Stephen Courtin is a guy I think I like.
He has a small telescope, and every night he sets it up in the Whole Foods parking lot in Lakewood, Texas (here’s a map). When people pass by, he shows them Jupiter and the Moon. A lot of them are looking through a telescope for the very first time.
They’ll leave with a profoundly new sense of the sky and the Universe around them.
Years ago, I did this every Halloween. I’d set up my ‘scope and let the trick-or-treaters get a look at the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, whatever was up at the time. The looks of amazement made my heart sing every time. Every single time.
There’s nothing quite like your first good view of the sky… or seeing it through someone else’s eyes.
Tip o’ the dew shield to Jeremy Lyon.
