• Holiday Shopping Guide
  
  
• Planetary Update
  
  
• The Moon
  
  

The THIRD Annual Holiday Shopping Guide!

The Orion ShortTube 4.5" EQ Reflector is a great starter scope for young or old. It packs the power of a traditional 4.5 inch reflector telescope into a package half the size; the tube is about 18 inches long. I personally use a 4.5 inch reflector, and it is a great one for viewing the moon, planets, galaxies, nebulas and star clusters. This particular telescope comes with an easy-to-use finder scope (possibly the most important part of a telescope), mount, and two eyepieces. The list price is $199 which is a very reasonable price for a portable, useful scope.

Remember, using a telescope can be frustrating at first. Be patient, and start small -- look at the moon first to get used to using the telescope. Then drift on to the planets, and eventually on to deep space objects. Take your time, and you'll find it to be a truly rewarding and exciting experience!

Since Venus crossed in front of the Sun this year, a lot of people have been wondering how to observe events related to the sun...

The Orion Solarscope Sun Projection Screen is a safe and easy way to observe the sun. REMEMBER: Never look at the sun without the proper equipment! This tool is the right equipment.

A safe reflection of the sun's image is reflected on a screen inside the box. You will be able to watch events like that transit of Venus safely. You will be able to see sunspots, and if used over time, you'll be able to see them grow and travel across the surface of the sun. This tool is also a great way to observe a solar eclipse.

If the amateur astronomer in your life is intrigued by the sun, this is a perfect, reasonably priced (around $60) way to encourage observation of the closest star to Earth.

Mars has always been a source of wonder in both science and science fiction. The Eyes on Mars DVD is a perfect vehicle to explore this fascinating planet. It discusses past and present missions to Mars -- highlighting successes as well as failures (and there have been many failed missions to Mars). It shows  the surface of Mars through photos from the surface and artists' renderings. Many of the classic mysteries of Mars are discussed by several of the foremost scientific experts on the subject.

This 2 hour 45 minute video is perfect for the Mars fanatic in your life. At around $22, it's a very affordable gift.

Nothing has opened our eyes to the wonders the universe has to hold like the Hubble Space Telescope. The Mission: Hubble DVD shows what it took to put a telescope the size of school bus into orbit around the Earth. Mission: Hubble investigates the problems designing and deploying the most complex satellite ever conceived. This DVD features the human side of Hubble -- the inspiration, innovation, and danger that was involved in making it possible. It will also feature much of the wondrous images Hubble has provided.

The DVD lasts about an hour and a half, and retails at around $22.

The Atlas of the Sky DVD showcases the breathtaking scope of the universe. Many deep space objects are investigated and explanations of what they are and where they came from are given by top scientists. Computer-generated close-ups of deep space objects bring the universe to you! This informative and eye-popping DVD is a great gift for anyone who has a curiosity of all things space-related.

The DVD lasts about two and a half hours, and, like the others above, retails at $22.

Constellations: The Space Race Game is a fun way to learn about the constellations while playing an exciting board game. It's a great way for the whole family to learn about the stars together!

FunAgain.com, where you can get a copy of the game for around $20, describes it like this:

Constellation is an exciting space adventure game. The year is 3001 and you are a finalist in the great Constellation Space Race.

As a spaceship captain you are dealt three of the 88 constellation cards at random. Now the race begins... choose a pewter spaceship and roll the die. To travel through space you either have to answer questions or follow actions. By quickly docking on your constellations and being the first to return to the starting point you will be crowned "Space Race Champion!".

Pretty straightforward, except for alien spaceships blocking your way, wormholes that can transport you to unknown worlds, space debris bombarding your spaceship and the devious actions of the other finalists... the title of "Space Race Champion" has to be earned!

For the video gamers out there, the Playstation 2 game called Katamari Damacy is great for the astronomically curious gamers out there. Sure the title is odd, but it certainly fits this quirky diversion.

The story starts with the "King of All Cosmos" recklessly partying one night, and knocking all of the stars out of the sky. His son, the prince, must replace these stars. You play the part of the prince, and you use the 'katamari' to make these stars. The katamari is a very sticky ball, and the prince rolls it around the Earth to make it bigger; similar to how you make a snowman. You start out small, rolling up thumbtacks and batteries, but soon this astronomical lint-brush gets larger, picking up cats, dogs, sumo wrestlers, trucks, and trees and more. Each katamari has a goal size, and once you reach that size, the King of All Cosmos releases it into the sky.

You begin by making one star at a time, but quickly you get to make entire constellations, and this is the part that makes the game accidentally educational! For example, to make Gemini you have to roll up pairs of objects that look the same (twins!). When you've rolled up enough, a picture of Gemini is shown, and the pattern of stars is put into the sky. When you are not rolling around the Earth, you can visit your virtual Planetarium in the game and see all the constellations you have made. It's a great way to learn about the constellation, and review them in your in-game Planetarium.

This is a perfect family game -- there's no shooting or violence of any kind. No one even gets hurt - you have a time limit for each star or constellation and you can try again and again as much as you need to. It is appropriately rated "E" for everyone.

The graphics are silly, the music is catchy, and it retails brand new for $20, which is a huge bargain for a Playstation 2 game. I have spent many an hour playing and re-playing this game... it's a blast.

Planetary Update

Mercury is still a daytime object, lost in the glare of the sun. It rises at about 9 AM and sets a little after 5 PM, so it puts in a full workday in the sky, but, alas, the sun drowns it out the whole time!
CURRENT DISTANCE FROM EARTH: 76.5 million miles

Venus rises in the east at around 4:45 AM. It is the brightest small object in the morning sky. Look low in the east between 5 AM and a bit past sunrise, and that bright thing you notice will be our next-door neighbor planet, Venus.
CURRENT DISTANCE FROM EARTH: 130 million miles

Mars is following Venus across the sky. It rises about 15 minutes after Venus. Look directly below Venus, and you should see a reasonably bright orangish dot. That is Mars! Venus is quite a bit brighter, so it is a good guidepost to help you find our other next-door neighbor, Mars.
CURRENT DISTANCE FROM EARTH: 226.5 million miles

Jupiter peeks up over the horizon at around 2:30 AM, and spends the rest of the early morning hours getting higher and higher in the sky. Jupiter is not as bright as Venus, but a bit brighter than Mars. It's midway up the sky in the southeast. It is definitely much brighter than anything in that area of the sky, so he should stand out.
CURRENT DISTANCE FROM EARTH: almost 554 million miles

Saturn is the planet to look for in the evening hours. Saturn rises in the east at around 8:30 PM. It hangs just east of the constellation Gemini. It's similar in brightness to Castor and Pollux, the two stars that represent the heads of the twins. Saturn is in a position and brightness to make it look like Gemini has sprouted a third head.
CURRENT DISTANCE FROM EARTH: 778.5 million miles


This is a good month for early risers -- four planets are on display in the morning before sunrise: Saturn just west of the top of the sky, Jupiter up high in the southeast, and Venus and Mars low in the east.

The Moon

The phases for this month:

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