The Stories So Far ...

A comet stretched across the night sky. Getting cozy with craters on the Moon. Watching the first images download from the latest spacecraft to land on Mars. What was your first connection to the wonders of our solar system and beyond?

The latest stories shared by readers are listed below. Don't forget to share your own sky story.

26 Feb 2009: Solar Navigation

Late afternoon, March 30 2007. Pulled over in Toledo's rush hour traffic, searching for another cross street, searching the skies for air traffic, so I could place myself on the large city map I was using to get home.

Suddenly I think the sun, the sun! I made a 270 degree scan of the sky and saw the sun behind me. I knew I could turn right and head south to Troy. It was empowering and reassuring to realize I didn't need my giant city map or a GPS system, I only needed to glance up and be on my way. This event marked my first significant relationship to the sky. Now navigating by the moon as well...and presenting Moon Talks for Stillwater Stargazers, NSN.

- Patricia S., , Troy, Ohio,

30 Jan 2009

So there there I was. So first of all I should tell you I am an urban observer (only some times I am not). I was in my backyard. I guess there were roughly 10 constellations there (me and my friends had an constellation competition). I have some pods(personal observatory domes) and an 19 inch telescope.

I was trying to find the Orion nebula and ... ow! my dad bumped into me. "you just moved the image!" Then i looked through the eyepeice and there I saw the Orion nebula.

"Wow. Awesome! Hey, thanks dad!" I shouted.

- Aashman V., child, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2 Dec 2008

The focus of Galapagos cruise was the amazing life -- sea lions, giant tortoises and iguanas -- and geologic wonder of these volcanic Pacific Islands. But the spellbinding appearance of Venus and Jupiter on a November night very nearly stole the show.

Venus, hundreds of miles from civilization, shines like a tiny flashlight in bright tapestry of stars. Jupiter, too, was stunningly clear and I regretted not bringing binoculars to the deck for a chance to see the four biggest moons that Galileo discovered centuries ago.

A few nights later, as a guide showed us constellations, we saw two meteors leaving bright trails as they fell to Earth.

The great stargazing made our nights as stunning as the days among the exotic creatures of the Galapagos Islands.

- Phil D., Editor, St. Petersburg, Florida,

2 Dec 2008

Summer Nights with My Father

I grew up on a farm in rural Minnesota during the '50s when the night sky was still dark in that region.

Summer nights were steamy inside the farmhouse, with our old electric fan doing little more than moving the hot air from one side of the living room to the other.

If one were brave enough to take on the inevitable swarms of mosquitoes outside, the evening breezes that rustled through the elm trees were a source of relief from the heat.

While Mom cleaned up after dinner, Dad and I sought the comfort of the outdoors and headed out the kitchen door to sit on the front steps.

When he turned off the yard light on the electric power pole, a canopy of stars was revealed with the Milky Way arching gracefully overhead.

"There's the Big Dipper," he would say, pointing to the dominating feature in the Northern sky, "and if you follow a line from the two stars on the side of the dipper, you'll see the North Star."

As his finger traced an unseen line in the sky to Polaris, he continued, "The North Star is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. Can you see it?"

I nodded my head, all the time taking in the vastness and beauty of the sky above me as well as the joy of having Dad all to myself. His tour of the constellations would continue until I started to yawn. By that time, Mom had her evening chores done and called me to get ready for bed.

In 1954, Dad and I watched a total Solar eclipse from those steps. A few years later, as the satellites that began populating the sky passed overhead, we were there waiting.

The years have passed, and sadly, so has my father. The farmhouse is gone, and the steps are no more. However, the summer nights I spent with my father remain as some of the most cherished memories I have of him.

- Kay F., SSA Coordinator, Pasadena, California,

11 Nov 2008

It's easy to get mesmerized by the campfire coals while camping at Joshua Tree National Monument in California. So I was stunned at the expansive view of the sky when you step only a few feet from the firelight.

On a cold November night, I saw for the first time the Milky Way Galaxy and Sirius, the Dog Star, which I first mistook for an airplane because it was flashing blue and red so brightly and clearly. Luckily, a friend was able to tell me what I was seeing.

It is easy to see why ancient cultures worshipped the sky. When you're far from the bright city lights -- a rare treat for me -- the stars and planets stand out and its easy to see how the ancients traced patterns into constellations and thought the planets moving against that infinite background were powerful gods.

I'm very glad for my magical night under the stars.

- Kristen W., Editor, St. Petersburg, Florida