Treat a Summer Stargazer

Visit a Children's Museum

The first stop for families should be the Association of Children’s Museums, a top resource for kid-friendly planetariums across the country. Check out this list of featured astronomical exhibits and children’s museums with planetariums.

 

Take a Walk in the Stars ... There's An App for That

For early readers/listeners, If You Decide to Go to the Moon captures the facts and the poetry of space travel as a young boy journeys to the moon and back for children ages 4-8, $16.99. Established readers will enjoy George's Secret Key to the Universe. Written by renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy, the book harnesses "no way!" moments of scientific discovery and puts them in easy-to-understand language (for ages 9 - 12, $17.99). And for the backyard digerati, Star Walk ($4.99) and Solar Walk 3D ($2.99) are not-to-be missed apps (Ages 5+, iTunes.com).

For more award-winning products perfect for stargazing, see our complete list here.

Discover the Universe in Your Own Backyard

With telescope in hand, get outside and explore the night sky. These tips, ideas for games and product recommendations will help get you started.

 

Stretch Your Curiosity

Curious about Mars? So is NASA and they just launched their latest Mars Rover, Curiosity, to explore the Martian landscape. Learn more about it here >

Make a Date with the Stars

Make a date with the stars on StarDate, the public education and outreach arm of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory. Their radio program airs daily on more than 300 stations. Their website offers recordings of recent radio broadcasts, weekly stargazing tips based on the current lunar phases and what’s visible at this time of year, an Astro Guide and astronomy resources for teachers.

Take in a Light Show

Learn how the stars and constellations have impacted different cultures around the world. The African Cosmos: Stellar Arts exhibit at the National Museum of African Art shows how the sun, moon, stars, and the phenomena of lightning and rainbows inspired the arts of Africa for thousands of years. We have all experienced the wonder of gazing at a night sky filled with stars. Our imaginations take flight. We journey to the heavens, inspired by its majesty, and we recall stories about the constellations shining from above. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, Africans have used their celestial observations to chart their movements through the land and to create their agricultural and ritual calendars.

Time Travel

Experience the night sky like never before with time-lapse videos. Using advanced digital camera technology, these videos capture stunning images that show “the majestic beauty of the natural world.”

Here are three recommended videos to get you started:

• The Dakotalapse video by photographer Randy Halverson is set to a dramatic score by Bear McCreary
• This roundup of some of the very best night sky time-lapse videos will leave you awestruck
  
• Three overnight time lapse clips of the 2010 Perseid Meteor Shower shot in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado are combined in this amazing video.
  

Connect the Stars

Listen to the first single off of The Pop Ups new record Radio Jungle.

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