A few exercises to get us thinking about the addition of astronomy in to our fiction--we begin with poetry because the concise presentation is well-suited to getting in the right frame of mind.
1.) Astronomical Haiku
Write a haiku poem describing an astronomical phenomenon. Remember, ideally, the poem's structure should be seventeen syllables in all (five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the last line). The SciFaiku Manifesto clearly explains the guidelines for this kind of poetry.
Read a few examples, if necessary, then create your own poem.
James
M. Palmer's SciFaiku site
2.) Write an astronomical limerick. Yes, this means you. Do it. Now. You know the drill.
If the SETI people can do it, so can you. Theirs
are clean.
Need more examples? (No you don't. Don't read these,
by the editor of Speculon.com, Timothy Cooper--warning, some sexual content.)
More poetry links (for later!):
Thoughts by Suzette Haden Elgin on Science Fiction Poetry
The Science Fiction Poetry Association
3.) Write a short scene (10 minutes) describing the astronomical object your protagonist sees outside her spacecraft, through a porthole, a viewdeck, a holographic interpretation of the ship's exterior or other viewing method. Chose one of the following:
a.) She's a prisoner of war.
b.) She's just awakened from an extended sleep.
c.) She's anticipating her lover's ship approaching.
Do not mention her circumstances; ONLY describe what she sees and how she observes it.
4.) Take a classic or favorite science fiction story and plan
a rewrite as fantasy (or vice versa). Lay out the plot. Examine weaknesses
due to the genre transferal.