Enjoy the summer night with a stargazing party

August 21, 2009 Written by:

Labor Day Weekend, the unofficial end of the summer, is looming in the distance, which may inspire some to squeeze out some more carefree fun before the leaves start turning color.

One idea is to take advantage of the summer nights and gather family and friends to gaze up at the stars.

Ideally, it would be good to find a fairly dark area, far enough from a city so that you and your party will be able to see more stars in the sky.

Do some prep work, either online or through a book, to figure out which constellations to look out for. Usually in the summer months the Big and Little Dipper are fairly visible in the sky.

For those who do find a darker area to gaze up to the heavens, consider bringing some glow sticks as a way to keep track of everyone. They will be bright enough to see the ground, but not strong enough to take away from the lights in the night sky.

Don't forget to bring some blankets and maybe a pillow to make gazing up at the sky as comfortable as possible.