We love to stay out by the campfire until late and watch the stars and planets spin overhead. The skies are very dark and the Milky Way seems so close that you could jump up and touch it.
The view of the horizon in all directions is limited, but we don’t miss much. We’ve seen comets and meteor showers, spectacular northern lights displays, and satellites are easily spotted zipping along overhead.
All of this can be seen with the naked eye, and a good pair of binoculars is the next step tool for beginners and kids. You don’t need a fancy telescope to be an astronomer!
A book that will help you learn the names of the constellations, planets and stars is an essential tool. The internet is a great resource to find out where and when to find objects in the sky. Each new find will lead you on to more discoveries.
After you learn to find your way around, and how to spot interesting objects with your binoculars, the next step is a small telescope. With our inexpensive small telescope, we have observed the Moon, the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, Mars, stars and planets.
The Iowa County Astronomers website is an excellent local resource on Dark Skies and viewing conditions in our area.
Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine April 2000 lists many Wisconsin astronomy resources
and The Madison Astronomical Society has a page of links that will keep any novice or expert Astronomer busy for hours!
