Star Points for October, 2002; by Curtis Roelle Come, See the Universe With Your Own Two Eyes A lay person may learn astronomy by reading newspaper articles, astronomy books and magazines, or by watching astronomy television programming on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, or PBS. Expert talking heads describing the discoveries and onging research often convey an air of assured certainty. They discuss subjects like the big bang as if they were there when it happened, and may fail to stress that even with evidence that may appear to be overwhelming what they are professing is merely a theory. In any modern age there is a smug tendancy to assume that we are the ones who have managed to finally get it right and that those quaint figures who came before were on the wrong track and never realized it. In "The Larousse Guide to Astronomy" David Baker reminds us that nature has managed to conceal her secrets and continues to posthumously embarrass those who deluded themselves and their contemporaries into believing that her mysteries had been laid bare during thousands of years of scientific human inquiry: "There are many things we have yet to learn about the universe, and what we know today is primitieve conjecture to the view future generations will have of space and astronomy...and we must be continually aware of our own scientific fallibility when dealing with astronomy and cosmology." This isn't to say that all theories of the universe will eventually fail. However, even the best theories can contain significant flaws that are not apparent at first. Copernicus was on the right track by replacing the earth with the sun at the center of our solar system. Yet, Copernicus himself blundered by assuming that the planets move in perfectly circular motions around the sun. It required the work of Kepler to straighten that out. Probably the single most improtant event that has contributed the most to the science of astronomy was the invention of the telescope in the 17th century. Although Galileo Galilei often receives the credit he probably borrowed the idea from its inventor and then used the device for making important discoveries. In "Fundamentals of Optics" authors Jenkins and White date the invention of the telescope to 1608. The inventor was an obscure spectale-lense grinder in Holland named Hans Lippershey who discovered that by combining two lenses objects could be made to appear closer. When Galileo heard about it he constructed a device by mounting the lenses inside of a tube. Galileo turned this "telescope" device upward and began examining the heavens. In later years Sir Isaac Newton discovered that a concave mirror could also be used to gather light and thus the relfecting telescope was born. The original reflectors had mirrors made out of polished speculum metal, but these days mirrors are made from glass with reflective metal coatings deposited on their surface. These two inventions formed the basis for all telescopes that have been made ever since. Any telescope owned by you or an amateur astronomer friend is either a refractor or a reflector, depending on the kind of optics used. If you've ever considered buying or even making a telescope the first step is to peer through one. But to get an appreciation of the differences between the different kinds of telescopes available it would be even better to look through many telescopes, one after another. Such an opportunity will be available for you this month. The Westminster Asronomical Society (WAS) in cooperation with Carroll County Parks will be conducting an all night star party in the Bear Branch Nature Center parking lot on Saturday, October 12. Weather and clouds permitting, WAS members will have telescopes set up by the time darkness descends. You may come and go as you please during the night. During the night the rotation of the earth will carry the constellations westward like a grand carouselle, starting with the constellations of Fall, then Winter, and ending at dawn with the constellations of Spring rising before the sun. The event is free and open to the public. The nature center is located on John Owings road north of Westminster. Come and see the universe not merely in pictures or on a computer screen, but with your own eyes. No matter how humble a telescope may be or whether it is used to leisurly study the moon or its use is more scientific, observing the wonders of nature is a good thing. This thought is confirmed by Baker who wrote, "there is no lower level at which telescopic observation is meaningless." I encourage you to come and share in the photon feast with the WAS at Bear Branch Nature Center on October 12.