With the clear evenings, you might be hearing more from your kids along the lines of: "What's that shiny light in the sky? How about that one? And that one?"

If you're like me, you say "I think that's Venus. Uh, or maybe that's Venus. Maybe Mars? A UFO?" Because I don't have a clue.

But to get a handle on what the sky has to offer, try meeting up with a stargazers group, like the Seattle Astronomical Society. The Pacific Science Center's Alice Enevoldsen provides the local gazing gossip -- info on groups, plus the best spots for spotting stars, like the UW Observatory. I didn't even know we had an observatory in Seattle.

These opportunities are probably best for elementary-aged kids and up.

Read more at Pacific Science Center's site, AstroInfo. Alice also has her own site, and offers a podcast on what you can spy in Seattle's July and August skies.

Know of other great sources? E-mail Lora at littlekidsbigcity@nwsource.com. Read past entries at http://littlekidsbigcity.com.

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