Hold the universe in your hand

(Credit: Brookstone)

Usually when we think of GPS, it means a technology that's used to locate things on Earth. We often forget that satellites can be pointed in other directions, toward other planets.

That's particularly valuable if you're like us and can't find the Big Dipper to save your life. The "SkyScout Personal Planetarium" from Brookstone can do a lot more than that, with a database of more than 6,000 planets, stars and constellations, and a red arrow on the "viewfinder locator" pinpoints what you're looking at. Making stargazing even easier is its size: The SkyScout weighs less than a pound and includes stabilization software in case your wrist muscles get tired holding it up too long.

It isn't the cheapest toy at $400, but that's peanuts compared with the big bucks you'll get for the photo of your first UFO spotting.