International Astronomy Day is observed each year on a Saturday near the first quarter moon between mid-April and mid-May. This year it falls on April 8.. Interested in astronomy? Stargazing in your backyard is a simple first step. Experts advise us to learn the sky with the naked eye before investing in a pair of binoculars (and don't even think about a telescope yet!) More great advice can be found online in these marvelous sites.

Astronomy for Kids
"Leave it to adults to take something as exciting and beautiful as the sky and make it boring! We are going to have a GREAT time exploring the universe we live in. . . . Adults are welcome to join us as long as they behave." Best clicks are Puzzles (for three astronomy-themed word searches) and Sky Maps (for timely advice on what to look for in the sky tonight.) I also liked Planets, where you'll find oodles of good stuff for school reports.

Skywatching from Earth & Sky
Ever wish you had an experienced astronomer standing by your side to guide you to tonight's sky? Meet Deborah Byrd -- author of this monthly Skywatching column (my don't-miss-it pick of the week.) "Each day's segment is designed to guide your eye to something you can see that night, or the next morning before dawn. It might be a constellation, a star, or a planet. Or it might be a celestial event, such as an eclipse. Or, just for fun, on some days Deborah might take you (in your imagination) on a trip to another planet, to give you the view from there."

Star Journey National Geographic
The Hubble Space Telescope has been our photographer-in-the-sky since 1990. Circling the Earth every ninety-seven minutes, orbiting 370 miles above our atmosphere, the Hubble sees "ten times more clearly into the cosmos than typical Earth-based equipment; it can see objects one-billionth as bright as the human eye can see." National Geographic's Star Journey is a three- pronged look at the stars: the Hubble Space Telescope, Star Attractions (the constellations), and Star Chart (sky maps superimposed with images from Hubble.)