Have your children ever expressed an interest in the night time sky and the stars that fill it? Perhaps you want them to learn more about science and astronomy. What are some of the ways to engage that interest? This brief article, then, is for you.
The first and most important step is to get outside and just look up on a clear night and enjoy the stars for what they are: suns like ours, except so far away that they appear as little points of light instead of a blazing globe.
Even in the somewhat light-polluted skies of Beaver County, you can still see dozens--if not hundreds--of stars on a night with no moon. Look at the brighter ones. Can you see any type of color? Stars have color shades based on how "hot" they are. Do you see any patterns with the stars? Our ancient ancestors spent much of their lives outside in extremely dark skies. The more they looked at the heavens, the more they saw in those patterns: animals, people and gods which were important in their lives. We now know these patterns as "constellations." For example, the very-easy-to-spot "Big Dipper" is a constellation known as Ursa Major or the Bear.
So, what is the best way to learn the constellations? Just like finding your way from one place to another in the car, you need a map or a GPS. Let's talk about astronomy's traditional map, known as a sky chart. Sky charts are circular maps that show for a certain time of year what constellations, and other objects like planets and the moon, are visible. Since the Earth moves around the Sun, the sky chart for June will be completely different than the chart for December. Where to find sky charts? The best place to find ones that are for a current month would be a magazine like Astronomy or Sky & Telescope. Both of these very popular magazines can be found in bookstores like Barnes & Noble and many times in the magazine section of WalMart and Giant Eagle. Sky and Telescope also has a very good online sky chart on their website at skyandtelescope.com.
Now for the non-traditional route: if you have a smart-phone or a tablet, then there are a large number of sky chart apps available which make use of the phone's/tablet's internal GPS capabilities. They allow you to point to sections of the night sky and then tell you what constellation you are looking at and what the names of some of the stars are.
Finally, one the best ways to get introduced to the heavens is by attending a "star party" hosted by an astronomy group. In Beaver County, we have an organization called the Beaver Valley Space Sciences Interest Group. We have a long name but a simple mission: to introduce the heavens to those who have the interest but not a lot of knowledge about the sky. Our schedule of star parties is published in Beaver Valley Macaroni Kid. We also put notices in the Beaver County Times and have a Facebook page. In Allegheny County, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh is a very well-established organization that has been around since the late 1920's. They have an excellent website.
Its summertime, the nights are mild and bedtimes are later, so get out there and enjoy the beauty of the heavens.
Come and join the Beaver Valley Space Sciences Interest Group for upcoming Star Parties on Tuesday night, June 5, and Saturday night, June 9 at the Bradys Run Park Ballfields! More information is here.
