Observing Program Information

Satelloid - A small moonlet which orbits an asteroid or a young celestial explorer who belongs to and orbits with a much larger body of young explorers.
 

Satelloid Project's Notes
Rank A satelloid must complete all of the projects in a given rank to be eligible for promotion to the next rank.  
Submitted Projects All completed projects must be submitted to Satelloid Headquarters and be verified as correct and completed by the Chief Astronomer.  Once submitted, Satelloids will receive a certificate of completion for each project or a note detailing why the project was not accepted.  If a project is not accepted as complete, the Satelloid will receive tips for improvement and the necessary project forms to re-try the activity.
High Standard In order to give Satelloid members a sense of pride in their club and accomplishment in their work, to give the ranking (skill levels) meaning, and to encourage and develop habits that will be useful in the pursuit of a science and / or college career, submitted projects will be held to a high standard.  Observations must be neatly hand written (not typed) and sketches must be of sufficient detail to show strong effort was made.  Paper's must be clean and smudge free.  The use of color pencils in sketching is always a plus.
Requesting Projects Satelloids may request any project in their current rank level or in the next rank level up.  For example a Master Observer may request the Eclipse (Astronomer Level) project to take advantage of an upcoming eclipse.  However they must complete all of the Master Observer level projects before being advanced.  Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of project forms.
Time Dated Projects Many projects are time dated.  For example, the planet tracking I project will be sent out for a specific planet and contain the star field the planet will pass through in the upcoming month or two.  If it is held to long, the planet will leave that star field and a new form will need to be requested.
Completion Time The listed completion time is an average.  Some Satelloids will finish quicker while others will take longer and explore more in-depth.  Time and experience are the best teachers, thus while it is possible to go through the ranks quickly, the average Satelloid should advance 2 - 3 ranks per year.  The program is designed to take 3-5 years to complete.
Repeating Projects Can I repeat projects I've already completed?  Yes.  While you will only receive a certificate the first time you complete a project, we encourage you to repeat projects.  For example, while you are only required to track two planets for rank increases, the Chief Astronomer has tracked on paper most of the planets.
Trouble completing a Project. If you have questions or are having trouble completing a project, post a message on the Satelloid message board to see if you fellow club members can help.  If not contact the Chief Astronomer.
Real Science Satelloids will have gained the skills to participate in gathering real scientifically valuable data when they reach the level of Master Observer.  Lunar & Asteroid Occultations, Grazes, and Variable star work is the primary area where amateur astronomers make contribution to the science.  Once Satelloids reach this level the Chief Astronomer will work with members who are interested in participating in science expeditions.
General Observation Have you made a general observation that you want to share?  You are encourage to fill out an observation form and have your advisor send it into Satelloid Headquarters.  Your observation will be sent to other Satelloid clubs for them to enjoy.