Welcome to The Deep science and technology column where we cover topics from the deep sea to deep space and beyond.

I usually write about science topics here in The Deep column but today’s column will be a little different.  Instead of just reading about science, you’re going to learn how you can help science.
Many of you are aware that in addition to writing this column, I am also the Coordinator of the University of Guam Planetarium.  I’m a Coordinator and not a Director because Directors direct people.  It’s a part of the title, if you’re a Director, you have staff or people who report to you and at the UOG Planetarium, I’m it.  There is no staff.  Just me.

And having said that, I have to have one of the most wonderful jobs in the world.  How cool is it that your job is to look at and study about something stunningly beautiful?  How cool is it that you get to see that wonderful moment of comprehension on a child's face (adult faces too!) when they finally understand something for the first time?

The UOG Planetarium has a unique distinction.  The community of planetarians (the name for people who run planetariums) is small.  There are only about a thousand of us worldwide.  Several years ago I asked a question on our bulletin board, and got an interesting answer.  The University of Guam Planetarium is the most isolated planetarium in the world.  Your Planetarium facility is 1500 miles from the nearest Planetarium in all directions.  It is a unique resource and many of you have entered its doors both as children and adults.

Unfortunately, like all of GovGuam, the University of Guam is having financial difficulties.  Since the primary service of the Planetarium is not to the University, but to the community, it is one of the budget items that is scheduled for deletion.  But instead of simply closing the Planetarium’s doors and letting me go, they have allowed me to try and fundraise the Planetarium’s operating budget.  And that’s where you come in.

It’s public show week in the Planetarium and this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11, 12 and 13 October, you can come to the Planetarium, have a little fun and help me keep the doors of this unique resource open for the people of Guam.  You see, this weekend, I’m selling the Planetarium’s stars!
We’ve all heard those radio commercials that propose to ‘name a star’ for you or your loved ones.  There has been an international prohibition against officially naming stars for people for centuries, but that doesn’t stop the radio hucksters.  Their stars may be too dim to see with the unaided eye and their names certainly aren’t official, but they keep taking people’s money anyway.  But what I propose to do is a little different.

Every star you see at night when you look up already has a name.  Most of the bright stars have proper names like Sirius or Altair but many of the dimmer stars you see at night are known by a letter of the Greek alphabet coupled with a form of their constellation’s name.  Omicron Andromedae is the seventh brightest star in the constellation Andromeda the Princess.  Mu Tauri is a relatively bright star in Taurus the Bull.

One of the things that I really like about the instrument at the UOG Planetarium is that the ‘sky’ in the Planetarium looks almost exactly the same as the real night sky here on Guam if you get away from the streetlights.  And the really wonderful thing is that it IS possible to get away from the streetlights here.  The lovely night sky is disappearing from the view of most of the people on Planet Earth.  The misdirected light from millions of streetlights washes out the ancient light of stars.

BE A STAR	If you can see a star in the University of Guam Planetarium, you’ll be able to find that same star in the real sky; if the clouds don’t block your view.  And that’s the reason that one of my major fund raising campaigns is to ‘sell’ the UOG Planetarium stars. Here’s how it works.  This weekend, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, come to the UOG Planetarium with your cash, checkbook or credit card in hand.  The Planetarium is located on the second floor of the Science Building on the University’s main campus.  The Science Building is the first large two-story building on your left as you enter the main campus; it has “Science” written on the front.  When you come to the Science Building this weekend, you’ll see some ‘mobile bulletin boards’ as you come in the front door.  All 800 stars visible in the UOG Planetarium and in the real night sky will be listed by name on those boards along with their constellation, their magnitude (how bright they are) and their price.  The doors of the Planetarium will open at 6:00 p.m. all three nights and at 6:30 p.m. we’ll start selling the Planetarium stars.
BUY A STAR

Would you like to own the sky’s brightest star?  The star’s name is Sirius, which means “shining one” and it will cost you $500.  Would you like to buy the Planetarium Moon and give it to your sweetie for Christmas?  Another $500.  If you’d like to buy Canopus, the second brightest star and one of the very few stars in the sky named for a real person; it will cost you $100 as will the rest of the 10 brightest stars.  (With the exception of Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star and closest star to the Sun.  Alpha Centauri is $500).  Would you like to own an ENTIRE galaxy?  We have four galaxies for sale!

The 11th through the 20th brightest stars are $50 each and the brightest star of any constellation is $20 (assuming it doesn’t cost more).  All the stars in Zodiac constellations (Taurus the Bull, Leo the Lion, Gemini the Twins, etc.) are $20 and the brightest star of a Zodiac constellation is $25.
All the other stars in the dome (and that’s most of them) are $10 each.  Want to buy a star in Andromeda the Princess for your little girl?  Most of them are $10.  A star in Perseus the Hero for your little boy?  Most are $10.

So . . . . what do you get for your money?  You’ll get a nice certificate saying you own the star but most importantly you’ll get a star chart that will let you find your star in the Planetarium sky.  Of course, most of you won’t bring your star charts back to the Planetarium.  You’ll use them to find your star in the REAL sky.

And that’s what I hope your really get for your money.  I hope you and your children will gain a little knowledge.  After you choose a star, take the time to learn about it.  Although I list meanings for many of the star names, I wasn’t able to find all of them.  What does your star’s name mean?  How far from the Sun is it?  What kind of star is it?  Is it bigger or smaller than the Sun?  What’s the history behind the constellation that contains your star?

I also hope that finding your star will help you reconnect with your children without the distraction of the TV and the radio.  A gentleman from the outer islands once told me “The sky is our TV.”  I’m hoping that your star will help you rediscover the TV of your ancestors.

The purpose of the University of Guam Planetarium is to educate you about the unbelievable glories above your head.  The night sky is awesome and for millennia we have stared into the face of the infinite deep.  Come to the University of Guam Planetarium this weekend and Be a Star by participating in our Be a Star, Buy a Star campaign.  You’ll have fun, help keep the University of Guam Planetarium open for you and your children and learn a little something in the process.  Such a deal!  I hope to see each and every one of you this weekend.  Look up tonight, the Universe awaits you!