Library's stargazing kits provide closer look at the final frontier

Published on September 04, 2024

Your Fort Worth Public Library card can’t catapult you into space, but it can help you experience magnified views of objects in the sky. Telescopes are part of new stargazing kits now available for checkout.

For Bruce Campbell, it was a book that first sparked a love of stargazing.

“When I was 5, my parents opened a savings account for me,” he said. “The savings & loan gave me a guide to space exploration detailing the solar system, satellites, meteors, and comets. I was hooked.”

It wasn’t until several decades later that he bought a telescope. “The more I learned about night sky the more objects I wanted to see with my scope,” he said.

Campbell is president of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society, a group of dedicated amateur astronomers who meet monthly to focus on specific astronomical topics. The group also cohosts regular Prairie Sky/Star Party events in the warmer months at the Tandy Hills Natural Area.  

“These events are scheduled on Saturdays when the night sky is interesting,” Campbell said. “People who arrive before sunset can watch the telescopes being set up and engage the FWAS amateur astronomers in a wide range of astronomy topics.” Guests, he said, are welcome to bring their own telescopes and questions. FWAS’s goal is to help you get the most out of your telescope.”

Take a closer look

Kathryn King, who manages the Library’s Collection Management, said there are several ways kits and other items are added to the catalog. She and her staff are always on the lookout to add adult kits and experiences and test out possibilities.

King said she also gets ideas from what other libraries have added.

“The digitizing memories kit came out of hearing commercials for companies that digitize memories,” King said. “I had bought a scanner for personal use and after seeing how easy it was to use thought there might be interest for the library.”

There was an existing public interest in telescopes, she said, and a member of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society reached out to ask about a loaner telescope program. That contact helped her decide what type of telescopes to add to the catalog.

Scoping things out

There is a learning curve when it comes to figuring out what to look for and how to use viewing equipment. The Library’s stargazing kits come with a telescope, eyepiece, moon filter, air blower, star locator, red-lens flashlight, instruction manual and two books.

“Stargazing can be fun and exciting, but there’s much to learn and understand,” Campbell said. “Don’t get frustrated because the telescope is not performing as expected or certain astronomical concepts just don’t make sense. Use the internet to find answers to your questions. You’re also welcome to bring your questions to a meeting of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society.”

Getting started
He has a few other tips for beginners, including one that was often repeated leading up to the April 8 total eclipse that could be seen in Fort Worth: never look directly at the sun without a solar filter.

The night sky is a perfect place to explore, he said, and because the moon is visible on most nights as the largest heavenly body, it’s a good place to start. Dig deeper with NASA’s Daily Moon Guide and use a moon map like Sky & Telescope’s Field Map of the Moon to help identify various features.

From there, Campbell said a planet or two is also visible most nights. Small telescopes will enlarge views of those planets while larger ones will showcase more planetary details. A guide such as Sky & Telescopes Astronomical Tools can help plan planet-viewing.

Ultimately, when it comes to actual stargazing, focusing on the brighter stars in constellations – particularly in light-polluted DFW - can be rewarding, and a guide can provide insights. Many of the 88 “official” constellations are visible from Fort Worth, he said.

Get connected

• Monthly Star Party events are conducted March through November at the Tandy Hills Natural Area, 3325 View St. in Fort Worth. Find the next one here.
• Monthly meetings of the Fort Worth Astrological Society are 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the UNT Health Science Center, Research & Education Building (Room 100) at 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard.
• Need a Fort Worth Public Library card or is it time to renew yours? Find information here.