Activity Worksheet: Smartphone Astronomy

This worksheet will help you to reiterate the various features of the smartphone applications that can
help us to learn astronomy. Before attempting the worksheet, it is recommended that you explore all
the softwares and then attempt the worksheet. This worksheet consists of questions from the following
softwares.

1. Stellarium Mobile Sky Map

2. Star walk 2- Free sky map, stars and constellations
3. Heavens Above
4. Solar system scope
5. ISS Live Now
6. Space Launch Now
7. SPACECRAFTAR

Activity 1: Stellarium Mobile sky Map

Set the date to 26 June 2020, Set time to 11:00 PM, Set Location through GPS

1. Which constellation will be visible in the night sky to find pole star? ( Ursa Major / Cassiopeia )
2. What is the Altitude of the pole star?
3. Enable the GPS mode of the phone, point it to Zenith. Which constellation will be visible?
4. Draw the pattern of any 3 constellations setting in the west direction between 11:00 pm to
02:00am

Activity 2: Star Walk 2

1. Open the application, enable GPS, set time to 11:00 pm for 26 June 2020. Write the name of 5
constellations visible in the sky.
a. ______________________
b. ______________________
c. ______________________
d. ______________________
e. ______________________
2. Go to your window, Use the AR Camera option given in the app and click one image of the scene
in front of you along with constellations.
Activity 3: Heavens Above

1. Open the applications, Go to the option of Nightly events. Make a list of 5 satellites for 26 June
2020 that will be visible from 19:00 pm to 03:00 am in the night sky. Magnitude of the satellite
should be less than 3.
a. ________________________
b. ________________________
c. ________________________
d. ________________________
e. ________________________

2. Plan the observation of ISS for 2 dates after 25th June 2020. Fill in the following parameters using
the app.
Date of Plan Day 1 - Day 2-
Time of ISS pass
Magnitude of ISS
Rising direction
Azimuth at the time of rising
Setting direction
Azimuth at the time of setting

Activity 4: Solar system scope

Go to the solar system bodies given in the list one by one and find the following parameters
about it.
Diameter Solar orbit Number of
Parameters period Moons
Celestial objects
Mercury
Ceres
Uranus
Jupiter
Pluto

Activity 5: ISS Live Now

1. Open the application and Write down the following things

a. Latitude over which ISS is flying
b. Longitude over which ISS is flying
c. Altitude of ISS

2. Write down the names of the people who are currently on ISS.
a. ______________________________
b. ______________________________
 c. ______________________________

Activity 6: Space Launch NOW

1. Make a list of three launches to be done by ISRO in upcoming days.

2. Make a list of launches that will happen worldwide.
3. Write down the dates on which the following space stations started working upon and later on
were deorbited.

Space station Date Founded De orbited

ISS
Salyut 7
Tiangong 1
Mir
Skylab

Activity 7: SPACECRAFTAR

1. Open the application, click a photo of yourself with the In Sight Mission.