“Star light, star bright…”

Become stargazers and night sky watchers and find the following constellations, planets, moon and stars in the sky. Check out a resource book from the library to help.

• Big Dipper (best known group of stars)
• North Star (the bright star in a straight line from the two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper, farthest from the handle)
• Little Dipper (the North Star is the last star in its handle)
• Orion (three stars in a straight line make up Orion’s belt)
• Cassiopeaia (five stars shaped like the letter “W”)
• Milky Way (a faint “cloud” of stars running across the sky in an irregular ribbon shape, best seen on a clear, moonless night)
• Venus (looks like a bright star and often called the “Evening Star”)
• Jupiter
• Mars (looks like a red star)
• Saturn
• Moon (observe it several nights in a row to see how it changes)

Viewing tips: Pick a spot where street lights, houses or trees don’t obstruct your view. In the city, the roof of an apartment building is a good place for viewing. Although clear, moonless nights are ideal, it’s possible to see many of these when there is some moonlight. No special equipment is needed. Consult your library book frequently and remember that the more often you look at the night sky, the easier it becomes to find space objects. Keep in mind that the location of the objects in the sky often changes with the seasons.