Land & Sky
TELESCOPE VIEWING:
Seeing the Universe with One's Own Eyes
by Judith Frey
Twinkle, twinkle little star . . . what wonders lie beyond you in the heavens, so far?
It's amazing to discover what lies just beyond our sight in the night sky—stunning visions that are available to us because of the optics invented by Galileo and Newton. With even a small telescope, you can discern structures that are more delicate than anything seen on earth. Millions of stars on the edge of a galaxy's spiral arms look, to our eyes, like the finest diffusion of light to strike the retina. An active galaxy with a jet streaming into space at nearly the speed of light is perceived by us, millions of light-years away, as stillness. A star-forming nebula reveals new stars that are blowing gas and dust away from them. A hot young star shines with the most luminous blue you've ever seen.
When we observe the phenomena of the universe with our own eyes, it is
an aesthetic experience, one that touches the spirit. Complete darkness allows
us to see. Our eyes take about half an hour to adapt to the dark--so the longer
we look, the more we are able to see. The transcendent experience of night that was such a part of our ancestors' lives is still possible today. With this in mind, Snowmass is applying for the designation of Dark Sky Community under the International Dark Sky Association. With a program of education, we are
encouraging residents to make the necessary adjustments to their outdoor
lighting that will protect the night sky as well as the natural patterns of animal life.
Several activities are planned for the coming year--a community star party,
astrophotography demonstrations, and a tentative trip to the MacDonald
Observatory in West Texas for a night or two of spectacular viewing on the 82-
inch telescope. For more information, contact judy@ionsky.com or 970-922-
8001.