Explanation:
If there was a window nearby to the distant universe -- would
you look through it?
Quite possibly, there is, in the form of a small
telescope.
A local skykeeper could be a
relative or a stranger and is frequently
proud to show off the sky free
of charge.
Through a window called an
eyepiece,
on a
dark cloudless night, you can see
clusters of stars,
rings around Saturn,
glowing nebulas of gas,
craters on the Moon, and
galaxies across the universe.
The technology to create this window -- and the secret
sky it reveals -- was unknown only 400 years ago.
Modern sky opportunities may occur this Saturday,
Astronomy Day, at local amateur astronomy clubs, universities,
science centers, or planetariums.
Pictured above is a small telescope being deployed at picturesque
Hohe Wand, about 50 kilometers south of Vienna,
Austria.
The spin of the Earth
is visible in the above photo as the long
star trails.
