Farrar Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Mushroom would like to do some astronomy next year. I've got a hodgepodge of things in mind, including The Great Courses: The Night Sky, Crash Course Astronomy, TOPS's Scale the Universe, and some other stuff. I'm trying to decide what I want him to read. He's not a fast reader. I was thinking of having him read Dava Sobel's The Planets, which is such a lovely little book. Any other suggestions? I'd also love to find some fiction or biographies. Like, anyone have a great graphic novel for astronomy? A really good biography? A novel? I might have him read the one George's Secret Key book we haven't done yet, though I'm not sure if it's right for this or not. Also, any good hands on books? Obviously we're just going to go look at the sky (though in the city that's almost laughable, but I guess we can hit the country some evening). We have good binoculars. I don't want to invest in a telescope. Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensonduck Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 How about the local astronomy clubs? Volunteering at the planetarium? Some of the Smithsonian Transcription Center or Zooniverse astronomy related projects? Zooniverse has some very cool galaxy and supernova identification projects going on right now. We did TOPS Pi in the Sky and it was challenging and interesting. I didn't know I had forgotten so much about radians. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 We'll definitely hit up the planetarium show. I can't even remember the last time we went - we used to go every few weeks because it's free. And a local university does an astronomy talk followed by some telescope gazing once a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 We're doing astronomy for 8th too, using Blair Lee's new Astronomy2 from Pandia Press; don't have my mitts on it to see what she recommends for extras tho (it comes out 8/21 Eclipse Day). We'd be using similar resources that you mentioned, Farrar; I admit having a nerdgirl crush on The Bad Astronomer (Crash Course astronomy guy). Besides The Planets, which I agree is great, I have sections of the following sticky-noted for study: Carlo Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (very short book and I think understandable for 8th graders) Michio Kaku's Einstein's Cosmos Carl Sagan's Cosmos and Contact Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time (tho she's read parts of this before) and Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. But...I might have her focus on one or another thing, novel-wise; perhaps a re-read of The Martian, or maybe A Wrinkle in Time? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 What about something like the Martian Chronicles from Bradbury? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 Younger daughter loves astronomy and physics, so this year we'll be starting this book: Exploring the Sky: Projects for Beginning Astronomers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 27, 2017 Author Share Posted July 27, 2017 A few sections from A Brief History of Time might be good. The Martian Chronicles is a good thought. We read The Martian aloud and he loved it, but I doubt he'll want to reread and it's longish. He hated A Wrinkle in Time (sniffle, sniffle). He's already seen Contact, but I might read it aloud. Any reading has to be either on the easy end like a YA book or kind of short. He can tackle a harder text, but he has so little reading stamina. I feel like it's actually gotten worse in the last year. We're working on it. Sigh. Kfamily, that book looks perfect. Putting it in my Amazon cart. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 27, 2017 Share Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) Videos on astronomy and space exploration. Drawing the moon every night for a cycle. Boy Scout merit badge handbooks on Astronomy and Space Exploration (many MBA handbooks are online) Model rocketry at into level, maybe hobby rocketry is a better term Biographies of astronauts, scientists Build a Galileoscope. It teaches you about what Galileo would have seen, so not powerful at all, but it underlines how important optics and technology are for astronomy. Btw, If you really use the Galileoscope a tripod is useful. https://www.amazon.com/Galileoscope-LLC-299-Kit/dp/B002J9KGHC BSA Astronomy https://www.elsinga.net/downloads/merit/Astronomy%20Merit%20Badge%20Pamphlet%2035859.pdf BSA Space Exploration http://be4real.com/ScoutingStuff/MeritBadgeBooks/Space%20Exploration%20Merit%20Badge%20Pamphlet.pdf Edited July 27, 2017 by Alessandra 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 We are doing BYL grade 8 this year and just got Astronomy for all ages, DS is excited to read it. https://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-All-Ages-Discovering-Activities/dp/0762708093 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 This might be too much, but my husband really likes Blind Watchers of the Sky by Rocky Kolb. (We're going to have our slow middle school reader read it.) Emily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 A Brief History of Time is such a crummy book. It isn't accurate enough for a serious student, but too confused and obscure for an overview. There has to be something better if you want to cover cosmology. Steven Weinberg's The First Three Minutes comes to mind. Anthony Zee's An Old Man's Toy covers cosmology, largely in relation to gravity and he is an amazing explainer. That book would be far more worthwhile and enjoyable than Hawking. I'm reading The Stargazer's guide by Emily Winterburn right now to my kids along side The Planets and they are loving it. It is both practical and novel-ish at the same time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 RSO is coming out with Astronomy 2 on Aug. 21st. There isn't much info out yet, but I guess they are hoping to have a supply list available next week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 (edited) It's not for everyone, but we used Signs and Seasons text + field guide. The kids also really liked Smithsonian's The Planets: https://www.amazon.com/Planets-Robert-Dinwiddie/dp/1465424644 They also liked the Night Sky app. We would spend time out at night, using the app to find the different planets, stars, etc. We also bought Celestron astronomical binoculars and were able to ID different craters on the moon. They did not like the Great Courses at all. I returned them to the library (good thing I was able to get them from the library). They did like the Cosmos series, hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson (it was on Netflix - I think it still is, isn't it?). Edited August 5, 2017 by Evanthe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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