Stargazing

Fun roughing it at home from FamilyFun

Heavenly lights have guided voyagers, inspired philosophers and entranced children for centuries. With some orientation, the mysterious pictures in the night canopy become easier to see. The best viewing conditions are on clear, moonless evenings. Pack a star chart (available at science stores), a flashlight (covering the lens with red cellophane will let you read the chart, yet keep your eyes adjusted to the dark) and a blanket.

For more detailed celestial information, another good star-tracking tool is a planisphere, a circular map of the night sky that rotates to show where the constellations are at a given day and time. (One source for these is The Nature Company, 800-607-7888.) Since star charts and planispheres are oriented to the north, lie on your back (head pointing north), give your eyes a few minutes to adjust, and let the wishing begin. The following are a few basic skylights even beginning stargazers can search out.

The Big Dipper is probably the best-recognized constellation. American children think of it as a ladle. (It's said that wishes made on it in summer won't fall out because the bowl is facing up.) Kids in other countries see different shapes: Polynesians call it the Rat; Poles call it the Wagon; English folks call it the Plow; and Hindus call it the Seven Wise Men. The Big Dipper is part of a larger constellation called the Great Bearits handle forms the bear's tail. The middle star on the handle has a tiny, faint companion star that was used by the ancient Arabs to test people's vision.

If you look at the bowl of the Big Dipper, you'll find two pointer stars that aim straight at Polaris, the North Star, which in turn forms the tip of the Little Dipper's handle. As any Girl Scout knows, if you can locate the North Star, you don't need a compass. In Pawnee creation myths, it's known as The Star That Does Not Move.

In addition to seeking out the 3,000 or so stars that are visible to the naked eye, stargazers can also search for planets by looking for starlike objects that do not twinkle. Satellites, too, are a rewarding quarry. They move steadily and slowly across the sky, which makes them easy to spot. If your group is lucky enough to spy shooting stars, you can explain that they are not actually stars but chunks of metal and stone called meteors.