Badge
Night Sky Leader
The holder of this badge has been approved by the leaders of their branch's Night Sky Committee to lead night sky trips for The Mountaineers. Night sky trips are an outdoor exercise for teaching and demonstration of acquired skills in astronomy, which includes travelling to a dark sky location for an evening of observing.
Description of Skills
The holder of this badge has demonstrated sound judgment, strong leadership skills, and proficiency and knowledge in:
- Names and identification of the constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere
- The two different types of coordinate systems in astronomy
- Use of a Planisphere
- Methods and reasons for Dark Sky Etiquette
- Star identification and Star Hopping techniques
- Binocular use
- Manual visual telescope use, including different mount types, OTA types, specifications and interactions with eyepieces and filters
- Setup and use of the telescopes, use of a finder scope or Telrad
- Interpreting finder and star charts
- Types of astronomical objects
- A general knowledge of Astronomy to be determined by the Night Sky and Astronomy Committee
- Dark sky location safety
- Collimation and troubleshooting of astronomical gear
What does this badge allow me to do?
- Lead Night Sky activities and field trips
- Instruct at the Instroduction to The Night Sky and Astronomy course
How do I get this badge?
Leaders must be approved to lead trips or teach workshops clinics by a Night Sky Committee. They may be separately approved for workshops clinics on visual observing, astrophotography, image processing, astronomy theory, and/or trips.