Tip Center Category: Christmas Stars

Buy a Star For Christmas

If you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift idea, why not consider purchasing a star for Christmas? This fun, environmentally-aware seasonal gift provides years of learning and enjoyment.

The first step to buying Christmas stars is to decide on a single star or binary star system. Single stars are great choices for an only child, but if there is a brother or sister in the family, a binary star child Christmas gift is a better selection; it can pique both children’s interest in astronomy and avoid any sibling rivalry.

Name a Star Live offers multiple gift packages, including those catered toward children. The Star Bear Gift Set includes a star name, downloadable star certificate, the star and message launched into Earth orbit, a launch certificate, and a plush teddy bear, perfect for the little ones. Other gift sets include the Virtual Planetarium™ software, a wonderful learning aid for young astronomers, and a live viewing of the named star via the SLOOH robotically-controlled telescope. Name A Star Live is the only star-naming company to offer the exciting SLOOH service.

Ideal Viewing Times for Your Gift Star

When you purchase a star for Christmas, one thing to keep in mind about helping a new star gazer explore the sky is the seasonal visibility of some constellations and star systems. If your Christmas star is located in a constellation that is better viewed in the spring or summer, you may still enjoy this unique Christmas gift idea via SLOOH, Name a Star Live’s robotically-controlled online telescope (if included in the gift package). Also, you could start by researching the star online or through the Virtual Planetarium™ software, locating where it will be most visible in the night sky once the ideal viewing season comes around.

Another thing to do when you name a star for Christmas is to pinpoint the location of the gift star and see if it’s close to any constellations that are in prime viewing season during the winter. If you can’t see the gift star very well until later in the year, you can at least find the general area and explore its neighbors. The night sky is always full of wonders.

Wintertime Indoor Stargazing

Winter stargazing is great fun, and when you’ve named a star for Christmas it can be a very special event to search for that star for the very first time. In some regions, winter star viewing can be challenging because of the cold weather; if you want to maximize the enjoyment of winter stargazing, consider getting started indoors by viewing the sky through a window.

You want as clear a view of the sky as possible, so make sure you are viewing through a completely open window; even a screen can blur your view.

Turn off all the lights in the room and view the sky in the complete dark, if possible. Wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and then try to find the location of your gift star and nearby constellations. Start with the naked eye and then move to a set of binoculars or a telescope.

Don’t be frustrated if the limited viewing hinders your efforts. Once you are able to go outside and see the full night sky, you and your children will be all the more amazed.

Using Telescopes and Binoculars in the Winter

Sometimes the temptation of a clear night winter sky is too much, and you decide to brave the elements to view the winter and Christmas stars. Are you using a pair of binoculars or a telescope to look at the constellations? There’s one trick you should know to make the time you spend outside dedicated to star gazing rather than trying to clean or de-fog your optics.

When moving a telescope or binoculars from indoors to outdoors, try putting the equipment outside in a car or garage about ten minutes before using them. By letting your equipment acclimatize to the cold first, you eliminate the chance for any fogging that might occur as a result of the quick temperature change. In the end, you won’t waste any valuable stargazing time trying to wipe off the lenses in the nighttime cold.

Astronomy 101: A Unique Christmas Gift Idea

What makes Name a Star Live’s star gift sets so appealing as a child Christmas gift, is that you can purchase a star for Christmas, and also receive an “Astronomy 101” set for any young space enthusiast.

For example, the Children’s Ultimate Gift Set includes the Virtual Planetarium™ software DVD, the Twilight Turtle star projector, live viewing of the star on the robotically-controlled online telescope SLOOH, and a star chart, all coupled with the star name registered, a framed star certificate, and the star name and personal message launched into Earth orbit. With all this, you can tell your budding astronaut that his or her star gift helped fund an actual space launch.

This entire set is enough to get any young mind racing toward the heavens, providing both the educational resources to further explore astronomy and the sense of adventure and excitement that come with being involved in a real space mission.