Tip Center Category: Valentine's Day Stars

Get Her a Star For Valentine's Day

Look to the heavens for ideas on unique Valentine’s Day gifts. Name a Star Live offers deluxe gift sets that make thoughtful, unique gifts for women… a true necessity for the most romantic of holidays. Each Name a Star Live gift set lets you symbolically name a star for your loved one and launch that star name and a personalized message into space.

More importantly, it also provides an opportunity to share an experience. Gazing up at the night sky and searching for “her star” is a romantic activity two can share. Additionally, for couples separated by distance, a named star can provide symbolic closeness as two lovers both view the same night sky no matter how far apart they are on Earth.

Name a Star gifts enable the perfect couple’s activity: stargazing. Many gift sets also include a star chart and Virtual Planetarium™ software to help you and your Valentine find the star in the vast sky.

Romantic Valentine's Day Stargazing

When you’re stargazing on Valentine’s Day, be sure to view the romantic stars and constellations. One of the most popular viewing opportunities during the Valentine’s Day stargazing season is a bright red star (actually, a red giant star) commonly called Betelgeuse, but also known as the Valentine’s Star.

Search out Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion using a star chart. The Valentine’s Star is located off one of the shoulders of Orion and glows red, so it’s easier to spot than some other individual stars. Orion can easily be seen from most locations on Earth in mid-February.

If you don’t have a star chart handy, you can find Orion by locating four bright stars in a rough box-shaped pattern. You’ll also see three bright stars at a slight angle in the center. The three stars make up Orion’s Belt. The four bright stars forming the box-shape represent Orion’s shoulders and feet.

The Gift of a Binary Star System

When you name a star for Valentine’s Day, you don’t have to choose a single name for a single star. Why not get personalized Valentine gifts for the two of you? His-n-her star naming options are available with the Name a Star Live binary star selection.

A binary star is a star system where two stars share an orbit around what astronomers call a “center of mass.” Binary star systems are much different from stars that simply appear to be close together to the naked eye. Binary stars, much like a romantic couple, share a common territory and have a “relationship,” with each closely affecting the other.

By choosing a binary star system as a thoughtful Valentine’s gift, you put a special twist on the traditional Valentine’s Day present. Any time you and your Valentine look up into the sky, you’ll be reminded of the bond between you, now immortalized in the heavens.

Viewing Your Binary Stars

When you buy a binary star system gift package as your unique Valentine’s Day gift to a loved one, take the time to learn more about these unique celestial objects. Name a Star Live’s Virtual Planetarium™ is a great place to begin any research. Though, you can start by understanding the different types of binary star.

Binary stars are classified into four distinct sorts, and some can share characteristics across different types. For example, many visual binaries can be eclipsing binaries.

Some binary stars are visual binaries. Astronomers viewing visual binaries through a telescope can often discern the two distinct bodies.

There are also spectroscopic binaries. Spectroscopic binaries are very close together and they feature a high orbital velocity.

An eclipsing binary star is a binary star that features mutual eclipses when observed. These occur when the gazer’s line of sight aligns with the stars’ orbits.

Astrometric binaries seemingly “wobble” alone when observed. Astronomers believe these stars are aligned with an unobservable companion.

Valentine's Day Stargazing: Gemini

Stars make unique Valentine’s Day gifts because enjoying them is something the a couple can do together at any time. In fact, it may spark a new interest in astronomy.

Are you looking for other stars and constellations to explore after you’ve located your gift star in the sky? There are many constellations with ideal viewing times in February. For example, the constellation Gemini is visible in the northern hemisphere of Earth from late fall through mid-spring.

On a star chart, Gemini resembles two stick figures—representing the twins Castor and Pollux from Greek mythology. Castor and Pollux are also the names of the two most prominent stars in the constellation. Each star appears as the head of each stick figure, Castor is the uppermost figure, with the brighter Pollux located below.

Valentine's Day Stargazing For Kids

Stars make great Valentine’s gifts for kids, and Name a Star Live’s gift sets include many options for little astronomers. These options include the Virtual Planetarium™ software DVD, the Star Bear plush teddy bear, and an informational star chart, perfect for both navigating the night sky and decorating a bedroom.

Name A Star Live also offers its Ultimate Children’s Gift Set, which includes the “Twilight Turtle Star Projector.” Twilight Turtle projects a complete starry night sky onto the walls and ceiling of any room. Choose from three soothing color options – blue, green, and amber – to create magical, tranquil environments that are ideal for helping children of all ages ease into a restful sleep.

Parents can also sit with their children and identify 8 major constellations within Twilight’s star pattern using the wonderfully illustrated Star Guide.

Time on SLOOH

What makes Name a Star Live’s gift star packages such unique gifts for women are the additional features. Name a Star Live’s parent company, Space Services, performs actual space launches; that is, they are a real space exploration company not unlike NASA. That is how each star name purchased through Name a Star Live is launched into Earth orbit.

Perhaps their most exciting feature is SLOOH, a robotically controlled online telescope. Name A Star Live is the only name-a-star company to offer SLOOH. Anyone purchasing certain Name a Star Live personalized Valentine’s Day gift packages gains access to SLOOH, allowing both the gift giver and recipient to view the actual gift star in the cosmos. With SLOOH, one sees the actual star, not a simulation, picture, or animation. In addition, SLOOH’s easy to use online interface allows individuals to take pictures of the star to share with others.

SLOOH actually consists of telescopes located in observatories located around the world, including Europe, South America and Australia. SLOOH’s equipment is much more powerful than any telescope available for commercial purchase. In addition, SLOOH views are not hampered by light pollution, which is a common problem for most astronomy enthusiasts.