Sky Patterns Above the Neighborhood Bakery

A Sky Notebook Above a Busy Street

Delivery carts, shoppers, and buses pass a neighborhood bakery in a northern city. Above the street, the bakery has an enclosed terrace with an open view of the sky. A neighborhood astronomy club uses this quiet space to collect observations. The records on this sheet are made-up examples of measurements the club could collect at a city about 35 degrees north of the equator.

For a shadow investigation, an adult places a 100-centimeter wooden dowel upright on a level board. The board sits where buildings and railings do not block sunlight during the measurements. On one clear March day, observers measure from the dowel's base to its shadow tip at five times. They record direction with a compass. The dowel, board, and measuring method stay the same.

The shadow-study clock is adjusted so that noon marks the Sun's highest position that day. This lets observers compare times equally spaced before and after that moment. Their ordinary neighborhood clock may show a different time. Observers never look directly at the Sun. They study its light by measuring the shadow on the board instead.

The club also keeps sunrise and sunset records for two January dates and one July date. These use local standard time throughout the year, without a daylight-saving clock change. Times are rounded to the nearest hour; treat them as exact here. Daylight lasts from sunrise to sunset. Each full day contains 24 hours. Earth rotates, or turns, about once during that time.

For the star study, adult club members observe from the same marked terrace spot at 11:00 p.m. on five clear nights in each listed month. They check for Orion and Scorpius, two recognizable star groups. The nearby lights and viewing area stay unchanged. Each graph counts nights when a group is visible from that spot. A count alone cannot tell what happens at other viewing times or places.