CBS3 SummerFest At Home: Out-Of-This-World Star-Gazing Advice From Franklin Institute's Chief Astronomer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you're looking for activities the whole family can enjoy together, how about a little star-gazing? CBS3's Kate Bilo caught up with one of our favorite experts for some out-of-this-world advice.
She got a chance to catch up with the Franklin Institute's chief astronomer Derrick Pitts.
For many of us amateur astronomers, summer is a great time to get outside and explore the sky.
"It's a great time to learn constellations, figure out how to identify planets and generally become a really well-trained amateur astronomer," Pitts said.
So what do you need to get started?
"People always assume that if you want to do astronomy, you have to have some kind of a telescope. I'm here to tell you you don't need that at all. All you need to be able to do is to understand and/or recognize the difference of certain types of objects in the sky," Pitts said.
A pair of regular binoculars can do the trick.
Planets like Jupiter and Saturn will be easily visible this summer.
"Stars twinkle but planets don't," Pitts said of telling the difference.
As part of the Franklin Institute's "Franklin at Home" program, Pitts is hosting night skies at home. It's every Thursday evening at 7:45 p.m.
You can learn more about sky watching and Pitts will answer your astronomy questions. For more on the program, check out the Franklin Institute's Facebook page.
Watch the video for more.
