Six Sights For Kids in the Summer Sky

The laid-back days of summer vacation are an ideal time to introduce kids to astronomy. While the big questions about the universe are important... how did it start, how old is it, and how will it all end... it's all so abstract. Not until a child looks up and sees a sky full of stars will she get an instinctive appreciation for nature on its grandest scale.

If you get a chance, show a kid around the night sky this summer. They'll never forget it. Here are six sights to try:

US Phoenix Lands On Mars

NASA'S Phoenix landed on Mars Sunday, May 25, 2008, 4:53 P.M. , after a 10-month, 679 million - kilometer journey. The Phoenix Mars Lander joins in a 90-day mission study of Mar's northern polar region to see if the red planet possesses raw ingredients needed for life to emerge.

Images sent back by Phoenix shows a landscape similar in appearance to icy ground in the Earth's arctic regions. Scientists are dazzled with the first-ever glimpse of Mar's high northern polar region.

Gift Ideas for Stargazers

Looking for a Christmas gift for a young stargazer? Here are a few fun and educational suggestions that will hold the attention of a restless young mind.

See A Strange and Surprising Comet Tonight

There's an unexpected visitor in the northern night sky this fall. Comet Holmes, an obscure cosmic snowball that swings around the sun every 7 years or so, has suddenly brightened by almost a million times to become plainly visible to the naked eye. Its sudden brightening has caught astronomers completely by surprise.