How do I remember the order of the planets?

Make one card per position, then ask them backwards too. Lumi asks them back until the order comes on its own (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006).

What is the difference between a star and a planet?

A star produces its own light, while a planet orbits a star and shines by reflecting it. Put that pair on a card.

How do I remember constellations?

One card per constellation with its shape and a landmark to find it in the sky. Revise a little each day, because spacing makes you remember longer (Cepeda et al., 2006).

Study by subject

Astronomy

In astronomy you learn planets, their moons, constellations, types of stars and vocabulary such as the light-year by heart. Lumi asks them back until the order and the names come on their own.

How to turn this subject into cards

Make one card per planet with its position, its size and a distinctive trait, one per famous moon, one per constellation and one per vocabulary term. For the phases of the Moon, make one card per phase, in the order of the cycle. The trap is learning a loose list, when the order of the planets from the Sun is a sequence you should be able to recite in both directions. Ask the question before showing the answer, which is what makes it stick (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006). Come back at spaced intervals and you will keep the order and the vocabulary longer (Cepeda et al., 2006).

What you need to know by heart

The eight planets in order from the Sun.
Well-known moons, the Moon, Io, Europa, Titan.
The best-known constellations, Orion, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia.
Vocabulary, light-year, galaxy, supernova, white dwarf.
The phases of the Moon in the order of the cycle.

How Lumi helps you remember it

You teach your cards to Lumi, planets, moons, constellations, vocabulary. It forgets over time, like you do, then quizzes you right before you would forget. As the deadline approaches, the Mist settles over what you know less well and Lumi asks that first. You arrive able to produce the order and the names, not only to recognise them.

Example cards

Three cards the way you would write them, with the answer Lumi expects.

Which planet is called the red planet?
Mars.
What is Saturn’s largest moon?
Titan.
How many planets does the solar system have?
Eight, from Mercury to Neptune.

Example card

Try it, Lumi turns it into fill in the blank questions in your browser.

study-card.txt

Astronomy · teach this card to Lumi

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. The Moon is full when its visible face is entirely lit.

Lumi’s question

_____ is the planet closest to the Sun.

Pick the missing word

1 / 4

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Preview

Answer right to light Lumi up

Its lamp fades when a fact slips away.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remember the order of the planets?: Make one card per position, then ask them backwards too. Lumi asks them back until the order comes on its own (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006).
What is the difference between a star and a planet?: A star produces its own light, while a planet orbits a star and shines by reflecting it. Put that pair on a card.
How do I remember constellations?: One card per constellation with its shape and a landmark to find it in the sky. Revise a little each day, because spacing makes you remember longer (Cepeda et al., 2006).

Sources

Roediger, Karpicke (2006). Test-enhanced learning. Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3). doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, Rohrer (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3). doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354

Teach this to Lumi

Give Lumi your astronomy notes, it gives them back as questions at the right moment.

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