Summer night stargazing

Families have been staring into the heavens with awe and wonder and imagination since people first walked from their caves. Even now, as light pollution becomes more of an issue, looking at stars or the craters of the moon is still possible with a low-end telescope, a set of binoculars, or even just a pair of eyes. And a little help on what to look for is readily available around the South Sound.

“There’s way too many things to look at to ever get bored,” amateur astronomer John Pettit says. He’s a member of the Tacoma Astronomical Society (TAS), the second oldest stargazing society in the nation. He’s been looking toward the heavens since he was a child, and the more he looks and knows about the stars, comets, and planets he observes, the more he wants to look up in search of more.

TAS members invite the public to observe the stars with them once a month on the hillside above Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom campus. The event is free and enables anyone interested to gaze at the stars through the lens of everything from homemade telescopes to computer-guided and focused “Go-scopes” that can see millions of light years into the Milky Way. The monthly meetings also include lectures on astronomical issues offered by Pierce College professors and experts.

These events often draw 50 to 100 people, especially during the summer months. “When it is clear around here, it’s a celebration,” Pettit said. “It’s not like in Arizona, where it’s clear every day.”

The idea behind the public viewings is to open the world of viewing the stars to the next generation of astronomers as the “space age” generation born in the 1950s and 1960s gets older and seeks ways to pass along their knowledge of the hobby and science of astronomy. What was once an activity of scientists and theologians is now available to everyone for little or no money. Astronomy books and star guides are being written in usable language and target all ages. Scopes range from entry-level models sold at department stores to high-tech lenses that do all the alignment and focusing for the viewer. “You can spend as little as you want and as much as you can imagine,” Pettit said. “You get what you pay for.”

TAS began as a stargazing club in the late 1920s and formally formed in 1931. It met on the grounds of University of Puget Sound, before moving to an observation area near Mount Rainier to avoid the city lights of Tacoma. Light pollution remains a concern as construction around Lakewood and South Pierce County create more lights from parking lots and street lights that makes observing distant stars increasingly more difficult. “It’s getting worse and worse all the time,” Pettit said. But there are still a lot of stars up there that can be seen by anyone willing to look up into the clear night sky. Visit the TAS website for more information.

For an introduction to the services and educational opportunities provided by TAS, plan to attend the free Astronomy Fair III on August 13, noon to midnight, at Pierce College/Fort Steilacoom (9401 Farwest Drive, Lakewood). Enjoy games, presentations, lectures, observing, the planetarium, workshops, and more.