Gamma gamma baby

When we were little, our family would stay up super-late and have 'Stargazing Nights' at my music teacher's house. We would lay blankets and sleeping bags out in the middle of the yard, keeping plenty of fluffy pillows, tasty snacks and hot chocolate drinks on hand. Janet was also a science teacher so she knew a lot about stars and constellations, and kept quite a number of books on the subject. Those books were fascinating; filled with constellation diagrams, information on planets and historical myths. We would study them, then try to find the stars in the skies overhead. Having learned about the night skies and all their mysterious workings, we would then go inside and have hotdogs, before mum and dad sleepily took us home and tucked us into bed. Those stargazing nights were so much fun, and I still remember most of what we learned because it was so hands-on and hugely interesting to me.

The month of April this year has been designated Global Astronomy Month. This global outreach event hopes to generate interest in astronomy for people all over the world. You can find out more about Global Astronomy Month here. Another good place to go for Queensland information is the Astronomical Association of Queensland website. It's got a really good guide for Astrophotography as well.

Get right into GAM and make a proper month of it. Its the perfect time of year now - not too hot, not too cold. Make sure you have plenty of blankets, food and warm drinks. My recommendations? A big cob loaf to munch on and hot mocha drinks to battle attacks of the sleeps. Borrow some astronomy books from the library. You'll also want binoculars, a torch and - if you've got one - this is absolutely the time to pull out your trusty old telescope from high school. Have fun learning stuff you never thought you would! xx OTIG