Keep a moon observation log

Make it: Sketch the Moon four evenings

Start here · 10 minutes per clear evening

Gather: Notebook, pencil, safe outdoor view, and a local sky calendar

Step by step

1. Check when the Moon is visible from your location. Choose a safe place and never look at the Sun through binoculars or a telescope.
2. At the same approximate time on a clear evening, draw a circle and shade the unlit portion as you see it.
3. Write date, time, direction, and weather beside the sketch. Leave cloudy nights as labelled gaps.
4. Repeat for four clear evenings over two weeks. Compare how the lit portion and Moon position change.
5. Use a reputable phase calendar to label your drawings, keeping your observations separate from predictions.

You're done when: Four dated sketches show a visible change in the lit shape or position.

Next project: Map one constellation

Four clear evenings

1. Use a reputable local sky map to choose one visible constellation and a safe, permitted observation spot.
2. At the same approximate time on two clear nights, sketch the brightest stars and write the date and direction you faced.
3. Check your drawing against the map, but keep observed stars distinct from labels you added later.
4. Repeat on two later nights and note how the position shifts; never aim binoculars or a telescope near the Sun.

You're done when: Four dated sketches and direction notes show the constellation in your own observations.

Course plan

1. Plan safe observations
2. Sketch what you see
3. Explain the phase
4. Build the log