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Here's the US light pollution map: http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/ and here's what the colours mean: http://cleardarksky.com/lp/VndbtPObNYlp.html?Mn=cameras If you haven't been to a truly dark sky (blue or darker on that map) then you really owe it to yourself to go. Just take yourself and some binoculars and look up. Mind-blowing. Unfortunately, the skies are just getting brighter the whole time. Whilst LEDs are more directional, they're also brighter and they deliver whiter light that does more harm to your dark adaptation and is harder to filter out. If LEDs were used properly, we might have a chance for getting better illumination and an improvement in light pollution. From what I've been seeing, though, LEDs are just going to make things worse.

This might be helpful in determining if you want to stay up or wake up early for this:

http://cleardarksky.com/csk/

Secondly, get the students to each learn to use the telescope during the day when the moon is up. This will give them an understanding of how each mirror folds and bends the light in order to bring it to the eye. See if they can work out where Jupiter or Venus are located during the day (if it's not too close to the sun). Explain why telescopes need to move and what angles they need to be set at in order to continue to observe a given object.

Start with the most 'boring' objects first and work up to the moon. This will keep their attention more focused. Bring binoculars and make sure there are a variety of simulaneous activities for them to do so that they are not bored while they wait to use the telescope.

Have them build red LED flashlights so that they do not lose their nighttime/dark adaption.

If you don't already have a computer with Linux, download and burn an iso of knoppix http://www.knoppix.net./ It is completely free software and includes kstars - astronomy software which can show all the objects that you can observe with a 4" scope. Put the DVD in the computer's drive and boot it. No installation required.

One of the main questions you'll get is: Can we see Saturn (or any other object)? The answer is never simple. Depending on time of day etc, you may or may not be able to see Saturn. They need to understand why they can't see Saturn and how they can predict when they might see it next.

Never underestimate what kids take away from an experience with astronomy. They may not refer to it or bring it up again, but it will give them a profound sense of where they are in the universe. If you can open their eyes to one of the fastest advancing fields of science, you will have done a wonderful thing.

The night sky can be rather unforgiving and frustrating if you don't know what to look for.

Speaking of not being frustrated by the night sky, I can't recommend strongly enough this site. Know your viewing conditions in advance!

It's sad how light polluted even farmland is these days. I live in eastern Iowa. I mean, you'd think, "Iowa! You must have great viewing conditions, right?"

Mediocre at best..

How much we've polluted our night skies is tragic. If you want a low Bortle limit in the US, you have to go to remote parts of the desert southwest or rockies. And I hate to think of it, but I doubt even that will be the case by the time our kids reach our age.

I've been using Clear Sky Clocks for years. Find a clock near you and then click on "Light pollution map." From there, click on link road map and you can find where good and bad skies are. Have fun.

Does anyone know of a database dark sites, or how I could find a place near me?

You're in exactly the same position I was in four months ago, though with more budget. Although I'll give you the same advice I took:

Start with binoculars. I spent a grand total of $140 on a pair of 30x80 binoculars, and put them on top of a $30 camera tripod I already had. Very inexpensive start. Binoculars make it easier to find objects because they have a wider field of vision, so they're great for beginners. Also, if it turns out that astronomy isn't your thing, it's a much softer blow on your pocket. With much less than your budget you could get a much nicer pair of binoculars and a better mount. Starting with binoculars will also let you decide if you're more interested in observing lunar vs. planetary vs. DSOs (deep sky objects), which is a decision that can impact your choice of scope later. Binoculars are also great even if you have a scope, especially if you're doing photography. They let you keep looking at the sky while your camera is taking the picture!

For a $1000 budget I wouldn't try for astrophotography yet. Concentrate on getting a nice telescope first. If you start with a cheap scope you're more likely to get discouraged or disappointed after a while. Seeing as how you will want to one day move into astrophotography, though, make sure you get one on a german equatorial mount. You can't take long exposures if you don't have an equatorial mount -- with other mounts, even if the scope tracks the sky, the view will rotate within the eyepiece.

With your budget, a standard newtonian will get the most bang for your buck. You might start by taking a look at Celestron's Advanced Series. You can get a 6" for $800 or so, and an 8" for just over $1,000, complete with GOTO mount and tripod. Although if you know you're more interested in viewing planets, I see that Zhumell has a 6" refractor for about $800. Refractors are generally regarded as better for planetary viewing.

Also check out www.astromart.com for used equipment. There are lots of amateur astronomers selling their scopes to help afford upgrades!

A real must is a red flashlight -- red light doesn't ruin your night-vision, which can take up to 30 minutes to fully get. Go out with a white light, and you ruin 30 minutes of night vision every time you look at your star charts.

Also get a planisphere to help learn the constellations, and a sky atlas for help locating objects.

For software, the new Google sky is great, as is stellarium. I've also located a free package called Cartes du Ciel that is great for printing out sky maps.

Also, check out www.cloudynights.com -- it's a great source of articles and reviews, as well as friendly forums. Another good resource I've recently found is http://obs.nineplanets.org/lm/rjm.html -- if you're logging your observations or just want to talk about them on CloudyNights later, that page has a method to help determine how good your seeing is. Also, look for a Clear Sky Clock http://cleardarksky.com/csk/ in your area to help you be prepared for good/bad nights.

Clear skys!

Yeah, if you're in Moab, you really want to head southwest into Canyonlands National Park. That'll get you deep into Bortle Scale 1 territory.

By the way -- I really must plug http://www.cleardarksky.com. Just discovered it a week ago, and it's great for planning telescope viewings :)

Yeah, if you're in Moab, you really want to head southwest into Canyonlands National Park. That'll get you deep into Bortle Scale 1 territory.

By the way -- I really must plug http://www.cleardarksky.com. Just discovered it a week ago, and it's great for planning telescope viewings :)

The moon will have set by then.

It's also worth noting that the moon is only 3 days old. Even if it was still up at the meteor shower's peak, it wouldn't affect its visibility much.

Also, you'll still be able to see plenty of meteors next week if it's cloudy. These showers are typically still active throughout the month.

Check out Clear Skys to see the posibility to see past the clouds in your area.
http://cleardarksky.com/csk/

The Northen lights happen about the clouds so a combination of sun activity and clear skys are needed to view them.

Actually this is gives just a rough idea of what light pollution you might experience. If you want to find out more, you can look at the The World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness.

If you are in north america, the Clear Sky Clock gives you an quick way to see what light pollution is like on your clock having extracted sections from the atlas. For instance the Montreal clock clock gives this map for Montreal. Clearly not a great location for astronomy.

But the worst, is to realise that this loss of light results in actual light pollution since much of this electricity has been generated with fossil fuels which produces the CO, NOX, CO2 and eventually SMOG.

Actually this is gives just a rough idea of what light pollution you might experience. If you want to find out more, you can look at the The World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness.

If you are in north america, the Clear Sky Clock gives you an quick way to see what light pollution is like on your clock having extracted sections from the atlas. For instance the Montreal clock clock gives this map for Montreal. Clearly not a great location for astronomy.

But the worst, is to realise that this loss of light results in actual light pollution since much of this electricity has been generated with fossil fuels which produces the CO, NOX, CO2 and eventually SMOG.

Actually this is gives just a rough idea of what light pollution you might experience. If you want to find out more, you can look at the The World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness.

If you are in north america, the Clear Sky Clock gives you an quick way to see what light pollution is like on your clock having extracted sections from the atlas. For instance the Montreal clock clock gives this map for Montreal. Clearly not a great location for astronomy.

But the worst, is to realise that this loss of light results in actual light pollution since much of this electricity has been generated with fossil fuels which produces the CO, NOX, CO2 and eventually SMOG.

If you have access to one, that is. Unfortunately, with the exception of Jupiter and Saturn, don't expect too much. Mars is 6 months past opposition, and very small in a scope, even at high power. Venus won't show much more than a featureless gibbous disk. Jupiter and Saturn will show a wealth of detail, however. Saturn is in the constellation Gemini, and Jupiter is in Leo. The best time for both is when they are up highest in the sky, which for Saturn is as soon as you can see it, and Jupiter hits the zenith about midnight. Check out Clear Sky Clocks for your area and pay close attention to the "Seeing" forecast if you are using a scope. Happy observing! Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the Moon. It will set early, and won't show much "face" to check out telescopically. A cool thing to show your non-astronomical significant other is to draw line through the ecliptic with your finger and then tell them to think how we are between Venus and Mars. Most people will be impressed.

• Cassini's Division
• South Polar Hood
• Shadow of planet on ring system
• South Equatorial belts and zones
• Enke Division (need a big scope)
• Crepe ring (need a big scope)
  
  

If you are in north america the best weather forcasts for astronomy observations are at the
Clear Sky Clock

Go in the site and find a clock near you. It's quite accurate.