For a novice stargazer just beginning to observe the night sky, it can be confusing and discouraging without the proper information to help him or her get oriented. Getting involved with a local astronomy club that has an ongoing program to assist the novice can mean the difference between a life-long love of the science and losing the spark. A free public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 2 at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History will provide some stargazing basics and introduce those new to the hobby to resources within the community to help them get started.

The lecture will be presented by Nick Lazzaro, president of the Odyssey Astronomy Club and founder of Ten Acre Observatory. Lazzaro's presentation will introduce the basics of what's out there to look at, where it is, and how you go about finding it.

The presentation will be followed by a stargazing session with telescopes provided on the museum grounds (weather permitting). A door prize of a pair of 20 x 80 Konus binoculars, donated by Astronomics, will be given away prior to the lecture.

A retired technical illustrator and a current small business owner, Lazzaro has enjoyed a lifelong love of the sciences. Getting his first telescope at the age of 35, he observed the moon and planets for about 2 years before getting the "Deep Sky Bug."

He got involved with the Odyssey Astronomy Club, and became president of the organization in 1999 when he purchased and moved to a ten acre plot near Tribbey, OK, and opened Ten Acre Observatory. After participating in his first public star party in 1997 and observing the reactions of people getting their first look at Saturn or the Great Orion Nebula, he was hooked on sharing the wonders of the night sky with anyone and everyone who was interested.

This presentation is part of the International Year of Astronomy lecture series organized by the University of Oklahoma's Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman Public Schools, the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club, the Odyssey Astronomy Club and Ten Acre Observatory. For more information, go online to www.nhn.ou.edu/iya09.

The next lecture in the series, titled "Lunar Eclipses: A Survey of the Earth, Moon, Sun System," by Jeff Thibodeau, president of the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club, will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6. A full listing of all the International Year of Astronomy lectures can be found on the SNOMNH Web site: www.snomnh.ou.edu/publicprograms.

The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus at Timberdell Road and Chautauqua Avenue. For more information about the museum, call 325-4712, or visit the museum's Web site at www.snomnh.ou.edu.