'Twas a fine night for stargazing...

Ever since I can remember, I've had a love for astronomy. Looking into the sky on a clear night gives me goose bumps and a feeling wells up inside of me that I can't quite put into words. As a little girl, it was my dream to become an astronomer. Well, that obviously didn't happen, but my love for astronomy has never gone away. Tonight the Modine Benstead Observatory held an open house and I went to check it out. I've been wanting to attend one of these public viewings for quite some time. It sure didn't disappoint. When I first arrived, they were looking at Jupiter. It was quite a sight. You could actually see the colored bands across the surface of the planet. You could also make out several of its moons, most notably Io. I chatted with an old-timer named Ron for quite some time. He was actually one of the original members who helped put together the telescope used at the observatory. He was a wealth of knowledge and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. He helped me spot constellations such as Hercules, Scorpio, Draco and the Summer Triangle, which contains one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Vega. After viewing Jupiter for awhile, they adjusted the telescope to focus on M13, which is located in the constellation Hercules. Wow. There are over 100,000 stars in this spot in the sky, almost 25,000 light years away. It was incredible. The observatory was very cool, in fact, I'm seriously considering becoming a member. It's only $45 a year. You even get a chance to learn how to use the telescope! I figure it would be a good way to satisfy my thirst for all things astronomy, and at the same time contribute dues to a worthy cause.