John Simons

Google Sky - Who needs a telescope?

I recently read about Google Sky - a new service from Google to show the stars and other objects in the night sky. Who needs to invest in an expensive telescope? Now you can explore deep space objects any time of the day from the comfort of your own computer.

My only gripe about the service, is its view of constellations. I learned to enjoy stargazing and spotting constellations while on a mission trip to Honduras. My brother and I spent a month on the Island of Roatan. At night, they would literally turn off the electricity. We were living in a rented house, where we happened to find a book about the stars. So, for most of our trip, we spent the evenings out on a dock on the Caribbean, looking at the stars and trying to identify all of the constellations. It is amazing how bright the night sky is when there is no light pollution.

My brother and I have a few other stories about stargazing. Some involve the secret stargazing spot, at least one involves a nice conversation with local law enforcement when we were inadvertently trespassing. But, those stories are better left for another time. In the meanwhile, check out Google Sky and see what the heavens look like.

Tags: constellations, Google Sky, Honduras, Roatan, stargazing