Stars. Since the dawn of humanity, we've always been fascinated by the twinkling lights in the night sky. Even before we had the ability to make scientific inquiries into what or where they were, humans were formulating their own theories about their origins that to this day forms a key pillar in many mythologies. Here at an Evening of Stars, we believe that no night is complete without them. We're dedicated to exploring all aspects of the history, mythology, and science of stars, whether it's an early human belief in the stars containing the souls of departed relatives or a modern day quest to study the life cycles of the stars nearest our own home planet.

For humans, stars have always been a useful tool as well as a mystery and a source of beauty. Even thousands of years ago, when we had no idea what the stars were, early astronomers had already figured out that they followed predictable patterns in the sky. This allowed peoples as far back in history as the Ancient Egyptians to develop calendars and navigational practices that made use of the predictability of stars. In fact, although science has moved on to GPS and atomic timekeeping, it is still possible to keep time and find your way by the stars.

Thanks to the many advances in science and technology since these early days, we now know not only how to use stars but also where and what they are. Stars are balls of plasma, floating in space many light years from our own home planet and burning with the fierceness of continuing nuclear reactions. Stars give off so much light that we are able to see stars that are 2.5 million light years away with only our naked eyes. There are several classes of stars based on their size, color, and intensity, and several possible futures for the star based on their class.

One of the more fascinating aspects of looking at the night sky is that when we watch the stars, we are actually looking into the past. Because the light from the stars takes so long to reach out position, things have long since moved on by the time we see them. Light from the stars in the Andromeda Galaxy, for example, takes about two and a half million years to make its way here! What this means is that some of the stars you can see from your backyard may have long since burned out, making what you see akin to a star ghost or an echo of its life.

If you think you might like to take up amateur or professional astronomy or if you would simply like to learn a little more about the science and history of stars, then you've come to the right place. We can teach you to recognize constellations, help you find your way home on a starry night, and give you a basic overview of the science of this fascinating topic. A list of topics we have articles on can be found at the top of the page.

We would like to thank Real Web Solutions for assisting with the design work on this site.