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here. Welcome again to our monthly newsletter with features on exciting celestial events, product reviews, tips & tricks, and a monthly sky calendar. We hope you enjoy it! They started falling the moment I finished raking leaves in the back yard. Little frozen white stars. Snowflakes. For me, winter arrived this year on the fifth of November. For many folks, the first fall of snow signals the start of winter. But the calendar says otherwise. It says winter officially begins this year at precisely 7:22 p.m. EST on December 21. What’s with that? The winter solstice, that’s what! It’s a celestial event tied to the yearly orbit of Earth around Sun, and it is a linchpin of our calendar. “Without the practical benefits that astronomy supplied, it might not have been possible to have civilization at all,” says Dr. E. C. Krupp in his book In Search of Ancient Astronomers. He goes on to explain that the calendar is, “the device that permits complex organization of a culture, the device that rules the exchange of goods and services.” This is a powerful statement, but the calendar is a powerful influence on peoples and cultures. And the calendar is driven by the sky, with its daily, monthly and yearly cycles. The summer and winter solstices are key reference points in our calendar, marking the yearly extremes of the Sun’s changing height in the sky at noon. They serve as predictable markers for the swing of the seasons, neatly dividing the year into two equal halves. They bring a sense of order, place and continuity. To read the rest of this article, click here. [Top of Page] It's getting to be the time of the year again when gifts are exchanged. Often people are puzzled about what to give the amateur astronomer in the family. Below is a compilation of items in the Orion wish book, I mean catalog, which I either own myself or wish I did. Some are specialized for certain types of telescopes, but most are useful to all. This is my own personal selection of the most useful and fun accessories to enhance your viewing pleasure. Following my list of stocking stuffers is a list of special holiday packages that offer discounts on popular items. Now, here's what you do. Print out this list, and mark on it in bright red marker the items you'd particularly like to receive. Then leave it somewhere casually around the house for others to find. Good luck! $10 and under $9.95 #17189 Atlas of the Sky DVD Enjoy 2-1/2 hours of original movies featuring dramatic visualizations of astronomical objects and phenomena. Experts provide up-to-date info on specific objects and their origins. Movies include Many Moons, Solar Storm, Satellite Spotting, The Light Heavyweights, Messier Marathon, and many more. $9.95 #04110 Star Target Planisphere I got one of these with my first telescope nearly 50 years ago, and I'm still using it today. It's a simple device which lets you dial in the current date and time and shows you what stars are visible in the sky. Sure you have Starry Night® on your computer, but do you really want to take your computer out into the dewy night? $9.95 #17228 Starry Night® Screen Saver Starry Night® Screen Saver takes you on a tour of planets, galaxies and other space exotica. Hitch a ride on a comet as it streaks past amazingly realistic 3D planets. Hop off at Mars for the red dawn; experience Pluto's perpetual twilight. Speed into deep space to witness stars spark into life. Let the subtle sounds help you escape to the boundless possibilities of the universe. And don't forget that you can add your own photo album images or movies to the screen saver. $9.95 #17208 Starry Night® Constellation Adventure This is a kid-friendly introduction to the night sky. The kit includes all the tools your future astronaut needs to explore the universe all year 'round. Includes: A 48-page illustrated guide to the night sky, a fun Big Dipper Clock, a red LED stargazing flashlight, and adhesive glow-in-the-dark stars to decorate a room with. $9.95 #17176 Eyes on Mars DVD Join the adventure as the Rovers romp on the Red Planet. This exciting documentary focuses on the quest to fully understand the mysteries of Mars. $9.95 #17169 Wheels on Mars DVD Close encounters with the Rovers and the scientists who sent them. Top experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Cornell University share what the Rovers found and why it matters so deeply. A companion to the award-winning Eyes on Mars DVD. $10 to $20 $14.95 #04150 DeepMap Folding Star Chart Everyone needs a star map, and this is an inexpensive and very handy one to have. Stick it in your accessory case, and you'll never be at a loss for objects to look for and how to find them. $16.95 up #04203 FlexiShield Dew Cap For Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain owners only. That big corrector plate on the front of your scope is a magnet for dew. One of these dew caps will slow down the formation of dew, and yet takes up almost no space. $17.95 #05755 RedBeam II LED Flashlite Every astronomer needs a red flashlight to protect his night vision, and this is the nicest one I know. Hang it around your neck to light your footsteps in the dark, and you'll never lose it. The adjustable red LEDs throw a nice gentle glow on your charts, and the battery seems to last forever. To read the rest of this article, click here. [Top of Page] When you are ready to buy a telescope, purchase from a reputable company with excellent customer service. Okay, we’re biased, but we think Orion® Telescopes and Binoculars will be your best and safest one-stop astronomy shopping center. They have legendary customer service and technical support, and a range of products from beginner to expert. To make your choice easier, Orion® Telescopes and Binoculars has an online Product Selection Wizard that will ask you basic questions and provide you with a list of telescopes suitable for your particular needs. Another option is to visit a telescope dealer in person. There are some great telescope stores out there, and if you find a good one close to you, it will be an excellent source of advice and equipment. Get in touch with your local Astronomy club for a recommendation. Whatever you do, avoid buying a telescope from any store whose primary business is not astronomy. Avoid department stores, discount stores, nature stores, and the like. Also avoid online auction sites unless you really know what you're doing. Good luck, happy shopping, and clear skies! Starry Night® Team [Top of Page] Binoculars are one of the most useful tools in an amateur astronomer’s arsenal. They provide spectacular wide field views of the Milky Way and large deep sky objects like the Pleiades star cluster, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Double Star Cluster in Perseus. For the telescopic observer, they are the exploration tools to use to plan the path through the stars when you are starhopping to a faint object. Never leave home without them! The most useful binoculars are those with relatively low magnification, such as 7x50 and 10x50. The first number is the magnification; the second the diameter of the objectives in millimeters. These can be hand held by most people and, under a dark sky, can provide hours of observing enjoyment. There are also larger binoculars which are more specialized instruments. These generally need to be mounted on a tripod to be steady enough for use. Binoculars as large as 25x100 (equivalent to two 4” refractors!) are now available at very reasonable prices. Geoff Gaherty Geoff has been a life-long telescope addict, and is active in many areas of visual observation; he is a moderator of the Yahoo "Talking Telescopes" group. [Top of Page] Download the Universe to your desktop quickly and easily! The new and improved Starry Night® Digital Download Version 6 is the best and fastest way to see spectacular celestial sights all year round. No waiting in line and NO SHIPPING FEES! Check out these five ALL-NEW Data Modules: Already own Digital Download version 5? Upgrade the Core Application for ONLY $10! Upgrade from Digital Download Version 5 to Version 6, and the Data Modules you previously purchased will be automatically copied over to the new Digital Download Version 6 application. For example, if you have previously purchased the SkyGuide Data Module, there’s no need to purchase the Version 6 SkyGuide Data Module. The Data Module will be automatically copied when you install he Digital Download Version 6 Core Application Upgrade. Remember, you must have the Version 6 Core Application or the Version 6 Core Application Upgrade in order for the Version 6 Data Modules to work. Upgrade for only $10 — then choose the data modules you want to add! [Top of Page] | | | | | | | | X Prize Cup Space Atlas The Google Earth Space Atlas was put together in honor of the Wirefly X PRIZE Cup. The Space Atlas is a one-stop destination for all the Google Earth placemarks for anything space-related. | | | There are placemarks to space centers of many countries, launch sites, space museums, planetariums, moon trees, meteor impact craters, space shuttle landing sites, and more. Pedro Braganca Content Director, Starry Night® | | | | | | | | Panning If you hit the space bar during a pan (such as when centering on an object or flying to an object), the program immediately takes you directly to the object. If something catches your eye and you want to stop the pan, press the Esc key. Pedro Braganca Content Director, Starry Night® | | | | | | | | A guided video tour of celestial events visible in December 2006. Highlights include a meteor shower, a Christmas star, the elusive planet Mercury, and a close encounter between the Moon and a beautiful star cluster. • RSS Feed • YouTube • Google Video | | | | | | | | Full Moon: Mon., Dec. 4 7:25 p.m. EST Last Quarter: Tue., Dec. 12 9:32 a.m. EST New Moon: Wed., Dec. 20 9:01 a.m. EST First Quarter: Wed., Dec. 27 9:48 a.m. EST Sun., Dec. 03 Moon crosses the Pleiades The near full Moon will skim just 0.6 degrees north of the Pleiades star cluster. Sun., Dec. 10 Three planets and a star get together Mercury, Venus, Mars and the star Beta Scorpii form a tight group in the southeastern dawn sky. In fact, you can fit them all within a 1 degree circle. Use binoculars or a telescope with low power for the best views. Thurs., Dec. 13 Geminid meteors peak The Geminid meteor shower is one of the two best annual meteor showers. This year the best time to look is between 9 p.m. on the night of December 13th until the Moon rises at around 2 a.m. on December 14th. No equipment is needed, just use your eyes and look in the direction of the constellation Gemini. Many Geminids appear yellowish in hue and bright fireballs are common. Fact: Unlike most meteor showers which are caused by the trail of debris left behind by comets, the source of the Geminids is not a comet but an asteroid named Phaeton. Thurs., Dec. 21 December Solstice 7:22 p.m. EST Today the Sun reaches its greatest distance south of the celestial equator. In the Northern Hemisphere this marks the first day of winter; in the Southern Hemisphere it marks the first day of summer. All times shown are U.S. Eastern Time. | | | | | | | | Join the Starry Night® Affiliate Program If you publish a space or astronomy Web site or blog, earn extra cash by promoting Starry Night® on your Web site. Click here to learn more! It's easy to join and it's free! | | | | | | | | Send us your feedback Do you have a question, comment, suggestion or article idea to pass along to Starry Night® Times?
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