When I was a kid, my mom was frequently taking classes to keep her teaching certificate current. I remember with such fondness the “field trips” we would take as a family for those classes. We’ve hiked and hunted for petroglyphs, camped on the beach, and discovered planets and stars from an observatory.  It was from a young age that I decided there was no better way to spend a summer evening than under the stars. To me, it’s not so much about knowing each individual constellation- it’s the experience of discovering what’s what in the night sky. I love to know which of those bright stars are actually planets and whether the fast moving light above is a high flying plane or a satellite. 

Several years ago my sister introduced our family to the SkyView app. I was immediately in love! Gone are the days where deciphering pictures in a book to find the stars in the night sky is necessary. This app allows you to point your phone in any direction and the constellations, planets and satellites will appear on your screen. If you want to know more about a star, tap on it and the app will gift you more information. It even plays soothing, celestial music. I love that it is educational and kid-friendly. What better thing to do in the summer than teach your kids something new and fun? 

I have the free version, SkyView Lite, and have always been happy with it. You can pay $1.99 for a better version, but I don’t think it’s necessary. 

Here is my other suggestion for using this app- don’t forget to actually look at the night sky. The app is really cool and our whole family loves it. But if you spend your whole time with your nose in your phone, you will miss the best part. The actual stars are what you want to see! Observe the sky and find something you’re interested in knowing more about. Then, pull up the app and find out what it is. 

There is something magical about our night sky. I am drawn in whenever I take the time to look up. Take advantage of it this summer and go observe! Drive away from the city lights and take in the view- it will not disappoint. 🙂