Looking for gifts that teach the constellations

November 30, 2024 7:04 PM

My husband wants to learn the constellations. We have a telescope already. What would be a good gift to help him identify them, preferably one that we can use outside/glows in the dark? Bonus points if we can use it while in the hot tub (so - no screens.) BUT if there's a really cool computer program/subscription that's giftable, I'm all ears.

Also I know there are apps for that, but apps aren't a good gift. And I'm not against books if they're really very cool. I just think he'll be more excited about a map or a globe or a projector or some such. Thanks!

posted by egeanin to Science & Nature (16 answers total)

Best answer: In my opinion nothing comes close to this book for building a strong intuition for the constellations, and being able to "read" them in the sky.

For a non-book option, I have this Guide to the Stars that is a lot of fun and easy to use, and also helps build intuition.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 7:08 PM on November 30, 2024 [8 favorites]

Best answer: I came in to rec the H.A. Rey book too. That was what my husband recommended for his undergrads when he used to teach intro astronomy.
posted by potrzebie at 7:13 PM on November 30, 2024 [3 favorites]

For a non-book option, I have this Guide to the Stars

The generic term for this kind of thing is "planisphere" - you can get different ones based on what latitude you're at, which will have an effect on what stars you can see.
posted by LionIndex at 7:39 PM on November 30, 2024 [4 favorites]

+1 HA Ray is the best.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 8:08 PM on November 30, 2024

You can't beat a planisphere -- a rotating cardboard star chart visible through an oval window that you rotate to the date and hour and it shows you where the constelallations are then. The advantage over a book is that it shows you where in the sky the constellatins are at any date and time, and how the constellations rise and set and move across the sky through the night -- and then through the year.

You can often find planispheres in science museum gift shops.

The great thing about recognizing constellations is that you can see them move during the night -- so you can see evidence of the Earth's daily rotation -- and you can see that different ones are visible at different times in the year -- so you can see evidence of the Earth orbiting the sun, as different constellations are opposite the sun (that is, visible at night) as the Earth moves around it. The planisphere models these motions simply and elegantly.

It helps to learn just the few most obvious constellations first, to get oriented -- then you can find the others in relation to them. Everyone's first constellation is the Big Dipper because its shape is so obvious, but also because it is always visible in the northern sky, at all hours and in all seasons -- it just rotates around the pole star, so only its position and orientation change with the hour and the season. (It's only visibe In the Nothern hemisphere, of course). Nearby is Cassiopea, which is easy to recognize because it's a big flat W.

Next, in Winter find Orion -- just a big rectangular box with an unmistakable row of three stars -- Orion's belt - in the middle.

In the summer find the 'superconstellation', the Summer Triangle - straight overhead when it gets dark. It's
formed by the three very bright stars Deneb, Altair, and Vega - which actually belong to three different constellations, which you can then find and recognize.
posted by JonJacky at 8:23 PM on November 30, 2024 [1 favorite]

You don't want anything glowing... to see the stars your eyes have to be adapted to the dark. If you do want to glance at the chart, use red light, which won't entirely remove your night vision.

The constellations were devised by and for people using their naked eyes, so a simple chart will do.

Stellarium is a nice site for checking what planets are visible and where they are in the sky tonight.
posted by zompist at 9:33 PM on November 30, 2024 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A planisphere is the best for the constellations and may have some galaxies and nebulae and star clusters etc marked that could be good first things to look at with the telescope. Get a planisphere matched to your latitude and ideally longitude.

In addition, get a sky atlas or star atlas. It has more detailed maps of each section of the sky that will help you find what you are looking for specifically. I like Karkoschka's Observer's Sky Atlas. It has only objects that can be seen with binoculars or small telescopes. Sky and Telescope also has a pocket atlas.

Also get a sky almanac for 2025. It will show for each month which stars and objects are visible, but ALSO what planets, dwarf planets, moon phases, when planets appear near bright stars, ecclipses, and meteor showers appear when and where. This is different every year.

Also a red flashlight with a very dim setting.
posted by starfishprime at 10:53 PM on November 30, 2024

Mod note: [Hey ho, this has been added to our Mefi gifting list update on the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by taz (staff) at 12:27 AM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If they have something like an iPad, the SkyGuide app is a wonderful tool to watch the night sky, complete with constellations.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:28 AM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

This was one of the first things I did on a tablet that truly amazed me. There are apps (like SkyGuide) that let you point your tablet at the sky and will overlay the constellations you are looking at.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:53 AM on December 1, 2024

Best answer: SkyGuide is good; Star Chart is another app that feels like modern magic. I know you said "No screens, BUT..." but these apps really feel like the "but" fits. In short, the apps use your phone/tablet's GPS and accelerometers to know where it is and where it's pointed, and will show you an Augmented Reality (AR) display of the night sky. It's as if your tablet was a smart window, showing you the stars. Wherever you "look" with the tablet-window, it shows and labels all the celestial bodies. You can enter a destination like, "Show me Jupiter!" and the tablet will guide you with on-screen arrows ("go right... more... more... okay, up a bit... there!") It's been really helpful for me not only finding things to look at with my telescope, but helping me learn to identify objects with the naked eye.

You could also maybe put together a stargazing date night? Find out when the local library or astronomy club is having a star party, and set it all up where you can go get dinner or something first, and then join the star party and spend some time trying out different telescopes and stargazing?
posted by xedrik at 7:29 AM on December 1, 2024 [2 favorites]

Best answer: We just put our tablet in a ziploc in the hot tub. (I should say: we put our SECOND tablet in a ziploc, after we did not put the first one in a ziploc.)

If you go that route, we went to a star party a few months ago where the guide recommended the app Stellarium over whatever I was using before that I had trouble reading.

Do find out if there are star parties around your area. We've met the coolest people at them.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:07 AM on December 1, 2024

I use Stellarium and love it! It has good layers you can add or remove and can change the display to red to help with your night vision.
posted by ellieBOA at 9:35 AM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

One big advantage with using an app is that it will show the locations of the planets and the moon, which isn't really possible on printed material like a star map or planisphere, aside from showing the ecliptic, which the planets generally follow. The one I have on my phone will also show the origin points of meteor showers when they're happening, but didn't show the location of the comet that was visible recently.

Get a planisphere matched to your latitude and ideally longitude.

I'd love to see an example of a planisphere calibrated to longitude.
posted by LionIndex at 10:55 AM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

I am nth-ing "The Stars" by H.A. Rey, much beloved by 3 generations of our family, which you can take anywhere with you, even the bathtub! Just remember to tape a red gel over your flashlight when you take it outside, as the book recommends.
posted by Lynsey at 1:07 PM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Just wanted to note that H.A. Rey who wrote The Stars, recommended above, is also the creator of Curious George. He has a fascinating life.
posted by metahawk at 4:15 PM on December 1, 2024 [3 favorites]