[dmosley]

I agree wholly with this. Living in Southern NM we have a lot of stars. Just short drives and we can see the actual Milky Way band. I've always been saddened when I think of people who live in large cities and don't get to regularly see these things.

Then, the first time I spotted Saturn and Jupiter with my telescope in my driveway I was struck with fresh awe. I had seen them before, in larger telescopes and higher resolution, but to track it with your own, to see them and try to comprehend how big they are in order order to be seen from so far away... I still get chills.