It is true that most of us live and work in noisy, artificial environments. But those who are curious always find ways to explore beyond them.

-Robert Burnham

I really do not remember when I got the bug. It could have been some science class when I was young or the night I first saw the Northern Lights. I dunno. But now, I have a hobby that I've spent some long, dark nights enjoying.

Curious? Let me set the stage for you:

It's a warm summer night, it's late, and it's very dark. You are sitting out in your tree-lined backyard, swinging side to side in your favorite hammock. Rachmaninoff is playing softly on the radio, and there is just a hint of bug spray in the air. Looking up, you are overwhelmed by thousands of bright white objects. Small ones, big ones, twinkling ones, not-twinkling ones — millions of 'em! You squint a little, and now you see shapes in the stars, just like you did when you looked at clouds as a kid.

"Hey, there's a teapot," you whisper to yourself.
"And over there is an ice cream cone," you whisper again.

And so the wonder continues, and, for, me my obsession began. I was taken in with it all. How beautiful! I was amazed by the idea that I am a mere speck on this planet, which is a mere speck in the solar system, which is a mere speck ... well, you get my drift.

I started to learn about the stars and planets. I tried to recognize them in the sky. There were millions of white dots — which one was Spica? Then, I remembered the shapes and I felt the giant light bulb above my head go on. The teapot is part of the constellation Sagittarius; and the point at the bottom of the ice cream cone is Arcturus. Over time, I could find my way around a night sky just by locating the Big Dipper, using it as my starting point, and going from there. Still, I wanted to learn and see more.

I went out looking for a good telescope so I could see more details in the stars and planets. I wanted something less expensive than say, my car, but something with enough power to see past my neighbor's chimney. I found such a toy over the holidays. My current kick is checking out the planets. You think stars blow you away? Phew! Take a gander at the rings of Saturn someday. Each night that I look at the planets through my 'scope, I truly expect to see someone (something?) waving back at me. And if I ever do, I'll say to myself: "I wonder if they have a Web page on Tripod?"

Michelle Greenleaf, Astronomer Wanna-Be