Stargazing

There's stargazing that you do at an observatory with the aid of a multi-million dollar telescope, and there's stargazing you do in a quiet place with your naked eyes. Both can be great dates, but the latter is usually more intimate. Perhaps it's because it is just the two you gaping at the infinite cosmos above—the two of you trying to understand mysteries that are too great to be understood. Maybe you'll want to talk while you gaze or maybe not.

COST

This can be a very inexpensive date. What's mostly involved is the cost of getting there and getting back , which can be several miles if you live in a well-lighted city with lots of light pollution, or in your own backyard if you live out in the sticks. The other expense is the popcorn, apple juice, champagne, or...

HOW LONG?

The length of this date depends on whether you are just looking at the stars or if you end up in a Milky Way. Give it two hours at least, maybe you'll want to stop for coffee or desert on the way home.

PREPARATION

Find a location away from the city lights where you can spread out a blanket and gaze at the stars above. Bring a tarp and several blankets. Lay down the tarp to protect you from the dampness and then the blankets. You can use the extra blankets to snuggle up under in case it's cold. Bring a fl ashlight to help guide you to and from the car. You may want to bring something to drink—hot chocolate, coffee, tea, wine, beer, champagne. Remember glasses and napkins. Also bring a late-night snack of popcorn or something you both like to munch on while you gaze. That way your stomachs won't be jealous of the feast your eyes are enjoying.

You might also bring a pair or two of binoculars. You would be amazed at how much more of the sky you can see with them. When it comes to binoculars and the sky, wider is better than longer, with a wider aperture being more helpful than the actual magnification.

WHEN STARS GET IN YOUR FLY

When we say the words "On a warm summer night lying on a blanket together looking up at the romantic starry sky..." do the words "Bring condoms" come to mind? Sure they do. You might also bring some insect spray, lest the mother of all mosquitoes leaves her signature on your two earthly bodies.

MAP OF THE STAR'S HOMES—FOR FREE!

Download Uncle Al's Sky Wheel from the website of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley (http://hou.lbl.gov). This nifty astronomical tool will help you find constellations of stars and other things in the sky. You can also purchase their Sky Challenger Kit for under $10. It's available on their website, or phone (510)642-1016.

"The Evening Sky Map" is a free, two-page monthly guide to the night skies of the northern and southern hemispheres. Each issue contains a detailed sky map, a short article on astronomy and a descriptive list of the best objects to see with binoculars, a telescope or by just using your naked eyes. Find it at www.skymaps.com.

Log on to the site of the Griffith Observatory at www.griffithobs.org for weekly updates of what's in the night sky, and much more.

Go to www.skypub.com and gaze at Sky & Telescope Magazine's "This Week's Sky At A Glance." They have a massive page of links and a very cool board game, "Astronomy Version of Monopoly."

Be sure to check Astronomy Magazine's site www.astronomy.com.

BUILDING YOUR OWN

Let's say you and your date are the super-industrious type who like to build things together, or maybe you went on a stargazing date several years ago and forgot to bring condoms and are on the lookout for a project to do with your son or daughter. Building your own telescope might be just the thing. Many of the sites we listed on the preceding pages have information about building your own telescope and dir.www.yahoo.com/Science/Astronomy/ has an entire category with several links dedicated to just this subject. Just about everyone speaks highly of the kits from Steve's Stargazers at http://stargazer.isys.ca/.

BUYING A TELESCOPE

If you live in an area where the skies are as clear and beautiful, you may be sorely tempted to purchase a telescope. Do not for a moment purchase a telescope from a department store, no matter how fancy the scope looks. Read everything on the four sites below before buying a telescope and you will have saved yourself many, many times the cost of this book:

www.findascope.com/
www.scopereviews.com/begin.html
www.astronexus.com

Also be aware that looking at stars through a telescope has its own learning curve. Unless you get a go-to telescope or plan to spend hundreds of hours learning the skies, you will probably get more enjoyment from a decent pair of binoculars with a good aperture than with a telescope. A lot of serious stargazers do it this way.

RESOURCES (BOOKS)

One or more of the following books may be helpful. Check them out from the library or purchase them at your favorite bookstore.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson; $40.00.. (Any books by Terence Dickinson are worth reading.)

Secrets Of The Night Sky: The Most Amazing Things In The Universe You Can See With The Naked Eye by Bob Berman; $16.00.

40 Nights to Knowing the Sky: A Night-By-Night Skywatching Primer by Fred Schaaf; $17.95.

National Audubon Society Field Guide To The Night Sky by Mark R. Chartrand; $19.00.

Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans by Theony Condos, $18.95 (800) 842-8338. This is a very cool book about the mythological heroes who the stars and constellations are named after. However, it's not an astronomy book per se.

ASTRO RESOURCES ON THE WEB

Space and time limitations keep us from including hundreds of worthy sites and links. Consider these as a starter.

Hubba-Hubba-Hubble:
www.stsci.edu

The Official History of Apollo 13—YIKES!
nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo13info.html

To find how the stars and planets are related to the ancient greek or roman mythological legends:
www.stsci.edu/stsci/service/wsf/magazine/win_issue/mythast.html

University of Michigan's Windows To the Universe:
www.windows.ucar.edu

Here's list of great ideas and information for students and teachers:
space.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/education/science_faves.html

For various internet stargazing potpourri:
www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/
www.cosmopolis.com/villa/astronomy.html
www.astronomical.org

For an astronomical number of links, try:
dir.yahoo.com/Science/Astronomy/