APR 5, 2010 - Stars is definitely old school Web in the style category, but it's a timeless treasure on the content side. University of Illinois Professor Emeritus of Astronomy Jim Kaler created and maintains this online encyclopedia of stars (643 and counting) and constellations. Scroll down to the star table, click on any one that strikes your fancy, and you'll get well grounded on the star in question. Take Betelgeuse, for example. It's one of the two brightest in my favorite constellation (Orion) - the other being Rigel. As you meet (or get reacquainted with) the stars, every now and then it's fun to visit Professor Kaler's weekly Skylights feature, a timely guide to what's up in the heavens. (All of the 640+ stars in the Stars table have previously appeared as "Star of the Week" in Skylights.) Sure, watching Dancing with the Stars is fun, but going out and watching the real Stars dancing in the night sky is a major inspiration.
