Looking for something different and trendy to do, with the added benefit of expanding your mind? Come to The Science Cafe, the Bishop Museum's newest program joining scientists with lifelong learners in a casual learning environment.

At 6 p.m. April 17, The Science Cafe begins with a talk in the planetarium lobby around the Science on a Sphere, a product from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Science on a Sphere is a 6-foot round "screen" that images from satellites and other monitoring sources are projected upon to create a realistic vision of our planet from space. Following the talk, participants are invited to adjourn to the Atherton Halau, where food from Da Spot and drinks will be available for purchase in an adult, cafe-style atmosphere. Guests may mingle and socialize, or meet and discuss issues with the scientist.

Dr. Gerard Fryer from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center will kick off this series with the topic "Tsunamis: Waves of Destruction."

Programs will be held on the third Tuesday of every month until September, covering subjects from hurricanes and global climate changes to surf forecasting and more. Attendance for The Science Cafe lecture is free, but reservations are required since space is limited.

This program is recommended for mature visitors only; no other exhibits will be open during the evening. For reservations, call 847-8203; see www.bishopmuseum.org for more information.

A more family-friendly science-event happening this month is the 50th annual State Science and Engineering Fair, Wednesday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. This event is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. More than 450 students from grades six through 12 represent public and private schools all over the state with 368 science and engineering projects.

You may be amazed at the variety and depth of the projects, as well as the outstanding effort made by these hardworking students. Come and show your support for these "science athletes" as they compete to represent Hawai'i at the International Science and Engineering Fair on the Mainland in May.

On the other end of the island chain, a celebration of astronomy is taking place at the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo on April 21. AstroDay is the local version of Astronomy Day, a national grass-roots recognition of the science. What better place to showcase the technology and discoveries of astronomy than at the foothills of the best observing site on Earth?

All the major observatories on Mauna Kea are involved in this fifth annual event, giving astronomers and educators the chance to interact with the community and share information about their field with budding young scientists. 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i, the new astronomy education center in Hilo, will also participate with some fun science demonstrations and activities.

LYRIDS RETURN

Good conditions with a first-quarter moon benefit early risers for the Lyrid meteor shower this year. The peak of this shower is at noon on April 22.

The half-lit moon is in the sky in the first half of the night until 1 a.m., but the radiant isn't up in the east until late in the p.m. hours anyway. The radiant, or the direction the meteors seem to be coming from, is off to the east of the brightest star Vega in the constellation Lyra. (Lyra is not on this star map since it rises later than 10 p.m. early in the month, but look for Lyra rising around that time on the night of the meteor shower.)

The average number of meteors for this shower is predicted to be around 10 meteors an hour, but the conditions of the sky will be a factor. Weather and the amount of surrounding lights in the area will affect the number of meteors observed. The best time to view meteors is the early morning hours, and you want a view of the sky that is as unobstructed as possible (no houses, buildings or trees). Make sure you bring something comfortable to sit on, because meteor watching is not something you can do in 10 minutes or less!

THE PLANETS

Mercury: Mercury rises about an hour before sunrise during the first half of the month and is visible only low in the east before the day washes it out from sight. By Tax Day, the little planet is too close to the sun to spot and will reappear in the evening sky by mid-May.

Venus: There is still plenty of time to see Venus in the sky in the evening. In fact, if you want to try viewing Venus in the daytime, I would highly recommend April 19, when a thin crescent moon and the brightest planet are less than a fingertip width away from each other. It does take some patience to see Venus in a bright sky (I compare it to those 3-D pictures that were popular some years ago in which you had to really concentrate to make the image "pop out"), but once you've spotted it, you'll feel pretty proud of yourself.

Mars: Mars is still small and faint in the morning sky as 165 million miles separate us from the Red Planet. By the end of the year we will catch up to the slower planet and Mars will again be at its closest to us in our orbital paths. Mars rises around 4 a.m. in early April and half an hour earlier at the end of the month. On April 13 a thin crescent moon sits just to the right of the little planet, making it easier to spot.

Jupiter: Jupiter rises before midnight now, around 11 p.m. in early April. The largest planet joins its smaller neighbor Saturn in the night sky, with Jupiter in the east and Saturn in the west. Jupiter sits to the east, or left of Antares, the bright orange star in the constellation Scorpius, but the planet named after the King of the Gods outshines the star, which is 620 light years away.

Saturn: Saturn is up in the eastern sky even before darkness falls and passes almost directly overhead as its path takes it just short of the zenith, or the highest point in the sky. It is still in the constellation Leo and sets by 4 a.m. in early April and by 2 a.m. at the end of the month. On the 24th look for the first-quarter moon right above the ringed planet.

Use the map below by holding it over your head so that its northern horizon points toward the northern horizon on the Earth. This illustration represents the sky at about 10 p.m. in early April, 9 p.m. in mid-April and 8 p.m. in late April.