Exploring the Winter Sky: Learning Through WSU’s Planetarium Resources

Students first learned about space, seasonal sky patterns, and how the sun, moon, and stars move in predictable ways. In class, they explored how day and night happen, how sunlight changes across the seasons, and how celestial objects appear to move across the sky. Through the Space Explorers unit and winter sky studies, students built an understanding of how Earth’s motion affects what is seen in the sky and how patterns repeat over time.

Students then applied this learning during a walking field experience to the Ott Planetarium on the Weber State University campus. By taking advantage of WSU’s educational resources, students participated in a guided space tour focused on winter sky patterns and watched a kindergarten-friendly planetarium show that reinforced concepts about day-night cycles, sunlight, and the movement of celestial objects. Students also completed a space-themed art activity that allowed them to represent what they observed and learned.

This experience connected classroom science learning to real-world observation, helping students see how the patterns they studied appear in the actual night sky.

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