Stargazing sites seek to excite surfers

By Daniel Sieberg
CNN Science and Technology

(CNN) -- Many people have heard of Orion, the Big Dipper or the North Star. But when was the last time you actually saw them?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to learn the basics about constellations, meteors and stargazing. It does take a dark place, maybe a decent pair of binoculars and some patience.

As summer enters its final weeks, Surfing Into Saturday offers some sites to put stars in your eyes.

The Astronomical League

Don't know where to get started? Feeling a bit star-struck? The Astronomical League site offers links to local observing clubs, an e-mail news service and links to external sites. It's composed of more than 240 local amateur societies, making it one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world. The site's mandate is to encourage astronomy and guide people to the best telescopes in hopes that they'll "use them to view the beauty in the heavens." Celestial.

• http://www.astroleague.org

Sky & Telescope
This week's sky at a glance

Whether you're looking at the northern sky or the southern sky, Sky & Telescope magazine's site has you covered. The handiest feature of this site is the weekly breakdown of what's lighting up the night. Some of the language may be a bit technical, but there are illustrations included to help map your viewing preferences. Phases of the moon are also listed.

• http://www.skypub.com/sights/sights.shtml

StarDate

The McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas operates this site -- the observatory is located 450 miles west of Austin, in the Davis Mountains. The site has regularly updated features on stargazing and space-related news. There's also an easy-to-read calendar on the phases of the moon and a sunrise-sunset calculator. A constellation guide allows you to search for your favorite group of stars based on the time of year, and it explains the difference between Pegasus and Perseus.

• http://stardate.org/

NASA's Space Calendar

Don't know what to look for? Well, look no further. NASA's Space Calendar is perhaps the most far-reaching list of stargazing events and happenings in the galaxy. Not only does it offer objects to focus on in the sky -- asteroids, comets and planets -- but it also links to stargazing events occurring on terra firma, occasions on which people can unite to look at the light.

• http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar