The night sky contains so many wonders that you’ll never be able to see them all in a lifetime. One of my most favourite activities when I’m out walking at night among our vacation cottages here in the Radium Hot Springs area of the Columbia Valley, is to “stargaze”. Just stand or sit there in my cottage chair, staring at the many stars and constellations that seem to twinkle so bright. I’ll admit that I am an amateur “stargazer” or “backyard astronomer” as I don’t know the names of most of the stars let alone where they are in the night sky. But I do know of the most common ones such as the “Little Dipper”, the “Big Dipper”, the “North” star, “Cassiopeia” and “Orion”, thanks in part to my father.

My father always told me to “familiarize” myself with or “befriend” the night sky with its millions of stars; “it may help you if I ever get lost out in the wilderness” he used to say. The cool thing with the stars above is they faithfully return to the same area of the sky every year like clockwork. For us living in the northern hemisphere, the rising of the Pleiades is as much a sign of the coming autumn and winter season as is the turning of the leaves around us; and the Vega sparkling in the east is a forerunner of spring, just like the first geese flying north or the first robins in your yard.

I don’t have a telescope, remember I mentioned that I am an amateur, but my trusty binoculars are always by my side when I’m sitting there on the veranda staring up. Many stars you’ll see easily with your naked eye, especially if you our out in complete darkness, which the Radium Hot Springs/Lake Windermere area or any “rural” setting affords. Far enough away from the city lights will almost guarantee you a spectacular show. Even the Milky Way will appear as a bright band stretching right across the heavens.

You can do your stargazing throughout the year, even just once a month, so that you can see the constellations gradually shift through the seasons as the Earth orbits the Sun, though I’m out there as often as I can. As winter turns to spring, you’ll see Orion set and Leo rise, to be replaced by the Summer Triangle then by autumn’s Square of Pegasus. The Summer Triangle isn’t really a constellation but is a large triangle of three bright stars (Vega, Altair and Deneb) right in the middle of the summer night sky.

Another group of stars you may spot up there are “The Seven Sisters” or “The Pleiades”. With your naked eye it’s only really possible to see six stars but with your binoculars more come into view. If you find it difficult to keep your binoculars steady, sometimes I do while looking up, place your elbows against a wall or on a table.

If you have access to a computer, why not try a planetarium program such as www.stellarium.org, which is free. You are able to set it to your location and time so it will show exactly what’s up there as you are gazing. The program will show you all the stars, planets and galaxies and it’s great for all ages.

While taking the time to look at the night sky, don’t be surprised to see some “moving stars” that take a few minutes to travel from one side of the sky to the other. These “moving stars” sometimes sparkle and flash as they turn around. Really though, what you are looking at are satellites, manmade “moons” that circle the Earth. Don’t confuse these with actual stars that you may see “falling” or soring across the night sky.

So on your next vacation, while there typically are a lot of activities to do during the day, why not try to end the day relaxing under the night sky, taking in the scents of the surrounding forests, the camp fire, the clear night air and the views of the heavens above.