time you want. You can make your sketch, reset the clock and sketch again, and be done with the whole year in about 20 minutes.

[AquilaNegra2]

If #5 can be done at an aquarium, could #6 be done the same way?

I'm asking because getting 4 weeks in a row with the same night not raining only happens here in July and August. To be able to see Venus, Mars, or Jupiter (OR, not AND) consistently is unlikely at best.

[FrankJ]

If #5 can be done at an aquarium, could #6 be done the same way

I think you meant planetarium? At an aquarium you see mostly fish.

I do not see a problem with using a planetarium. I do know a lot of MBCs do it that way.

[scoutaholic]

If #5 can be done at an aquarium, could #6 be done the same way?

I'm asking because getting 4 weeks in a row with the same night not raining only happens here in July and August. To be able to see Venus, Mars, or Jupiter (OR, not AND) consistently is unlikely at best.

Our local planetarium offers the MB class about 8 times each year. Signup early, because the waiting list gets long. Boys arrive Saturday morning, and are given a paper on which they need to find the answers in the lobby displays. Then everybody gets together in the star theater and they discusss all the other requirements. (I was impressed that they were careful to cover everything, not just skip or gloss over the things they didn't want to cover. They even had a real discussion about the 1st Aid stuff.) During these discussions, the boys are putting info on their worksheets. At a few points, they have the boys point out constellations/stars/planets/etc. to adult leaders sitting with them, and the adult intials the paper. This way every boy has to identify them as required. After they have shown and discussed everything needed, the boys line up and show their papers to the planetarium staff who makes sure they are filled in and answered correctly. Then a registered MBC on staff signs the cards.

All in all, the whole MB is done in about 3 hours (even the parts that would take weeks or months if you wait to see the events naturally).

[AquilaNegra2]

LOL. Yes, I was looking at an aquarium website, and it must have been on my mind .

My boys have finished all but 5b & 6, and their MBC is out of the country. A planetarium seems the way to go!