FRISCO - Are you seeing stars? One North Texas group is ready for just that. The Texas Astronomical Society is getting ready for another round of Star Parties during the month of January.
Started in 1955, the Texas Astronomical Society has grown to be one of the largest astronomy groups in the nation.
News 8 got an early look Wednesday morning as members set up some of their high-tech telescopes to look into the night sky. They will host the Star Party Saturday at the Frisco Commons Park.
On Wednesday, the group showed off a variety of equipment ranging from your typical telescope to a solarscope that allows you to safely look at the sun. They also brought along the "couch potato," a lawn chair with binoculars attached. The set-up makes it easy to stargaze for long periods of time.
Typically surrounded by city lights, the Texas Astronomical Society has managed to find great stargazing spots around North Texas with little light pollution. Star Parties are held at different locations across North Texas each month. Believe it or not, you can see planets, galaxies and nebulas.
The group welcomes anybody to come out to the Star Parties around sunset, even if you do not know the first thing about stargazing. Experts will be on hand to answer questions and show you more than just the stars in the sky.
"Jupiter and Saturn are always a hit and people are stunned when they see the rings of Saturn for the first time or the cloud belts on Jupiter," said Phillip Jones, a member of the TAS. "What's really neat is when one of Jupiter's moons transits right in front of Jupiter."
Not only does Jones study the night sky, but he photographs it as well. It's called Astrophotography.
Star Parties are free to the public.
E-mail ccoyle@wfaa.com
