There's nothing that piques a kid's wide-eyed interest more than outer space. Unless that kid happens to be male and 15, in which case it would be the school cheerleading squad. But for younger kids, learning about and observing the stars, planets, and constellations first-hand really captivates their imaginations.

To make that happen, we've got the Star Pilot space kit. It combines a little gadgetry, interactive web technology, some colorful astronomy lessons, and lots of outdoor fun all in one great package. The gadget is the Star Pilot itself, an internally red-illuminated (to preserve night vision) scope that makes it easy to identify asterisms such as the Big Dipper and 23 constellations in the night sky. Just look into the Star Pilot's eyepiece with one eye and rotate the little star ball until it matches the view of the actual sky that you're seeing with your other eye. The labels on the star ball tell you what bright stars or constellations you are gazing at.

An attractively illustrated color manual includes fun astronomical information, experiments to try, diagrams, and constellation legends. You'll learn about the life cycle of a star, make a night-vision flashlight, perform a binocular fusion experiment, and more.

Maybe the coolest item in the kit is the Slooh telescope card and accompanying activity book. Slooh is network of live professional telescopes located around the world that you look through and control online from your computer -- in real time! When you activate your Slooh card you'll be able to schedule time on these high-power telescopes to view objects like the Moon, Orion nebula, and Andromeda galaxy, which is 2.5 million light years away. You can even take pictures of them with cameras coupled to the scopes. Wow!

You won't find a better introduction to space for a curious kid than the Star Pilot Kit. Seriously, get it now before he gets star-struck by the cheerleading team, or she by the football team

Specifications

• Star Pilot illuminated constellation finder with compass
• Two constellation star chart practice cards
• Detailed star chart
• Slooh telescope card and starter activity booklet
• Red cellophane and elastic band
• Illustrated color guidebook
• Star Pilot size: 4”L x 2-3/4”W x 4-3/4”H
• Requires 2 x AAA batteries, not included /li>
• Recommended for ages 10 and older.

CHOKING HAZARD — Small parts.
Not for children under 3 years.