Exploring the Sky

There are many ways to go about learning about the cosmos. From nakedeye observations to telescope ownership and institutional learning. 

Many aspiring astronomers begin their journey by looking up at night as a youngster. Anyone can see groups of stars in familiar patterns and imagine them to be animals, objects, or people. The original history of many of the familiar constellations date back to the times of ancient Greece and even back to ancient Babylon. Viewers in antiquity imagined the star constellations to be images from their myths and legends. Ideas that have stood the test of time as we still use many of these same names today. 

Naked eye stargazing is something we have all done at some point as humans. After the invention of curved glass lenses, we realized there were many more objects in the sky than we previously thought. Many of the furthest distant objects produce very faint light which required optical assistance to see.
The brightness of an object in the sky is known as it's Magnitude. 
Magnitude is measured on a scale typically shown from 0.0 to 15-20 or even more, with the higher the number the more dim the object and harder to see. The human eye is typically able to see objects from 0 to 6.5 with some slight variation. Viewers with an average pair of binoculars can typically see fainter objects down to magnitude 10. Larger telescopes can show items even fainter.

With the technological advancements that came of the industrial and computer ages, average astronomy enthusiasts can now access equipment capable of seeing stars down to magnitude 14-16 or lower. 
If you are interested in learning about some of the differences, our Stargazing Tour will give you the ability to try naked eye observing and compare what you're seeing to binoculars and telescopes.

Please feel free to contact us for further information!

Wishing you safe and happy viewing!