9. Tremblant Beneath the Stars 2008

The Buzz -- Each year, Tremblant Beneath the Stars, the largest star party in Quebec, offers thousands of novice stargazers a variety of activities to learn more about the beauty of the night sky. See Neptune, Jupiter and the Moon through the eye of a telescope, with over 50 amateur astronomers and their telescopes on site to answer your questions. Count shooting stars from the dark skies at the summit of the mountain. Take a nature hike to spot the constellations and their legends. Visit the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Pavilion to learn the secrets of the Perseid meteors and see a full-size model of the Phoenix Mars Lander, which landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. Watch live images from space broadcast from the CSA's observatory (weather permitting), while a high-powered laser points out celestial objects and satellites overhead. After sundown, join the CSA's Alain Berinstain for a bilingual presentation entitled, "The Maple Leaf on Mars: The Phoenix Mission to the Red Planet" to learn more about how Canada is participating in this exciting mission. Be sure to spend some time in the village square and visit the CSA's tent. On Saturday, amateur astronomers from local clubs, as well as the CSA, will make their telescopes available for a special treat—visitors will be able to view the Sun (and possibly even solar flares and sun spots) with the aid of special, safe filters.