In article ,
Ronald O. Christian wrote:

My daughter (just turned nine) was having a sleep-over outside last
night with two of her friends. One of the girls woke up late at night
(best estimates between noon and 3:00 AM) and saw a very bright
stationary object about 40 degrees up from the south and slightly
east, bright enough to be seen through the (translucent) fabric of the
tent. She woke up the other two and all three witnessed it.

That would be Mars! It's getting very bright these days! Here's an
article on Sky & Telescope's web site about it:

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...icle_985_1.asp

I know there are some active astronomy clubs in Portland. Here's a link
to one of them:

http://www.rca-omsi.org/

If they don't have any upcoming star parties in the Aloha area, they
probably know someone who does. I hope you can take your daughter and
her friends to one so that they can see Mars through some good telescopes.


Patty