Michael O'Hara, age 11, of Des Moines, Iowa, for his question:

Does the Universe have N and S, E and W directions?

We did not have room to spell out north and south, east and west in the title. But let's hope the question is interesting enough to make the abbreviation forgiveable. The topic, of course, takes us on an imaginary survey of the endless, eternal reaches of uncharted space. Stretching exercises of this kind are good for the mind and the imagination.

To put a man on the moon, space scientists had to solve countless problems. Lots of their discoveries also proved useful in all sorts of gadgets here on earth. The list of space benefits is very long and growing longer. But the greatest benefits are the subtle changes in our minds. Our thoughts and imaginations can reach farther and grow wider. However, space age students are practical young persons. Sooner or later they want to get their bearings Out There in the trackless ocean of space. They need to know how to get from here to there    even when their cosmic explorations are merely imaginary.

A space traveler, of course, must have directions to chart his course. But he left our north south, east west directions behind on his home planet. We get our bearings from our built in North and South Poles, the two ends of the axis around which the earth rotates. This planet sized solution can serve as a model for cosmic¬sized direction. The immense galaxy of 100 billion stars also rotates on an axis, a central hub of crowded stars. The galactic axis has, naturally, two fixed poles that point in opposite directions through the wheeling stars of the Milky Way.

The Galactic North Pole is more or less the north direction of the earth and the Solar System. It points through a smallish constellation called Como Berenices, near Leo the=Lion. It is visible in our spring and summer skies. A spaceman out in this region would see the major part of the galaxy toward his south. And the starry pinwheel would be rotating in a clockwise direction. Facing toward the galactic south, the galactic east would be on his left side    just as it is on earth. Heading out farther toward the galactic north with most of the Milky Way behind him, the west direction would be on the left side of his ship.

These directions apply very nicely on a star trek through our own Milky Way. But its spiraling, starts studded arms finally dwindle away in outer rim. The  galaxy itself is surrounded by immeasurable oceans of space strewn with countless other galaxies. These star systems are tipped and tilted at all sorts of angles and seem to be scattered helter skelter in all directions. Within our galaxy, a spaceman can figure his directions because we know the direction in which the immense system rotates on its axis. Out beyond, a spaceman faces the staggering dimensions of cosmic space    and cosmic directions have not been determined.

Now is a good time of year to search out the constellation Como Berenices    a poetic name meaning Berenice's Hair. Locate the handle of the Big Dipper and search westward for the bright star Denebola in the tail of Leo the Lion. Between your two celestial points you pass right by a small Y shaped group of stars. This is Como Berenices, the North Star of the Galaxy    and having. the north direction you can figure out the other three.