How To Use A Star Wheel

Key Summit Watch Trail, Fiordland National Park

A star wheel is a unproblematic tool you lot can use to see and identify the stars and constellations yous encounter in the dark sky.

As the Earth rotates on its axis, and moves around the sun throughout the year, the stars and constellations in a higher place you change position. Using our star wheel, you tin popular in the appointment and fourth dimension and observe out where they are above yous.

Star wheels need to exist calibrated to the right latitude. If you're in New Zealand, y'all can download and print our star bike beneath and come across the dark sky above y'all through fresh eyes:

Stride ane: Download a star cycle

First, print and cut out a star wheel. You lot'll need to print two items the star wheel holder and then the wheel itself.

We recommend you lot print the holder at A3 size, and the wheel as A4 for best results:

Star wheel holder (PDF, 753K) – best at A3 size
Star wheel (PDF, 1,076K) – best at A4 size

Stride ii: Make your star wheel

Cutting effectually both the holder and the wheel. You demand to cut a window in the holder which you tin can exercise either by using an fine art knife or past bending the holder and making a slight cut to starting time from.

Fold the holder and use the flap at the bottom to residuum the bicycle inside.

Optional: Glue information technology together

If you have glue handy, put glue forth the bottom flap on the front correct of the holder. Fold this flap in and stick information technology to the dorsum console of the holder when folding to close.

If you have an erstwhile cereal box or like paper-thin handy, you tin can also requite your star wheel a lot more stability if you attach the print outs onto the paper-thin.

In one case dry, place the wheel inside the holder.

How to use the finished star wheel | See larger (JPG, 70K)

Footstep three: Explore the heaven after dark

Subsequently nightfall, take your star bike and turn the punch to the current fourth dimension you're looking at the sky on the within.

Then lucifer it to the appointment on the exterior of the bike. Check whether you are using standard time or daylight-saving time. Meet the photo example for help:

One time you've set these, orient your wheel north to south. Now you tin can wait up and compare what's shown on your star wheel to what you can see in the sky lucifer up.

You'll exist able to friction match up what you encounter on the wheel with the constellations and stars. You might fifty-fifty find the constellation for your star sign.

Other means to explore the dark sky

Use an online night sky map

Explore the night sky higher up your domicile using the Night Sky Map.
Enter the suburb in the 'City name' search bar and start exploring.

Learn the phases of the moon

Impress the Phases of the moon worksheet (PDF, 465K).
Look at the moon each night and record its phases on the worksheet.