A Window to the Once Secret Sky

If there were a window nearby to the distant universe -- would you look through it? Quite possibly, there is, in the form of a small telescope . A local skykeeper could be a relative or a stranger and is frequently proud to show off the sky free of charge. Through a window called an eyepiece , on a dark cloudless night , you can see clusters of stars , rings around Saturn , glowing nebulas of gas , craters on the Moon , and galaxies across the universe. The technology to create this window -- and the secret sky it reveals -- was unknown only 400 years ago . Modern sky opportunities may occur this Saturday, Astronomy Day , at local amateur astronomy clubs, universities, science centers, or planetariums. Pictured above is a small telescope being deployed at picturesque Hohe Wand, about 50 kilometers south of Vienna, Austria . The spin of the Earth is visible in the above photo as the long star trails .