I was walking around Cherokee Park last weekend when the sun was going down and enjoying the fireflies that were swarming near the forest-edge. There were kids at the playground swinging and sliding in the twilight, and one of them started to yell, "The first star! Look!" (It was actually the planet Venus, but I kept my mouth shut and let them enjoy). The other children started pointing out other stars as the darkening sky began to unveil more and more of them every minute. It made me realize how the summer months offer so many free opportunities for fun and excitement if you just look up. So this summer we are kicking-off a Summer Under the Stars on June 12, from 7:30 - 11 PM at the
Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium. Take the pledge this summer to find just one constellation and gaze upon one neighboring planet in the coming months. We offer
free videos and printable star maps to assist you. If you think that you are more artistic than scientific, consider that the stars are the greatest connect-the-dots game ever. Many different cultures have placed their
mythologies and stories into the stars so that they will live forever, and we are still telling them thousands of years later. So for some of you, stargazing offers a canvas for drawing or writing stories, something that any child can enjoy with a piece of paper and a crayon or chalk. While stargazing is low-tech, it can also be enhanced with binoculars and telescopes, and if you attend the Summer Under the Stars event you can enter to win a free telescope (shown above) for the family, so join us for some summer fun, and let us know if you do get out there and see some stars!
