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by Roger Herzler
08/24/97
In
today's fast-paced world it's easy to forget about your fellow human,
who, just like you, probably looks up every so often to contemplate
the heavens above. For whatever reason though, they have not taken
the initiative, time or money to get out there and get their own
telescope. Enter you, the intrepid, sometimes geeky, neighbor, out
in the front of your house (ok, so it's not the ultimate dark sky
site with the street lights, etc. glaring down on you, but it's
also the quickest place to get to if you live in dense suburbia).
All of the sudden, provided you don't have "Sparky" the killer Rottweiler
next to you, a few people begin to filter out of their houses to
see what you're up to. And this time, it's not to complain about
the trash cans in front of the garage. In fact, it is to see if
they can get a peek at that object in the sky that they spotted
a couple of days ago when they craned their necks skyward.
Sound like a scene played
out in front of your house? Well, unless you live out in Compton
or the Bronx, it should be. Why? Because being an amateur astronomer
isn't supposed to be a solitary sport. Want proof of that? Just
consider how many astronomy websites are on the Internet. It often
takes one person to spark an interest in another, an interest that
could last a lifetime. You could be that person. What's the harm
of starting up a neighborhood observing club? None. I try to get
out in front of my house once a week to browse the stars with my
little C4.5 from Celestron. Do I have a big scope? No. Will I likely
be pushing my scope's visibility to the limits from the light polluted
arena that my front yard offers? Definitely not. But, I find that
most of the nights I am out there, I'll get someone to come up and
ask about the stars. Or I'll get the chance to show them something
like Jupiter (since that's out right now), which is always a quick
way to get an 'ohh' or 'cool'. Granted, I may not be starting the
next Einstein on their track to the JPL, but it nevertheless gave
that person the chance to experience the wonder of space, and to
open up their imagination to the night sky. So, get out there and
share the sky! You'll find the practice very rewarding and educational
for both you and your captive audience.
Clear skies,
Roger
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