Cool Gift of the Day
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
What it is:
A combination of GPS technology and astronomy that gives you a clear view (and understanding) of the night sky.
Why we love it:
Sometimes we run across a new gadget so clever, so awe-inspiringly cool that we just have to sit back and be, well, awed. The Celestron SkyScout is one such gadget, and we're thoroughly amazed by it. We've all looked up into the night sky with wonder; mostly we were wondering what the heck we were looking at (Is that the big dipper?). The SkyScout, which has been heaped (deservedly) with awards for innovation and daring gadgetry, ends one kind of wondering (the "is that Orion, or Scorpio?" kind) and begins the kind of wondering that's a lot more fun. What it does is simple (which is to say, not really simple at all); turn it on and it uses GPS technology to locate where it is on the globe, point it up into the sky and it recognizes the direction and angle so that you can point it at any visible object in the sky and it will immediately begin providing you with scrolling information about the object's nature and history on the display screen, or you can plug in earphones and listen to the description instead. If you're looking for a particular object in the sky and can't find it, the locate function will use arrows to help you find your target. It's like walking around with an entire planetarium in the palm of your hand. How's that for a sense of wonder?
Where to get it:
From
Astronomics for a heavenly $399.00