BCC’s planetarium also reproduces the night sky within 900 light years of the sun. It shows stars’ positions in three dimensions, as well as motions of the sun, moon and planets, and simulates realistic journeys in space. Professor Art Goss schedules public presentations for as many as 60 people.

Mercer Island School District used to belong to a consortium of schools, colleges, Pacific Science Center, Museum of Flight and NASA to get fourth- to ninth-graders excited about science. “Project ASTRO” sadly lost its funding last year, yet a few teacher-astronomer partnerships linger. Thelma Ritchie, 5th grade teacher at Island Park Elementary, and astronomer partner Ed Mannery, retired UW and NASA engineer who worked on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, recently helped Island Park students construct a telescope.

Ritchie laments ASTRO’s demise, since the only astronomy and aeronautics in the elementary curriculum are fifth grade units on flight, rocketry and the solar system, and second grade “phases of the moon.” She says, “elementary teachers are becoming less involved in such programs because of state requirements and expectations. Every minute of our day is governed by State standards, and it’s impossible to fit in extras.”

Perhaps “No Child Left Behind” is leaving behind discovery and exploration?

Ritchie continues to provide extracurricular night viewings for families to see the moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Orion Nebula, and others. She also takes her fifth graders to the Museum of Flight each year for a simulated mission to Mars.

The Eastside Astronomical Association holds star-gazing parties at Lake Hills Greenbelt Park (Phantom Lake) in Bellevue. Although, Saturday, April 14, at the Museum of Flight, “Yuri’s Night – World Space Party” will be celebrated from 7-10 p.m. Yuri Gagarin was the first human to go into space on April 12, 1961. The U.S. Space Shuttle first launched April 12, 1981. “Yuri’s Night” is like the St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo for space.

Win Yapp, 89-year-old woman veteran of WWII who has attended church on MI since 1991, taught pilots how to navigate by the celestial bodies. Her contingents who flew to Germany and England from her Florida base had very accurate bombing records, so she must have taught them well.

Her ways have been replaced by satellite navigation receivers (GPS). But Yapp’s methods can be used without ground aids, have global coverage, can’t be jammed (except by clouds), and don’t give off any signals that can be detected by the enemy.

Her tips for directionally challenged folks are “to look for the brightest star at night (Polaris) and that’s north. If the sun’s just setting, that’s west!” She adds that many nights the sky map isn’t much use due to bright city lights and heavy cloud covers.

Want to become a tiny piece in the national weather puzzle? Colorado State University’s Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network seeks rain collectors to report amounts in their neighborhood online each day. Because “every drop counts,” this nationwide network will provide more comprehensive data for natural resource research. So far, 17 states are represented. No volunteers in Washington yet. Be the first: www.cocorahs.org

Another communal reporting group is comprised of thousands of radio-astronomers worldwide who Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). SETI League employs radiotelescopes (large dishes) to detect microwave radiation from afar. With so many eyes in the sky, the group has a greater chance to document intelligent life elsewhere.

Back to Earth: Hat’s off to city staff, under direction of Marcy Olson, and landscape contractors whose handiwork is resplendent around parks, public buildings and in town. The colorful median planters downtown and pots at City Hall are thanks to Penguin Gardens; I-90 park work is contracted out in partnership with the state; and Pacific Osaka Group mows lawns and maintains gardens around City Hall.

If you visit the woods and trails on the Island, you will see white and green cartons scattered throughout the hillsides. Don’t mistake them for litter — they are “Rain Birds,” slow-releasing gel that supplements natural irrigation. The contents slowly dissolve and provide moisture for up to 90 days to give new plants their best shot.

Reach Nancy Gould-Hilliard at nancybobhilliard@msn.com.