Sky Quest
Division: A- Elementary
NC Essential Standards Alignment: ESS.3.1
SEP Standards: SEP 2
Event Rules: See 2025 Division A Manual
Description:
Teams will be tested on their knowledge of telescopes and Messier Objects. Participants will identify the stars/constellations included on a provided list.
Materials:
Must bring writing instruments. Each team may bring two 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper, which may be in sheet protectors sealed by tape or laminated, containing information on both sides in any form and from any source without any annotations or labels affixed.
Scoring:
Highest score wins. Points will be awarded for the accuracy of responses. The accuracy or quality will break ties of responses to pre-selected questions chosen by the event leader.
FAQs
- Do students need to learn the actual Messier objects (110 of them) or do they need to be able to identify a star cluster, nebula, etc?
- They don’t need to know all 110, but they should be able to visually distinguish between the different types of objects and be familiar with the most famous named objects (i.e., the Orion Nebula, the Ring Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, etc.).
- Here is a list of 15 Messier objects:
M1 Crab Nebula
M7 Ptolemy’s Cluster
M8 Lagoon Nebula
M13 Great Hercules Cluster
M15 Great Pegasus Cluster
M16 Eagle Nebula
M27 Dumbbell Nebula
M31 Andromeda Galaxy
M33 Triangulum Galaxy
M40 Winnecke-4
M42 Great Orion Nebula
M44 Beehive Cluster
M45 Pleiades
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
M57 Ring Nebula
Lesson Plans:
Event Resources:
Make a Phases of the Moon calendar for 2022
OpenStax – free downloadable text for intro Astro topics
OpenStax – Chapter on Telescopes
Hubble’s Messier Catalog
Messier Objects Wikipedia
How to Choose a Telescope from Sky & Telescope
Cassini – The Grand Finale of the Saturn mission
Great resource books and lessons from NASA
Skyquest: Hands-On Activities
DK Find Out!
Solar System Live
Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration – This book details all space missions and explains how we have progressed in space exploration throughout the years.
What’s Up in Space?
Atlas of the Universe
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
Raleigh Astronomy Club
NASA’s Picture of the Day
NASA’s PhotoJournal
Secret Worlds: The Universe Within
Astronomical Distances
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids: The Quest for the Hidden Planets
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids: The Mystery of the Exploding Star
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids: The Hunt for Black Holes
Raleigh Clear Sky Chart
Solar System Live
Heaven’s Above
Space Weather
Worldwide Telescope
Where is the Center of the Universe?