The MoonshotMastery Academy
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SHELF I · NAKED EYE

“I look up, see hundreds of stars and cannot tell one pattern from another.”

Reading the Night Sky: Constellations by Season

Learn the sky the way it turns over a British year: a handful of signpost stars each season, the patterns that hang off them, and how to use a planisphere and a free app without staring at your phone all night.

A person sits on a hillside at dusk looking up at a sky full of stars

What you will be able to do

  1. Find north and the Pole Star from the Plough in any season
  2. Name the bright constellations of each season and the stars that lead to them
  3. Tell a planet from a star by eye and by its movement over weeks

Night log: the units

  1. UNIT 01 How the sky turns: rotation, seasons and latitude 6 lessons · 1 h 6 min
  2. UNIT 02 Signpost stars and the Plough 7 lessons · 1 h 17 min
  3. UNIT 03 Winter: Orion and his neighbours 7 lessons · 1 h 17 min
  4. UNIT 04 Spring and the galaxy-rich patch of sky 6 lessons · 1 h 6 min
  5. UNIT 05 Summer Triangle and the Milky Way 7 lessons · 1 h 17 min
  6. UNIT 06 Autumn: the Square of Pegasus and Andromeda 6 lessons · 1 h 6 min
  7. UNIT 07 Planisphere, apps and planning a night out 5 lessons · 55 min

What is included

  • A season-by-season tour of the sky as seen from Britain, filmed with the real sky and an overlay
  • Signpost-star routes you can repeat on your first clear night
  • How to read a planisphere and set it for any date and hour
  • Questions at the end of every unit, answered on screen
  • 18 months of streaming access

Who it suits

Complete beginners with no equipment at all, from a garden, a park or a holiday window.

Questions about this course

What do I need before I start?

Your eyes. Nothing has to be bought in advance: the course opens with what to choose and why.

How long will it take me?

There are 44 lessons, 8 h 4 min of video in all. At about 2 hours a week that is roughly 5 weeks, but the pace is yours: clear nights decide more than the calendar.

How long can I watch it, and is there a tutor?

You can stream every lesson for 18 months from when access starts. The lessons are recorded: there is no live tutor and no marking, and the videos cannot be downloaded.

Pairs well with