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Sky Is the Limit

Cub Scouts · Adventure, Elective

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Sky Is the Limit takes you stargazing. You'll look at the night sky, use tools to see faraway things, find constellations, and build your own model. The sky is a giant picture book waiting to be read.

Why it's worth it

When you look up on a clear night, you're seeing light that left some stars long before you were born. In Sky Is the Limit you'll stargaze with your grown-up, use binoculars or a telescope to see faraway things, find constellations, and build your own. People have used the stars to tell stories and find their way for thousands of years, and now you can too.

Start this week

  1. Check the weather with your adult and pick a clear night to look at the sky.
  2. Find the darkest spot you can safely reach, like a backyard, a park, or a field away from streetlights.
  3. Borrow binoculars from a friend, family member, or library if you don't have any.

Stay safe

  • Never look at the sun, with or without binoculars or a telescope. Stargaze with your adult and bring a flashlight.

Requirements · 4

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

  1. Requirement 1

    With your den or adult partner, look at the night sky and talk about what you see or might see

    Tip: On a clear night, go outside with your adult and talk about what you see: the moon, stars, or planets.

    For example: Lie on a blanket with your adult and look up for ten minutes. Talk about what you see: the moon's shape, bright stars, maybe a planet that doesn't twinkle, or an airplane's blinking lights.

  2. Requirement 2

    Look at faraway things through a telescope, binoculars, or a camera, and show how to focus it

    Tip: Look through binoculars or a telescope and practice turning the focus knob until things look sharp.

    For example: Look at the moon with binoculars. Turn the focus wheel slowly until the edges look sharp and you can see dark spots and craters. Then try a faraway treetop in the daytime.

  3. Requirement 3

    Pick two easy-to-see constellations, in the sky or from a book, chart, or device; with your den or adult partner, learn their names and how to spot them; make a picture of one

    Tip: Find two easy constellations like the Big Dipper, learn a trick to spot them, then draw one.

    For example: Find the Big Dipper: look for seven bright stars shaped like a big spoon. Then find Orion in winter: look for three stars in a row for his belt. Draw the one you like best.

  4. Requirement 4

    Make a homemade model of a constellation

    Tip: Poke holes in a paper cup or cardboard in a constellation pattern and shine a flashlight through it.

    For example: Poke holes in the bottom of a paper cup in the shape of the Big Dipper. In a dark room, shine a flashlight inside the cup and point it at the ceiling to see your constellation.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A planetarium

    A planetarium shows you the whole night sky on a giant dome, even on cloudy nights or in a bright city.

    How: Have your adult check a nearby planetarium or science center for kids' shows, and go with your den or family.

  • A public star party

    Astronomy club members often set up telescopes and let families look at the moon, planets, and star clusters.

    How: Your adult can look for an astronomy club near you and check its events, or ask your den leader to invite the club to a den star night.

Talk about it together

  • What did you see in the night sky that you'd never noticed before?
  • How did the moon look different through binoculars?
  • If you could make up a constellation, what shape would it be and what's its story?
  • What questions do you have about space now?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Plan a den star night away from bright lights, and invite a local astronomy club.
  • Have a pretend night sky indoors with flashlight models if the weather is cloudy.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Counts toward

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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.