TOS Crew Review: Classical Astronomy’s Celestial Almanack

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 

 Psalm 8:3-4, NIV

When DH and I were dating, one of our favorite things to do was visit planetariums.  We also watched meteor showers together and looked for falling stars in the night sky as our dates ended and DH took me home.  When we got married, we put a telescope at the top of our wedding gift registry and received one as a present.  We did a lot of camping in the early years of our marriage, away from light pollution so we could use our telescope.  Although it was basic, we were still able to see the rings of Saturn, Jupiter's red spot, bright Venus, and reddish Mars.  We used a star chart to find constellations and learned how to distinguish planets amongst the stars with the naked eye.  We watched each night as the Hale-Bopp comet crossed the sky.  We visited an observatory and saw the polar ice caps on Mars.  It was this wonder at the vastness of the universe and reading creationist astronomy books that eventually helped DH to become a Christian.  When we lost two babies to miscarriages, we named a star for them on the International Star Registry in remembrance.  We were able to see the Northern Lights as a family when Big Sis was three and it remains a great memory for us to this day.  All of this to say, our interest and enjoyment of all things astronomy runs deep in our history together.

Fast forward to today as we teach our daughters about God's incredible creation and encourage their own delightful night sky discoveries.  (Big Sis loves to point out the Milky Way and the Big Dipper to her younger sisters.)  I'm happy to say that there is an inexpensive resource available from Currclick to help us in our studies.  It's called Celestial Almanack, written by Jay Ryan, and available monthly via PDF download.  Through Classical Astronomy, Mr. Ryan shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for the awesome universe that God has displayed for us.  I definitely want my girls to develop an appreciation for the beauty around them!

One of the things I like best about the Celestial Almanack is that it changes every month, so the lessons are up-to-date and applicable for the night sky right now as you're looking at it.  We love hands-on learning in our homeschool.  What better way to learn about astronomy than to go out together as a family on a starry night and actually observe it?  The lessons are so much more memorable and meaningful that way!

You don't need a telescope to do the majority of the activities.  Mr. Ryan wants stargazing to be accessible to anyone who chooses to look up and enjoy God's celestial show.  Written in the style of Poor Richard's Almanack, I feel that this resource is every bit as thorough and high-quality as most textbooks.  It includes star charts for simple-to-follow visual aids, as well as text to explain what you're looking for.

What is included in the Celestial Almanack for February 2012?
Learn about:
* The Sun's position in the sky as the days grow longer
* The easily-visible constellation Orion and how to use it as as starting point to find 35 other constellations
* Jupiter and Venus are drawing closer this month, approaching conjunction in March
* Mars and Saturn are visible earlier in the night, and are well placed before midnight
* Discover these planets and also many bright stars on the evenings when they line up with the Moon

What is the price?  $3 for PDF download; there is a free preview here

Over the next six months there will be some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that Mr. Ryan wants everyone to know about:

• the Jupiter-Venus conjunction on March 15 (occurs once every 24 years)
• the annular solar eclipse on May 20 (occurs once every 18 years)
• the transit of Venus on June 5 (the last time until 2117)

Now would be a great time to start an astronomy study if you haven't already.  Mr. Ryan has also published a curriculum entitled Signs and Seasons for the Bible-based study of planets, constellations, sun, and the moon.  It's now on my wish list of homeschool resources to use in the future.  Although the Celestial Almanack is a stand-alone resource, it does dovetail nicely with the Signs and Seasons curriculum.

Not only are these great homeschool science lessons, they are also a chance for the whole family to enjoy something together and appreciate God's powerful creation.  I highly recommend the Celestial Almanack.  It's not too late to enjoy February's issue, so hurry to Currclick today and start stargazing tonight!



Don't forget to visit the Crew blog to read more reviews!

Disclaimer: I received a free issue of Celestial Almanack for the purpose of review.  No other compensation was given for my honest opinion.