Obama's Star-Gazing Night for Kids

Barack Obama will play host to 140 middle schoolers tonight for an evening of star-gazing on the White House South Lawn—celestial stars as well as astronaut star Sally Ride, who will be a featured guest. The students (from nearby Washington, DC and Virginia schools) will enjoy 20 telescopes and the "Inflatable Dome," a virtual universe that shows galaxies. A Hubble scientist participating this evening said the main event will be Jupiter and its four brightest moons. The festivities are designed to remind kids at a crucial age that science can be cool—with the hopes that they'll hold onto that interest when they head to high school and college.