The Kids Book Of The Night Sky

Here is another absolutely fabulously informative book for kids aged 6-12 who have an active interest in what’s going on up there. Illustrated perfectly and highly recommended by teachers, this loaded little book gives information on a wide variety of subjects, from eclipses and their periodicity to the phases of the moon to the conditions on the ground from the latest photos and explorations on Mars.

It has the record of myths, legends and even some jokes, all imminently readable and few requiring asult help. This is a sweet little book, perfect for the curious child with an astronomy bent. Pleasantly-worded and entertaining, kids should get a loads of information and fun from this book.

For more on this and related books, click here.

State Of The Art Telescopy

This compact and very serious telescope is the next step up from “practicing” at astronomy. I could not leave out this amazingly accurate and easy-to-use piece from any telescope list, even if it costs what it offers. In this case, I think we get value for value. The images and easy alignment aids of this piece of telescopic art is phenomenal. For the serious astronomer, this item is something one dreams about as a kid. What may be most remarkable about it, however, is how much easier it becomes to locate what we’re searching for. This one also lets us get far deeper out into the Universe itself.

The Nexstar 8 SE upholds Celestron’s reputation for quality optics. When you look at Jupiter, the pale orange color of Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot is visible, and you can even be able to identify the polar caps and spot dust storms on the planet Mars. Here is a great view of Jupiter through this telescope:

This one is for real. It also has automatic aligning features based on current date and time plus a database of over 40,000 celestial objects. It is sturdy, compact and has the brain of a true astronomical wizard inside its chip. This is a truly wonderful item and a goal, if nothing else, for any serious home astronomer.

For some personal reviews and more on this wonderful item, click here.

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The Search For The Perfect Starter Telescope

Finding the perfect starter telescope involves many things, foremost of which for most of us is price. This telescope goes for a bit less than $100 and represents what I consider the best buy in the “starter” telescope range. It has a few plastic parts, notably the dials, but all-in-all, it offers some fabulous viewing at a great magnification. Nice rig here.

The Celestron 21045 offers a 4.5 inch reflecting mirror and gathers three times more starlight than popular 60mm refractors. The Powerseeker package includes two eyepieces (K20 and SR4), a plastic 3x barlow, and a lightweight equatorial mount. The Tripod is an excellent composition and quite steady. At 30 pounds, it is a nice and serious piece of star-gazing equipment. In my experience, it is hard to find units offering this much power for under $100. Using the K20 eyepiece included as standard equipment, about 45x magnification, it’s easy to see the Andromeda Galaxy and its smaller satellite galaxy M32. That’s some good power!

Click here to see product reviews and more data on this great item.

Astronomical Learning Gizmo

This little gizmo is an ultra attractive learning tool that does not even need the night sky to learn with, although it certainly helps. One can tour the sky with its help and see the realities he reads about during the day. It’s like a hand-held Gameboy, full of amazing information and correct placements of planets and constellations based on the current date and time. Kids can switch modes to see the scribed in pictures of the mythological beasts and personages who populate the sky and whom the constellations were named for.

Self-illuminated, it is a small planesphere complete with light and sound. An audio presentaion heklps the viewer navigate the machine, leading to an understanding of what’s going on up there. It has a glow in the dark compass and a cool back lit LCD clock display. I really like this little thing and I suspect it could be a real educational attention grabber.

For more on this new toy, click here.

A ReallyGreat Starter Book

This cute little book proves the adage that something does not have to be expensive to be effective. Inside, Terence Dickinson covers all the problems beginners face, starting with the fact that the night sky does not look the way a modern city-dweller expects. He discusses light pollution, how to choose binoculars and telescopes, how to pronounce the names of stars and constellations, telescope mounts, averted vision, and why the harvest moon looks especially bright. There are some great pictures using the latest technologies and some very detailed looks at the constellations and some fabulous pictures taken by amateurs as well. While this is not a compendium of thoroughness, it has an immense amount of information about how to locate the constellations and their names. The pictures are breath-taking and the information is very detailed.

Youngsters should get something from browsing this, leading to a more informed child about the heavens around him or her.

For product reviews and more on it, click here.

Sidewalk Astronomy

This Saturday, April 12 is national sidewalk astronomy night. Throughout the world locals in random locations will be setting up telescopes and allowing people to view the galaxies through a telescope.

This is a great opportunity for parents and their children. Remember when you were young and laying out on the lawn, the beach and looking up into the night sky to get a glimpse at the stars? I’m sure you were filled with questions to ask your parents, what did all the “random” dots in the sky mean? Saturday is an opportunity to teach your child and maybe yourself more about the stars, the constellations, the galaxies and nebula.

The goal of sidewalk astronomy is simple to have everyone looking through a telescope . Which is the goal of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 as well.

Happy stargazing!

Fun ways to learn about the night sky!

Astronomy is not just a hobby for adults. Kids can get involved in astronomy very easily and it can be fun for both kids and parents. There are many different types of software and books that make learning astronomy fun for all ages. By using books as guides to the night sky, you can teach your child about the moon (and you might just be able to answer that nagging question of why does the moon look like cheese?) and you can be a hero in your child’s eye for the night by being able to point out the Big Dipper or Jupiter. There are also many different constellation guidebooks that can help you learn the night sky and its hidden treasures.

You also visit your local astronomy dealer who is very knowledgeable and can help you learn the art of looking at the stars. They will be able to assist you in selecting the right telescope for you and your child to use for many years of enjoyment.

The new way to see the night Sky: Meade mySky

Astronomy has a ton of neat and exciting “toys” available for the amateur astronomer. One such item is mySky.  mySky is available through various dealers and is priced very reasonable for the beginner astronomer. mySky uses GPS technology to locate an object in the night sky and in full audio and video will tell the amateur astronomer about the object it has located.

mySky has a nice introduction by Scott Roberts, who walks the stargazer through the easy use of the product. The introduction clearly explains how mySky works and how the stargazer can use the product with his or her Meade telescope.

mySky will be a popular item with kids and parents alike. Check it out today!

Star Parties!

A fun and neat event to attend is a star party that the whole family can enjoy! Kids can learn about the night sky while parents are looked upon as “heroes” for a night as kids look through a telescope for the first time :). Star parties attract people from all over from the amateur astronomer to the astronomer guru who are all willing to share their wealth of the night sky with astronomy newbies.

What can you expect from a star party? Star parties can last from one night to a week filled with vendors and more! Star parties are held all over the country, all the world and many people will flock to them wanting to learn about astronomy and to show off their latest toy in the amateur astronomy circle.

Where can I find out more information about star parties? You can check your local astronomy club and they will have more information on events. You can also check out magazines such as astronomy.com and Sky and Telescope.com

First Post: Welcome!

Welcome to astronomyforkids.net’s first blog! I wanted to write about astronomy and kids. Science is a great tool for young minds to wonder about. Kids are always asking questions to their parents… “Dad, why is the universe so large?” “Why does the moon look like cheese?”

I hoping with my little corner of the Internet, that I can provide a fun and educational blog for people who are interested in astronomy and what it can offer for kids and their parents. Please check back often for reviews, ideas, and products on astronomy and kids.