For some people, “seeing stars” means spotting Angelina Jolie on a Manhattan street or Johnny Depp at an Aspen ski lodge. But for some 600 amateur and professional astronomers from around the world, “stars” have a meaning that’s literally light years away from the realm of Hollywood celebrities — and the best place to see them is in the Lower Florida Keys.

Astronomers flock to the Lower Keys each winter to view stars and constellations that can't be seen from anywhere else in the U.S. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

In fact, the Lower Keys are so well known as a stargazer’s paradise that, each year for more than 25 years, the tranquil region has been the site of an annual gathering called the Winter Star Party.

The event’s primary draw for astronomers is the incredible number of southern constellations, comets, stars and other celestial objects that are visible from the Florida Keys — thanks to the Keys’ southern location and relative absence of large-scale artificial lighting at night.

“The Florida Keys are an ideal place to do this conference because at this latitude, 24.5 degrees, we can see down to minus 65 degrees on the horizon,” said event founder Tippy D’Auria, an international lecturer and astro-photographer. “It’s so far south that it enables the viewer to see things farther down in the Southern Hemisphere than they can see from anywhere else in the country.”

An easygoing man who is also world-renowned for his knowledge of volcanoes, Tippy has even led an expedition to the volcanoes of Costa Rica for the filming of a National Geographic documentary called “Volcano Hunters.”

Winter Star Party founder Tippy D'Auria is a well-known astronomer, astro-photographer, lecturer and volcano expert. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

But in February each year, it’s stars that are on his mind — and on the minds of scores of other astronomers, astro-photographers, telescope makers and more.

This year, they’ll gather Feb. 20-26 at a Girl Scout camp on the aptly-named Scout Key for the 28th annual Winter Star Party — hosted, as always, by Miami’s Southern Cross Astronomical Society. Founded in 1922, the SCAS is one of the oldest amateur astronomical societies in the Western Hemisphere.

What do you DO at a Winter Star Party?

During the day, participants can attend lectures and presentations by nationally recognized astronomers and guest speakers, shop for astronomy equipment from on-site vendors, compete in photo contests, vie for prizes and share insights with fellow astronomy aficionados. There are even special camp activities set up for young astronomers.

Featured speakers at the 2012 gathering include award-winning author and astronomer Stephen James O’Meara, whose books include the truly fascinating Deep-Sky Companion series, astronomer and telescope maker Mike Lockwood, astro-photographer and event director Tim Khan, solar system research and planetary photography specialist Dr. Donald C. Parker and of course Tippy D’Auria.

This amazing shot was taken by Dean Schwartzenberg during the 2009 Winter Star Party. (Photo courtesy of SCAS)

A few years back, the gathering’s headliner was Dr. F. Story Musgrave, the only NASA astronaut to have flown on five space shuttle missions — and NASA’s lead astronaut for space walking for more than 25 years.

But no matter how intriguing the speakers’ presentations might be, the Star Party action really heats up when the sun goes down. That’s when the covers come off the expensive, highly prized telescopes — some of them so massive that it’s necessary to climb a ladder to gaze through their lenses — and the heavens come alive for those whose passion is viewing them.

When that happens, trust me, nobody’s thinking about Johnny or Angelina at all.