The worst part of this is that the stars hung earlier, which had originally been tight, became loose and flopped around. A better design is needed to prevent this problem. And yet plexiglas was an excellent material in another way. The plexiglas melted readily and hardened again quickly, leaving a little crater that could be broken off with fingernails or a spatula. We were disappointed to find the smallest beads couldn t be used after we had planned that stars with magnitude over a certain number would take that size.
Most stars are red.
Prepare for the project by getting permission to have students use the Hipparcos catalog. Instruct the students in enough observational astronomy for them to understand and do the project. Also, depending on how much you want to do for the students, you might want to find and acquire fluorescent paints in the colors needed and beads from an art-supply store. The rest of the materials needed will be standard hardware. The frame will need to have at least two and preferably three sides of some solid material, such as plywood.