How to Make and Use a Planisphere

A "planisphere" is a flattened version of a celestial sphere, i.e. a globe of all of the constellations.  By adding a clock and a calendar in the right places, and rotating it to match the clock with the calendar, you can use it to show the appearance of the night sky at any date and time.  You can buy commercial planispheres online or in the gift shops of science museums, but it can be nice to have your own personal hand-made version.  That way, you can doodle on it and color in your own labels and constellation shapes, and if you mess it up, you can make another.  It is also nice to have one that comes apart, so you can remove the disk (the actual "plansiphere" part) from the cover and look at the entire "map of all outer space".

In this class, you'll learn how to make and use your own double-sided paper planisphere (using printed templates).  I'll provide templates and assembly instructions during class, and then you can make your own at home.  I'll identify a few of the major "landmarks" on the map, though of course we won't have time to cover all of the constellations.  Perhaps having your own guide to the night sky will inspire you to research the individual constellations and fill them all in!