Description
Background
An newbie to astronomy may usually begin his journey in astronomy through Night sky observation sessions and observing through a telescope. In this naked-eye sky observation, knowing the constellations and their shapes is important at the beginning of the journey. Later on, knowing important stars (bright stars in constellations) and observing deep sky (Messier objects) becomes an important task with the handling of the telescope.
To aid this learning process, I have designed a game of cards that will effectively help in learning and remembering the sky (shapes of constellations, names of bright stars related to constellations, and deep-sky objects).
Purpose
This game of cards helps in step-by-step learning of the night sky. This game is designed to aid learning and is not a substitute for teaching. The game has 5 main levels, and each level has sub-levels, which makes it a 23-level step-by-step learning aid.
Out of 5 levels, the first 4 levels have 5 sub-levels, and the 5th level has 3 sub-levels, including a grand finale. Sub-levels are divided into zodiacal & non-zodiacal constellations with one final mixed level before you move to the next main level.
This game was first designed in online mode to go for a testing phase, which is completed successfully, and now it's made as a physical card game, which makes it much more interesting, and as usual, it's competitive.
I will be demonstrating both online and offline mode play with the participants, and even participants can play among themselves just after the presentation.
I will provide an online link to everyone so they can play anytime. For offline physical cards, I will bring a limited number of sets to play with the participants.
This game has the potential to be included in astronomy curriculum, though it requires at least 3-4 months of proper sky observation practice to be an effective aid to strengthen the observations. This game has to be used during the training and practice period to be most effective.
