STELLARIUM: View the Sky on Your Computer

For a long time, I have always thought that it would be fun for both myself and for my students to incorporate a lesson on astronomy with my mythology unit, showing the constellations behind the myths.  I thought of those night lights that project stars onto the ceiling, or the glow-in-the-dark stick-on stars that you can attach to your walls.  With Stellarium, I think I have finally found what I have been looking for all along.  Stellarium is a completely  free download that turns your computer into the night sky.  Of course, this would be especially fun if you could project the sky onto your classroom ceiling, but a white board or wall of any type would work just fine.  I love the ability to add outlines or artwork of the constellations (for my purposes).  If you feel like doing some actual field research out in nature, you can choose "night mode" to reduce the strain on your eyes when alternately viewing your laptop and the sky.  Below I'm embedding a screencast of myself playing around with the features of Stellarium. 

Also, while you're at it, listen to some excellent celestial-appropriate music by Kevin McLeod.  You can hear more of his royalty-free music HERE.

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