Just how is the web used by star gazers? This is a tough question to answer thoroughly. Got a question? Google it. Telescopes and accessories are bought, swapped and sold on the web in a strong market of both new and used equipment. Members of a club, or more geographically dispersed enthusiasts with similar interests, use online communities like the Yahoo! Groups to stay in touch. Tips and advice, reviews and experiences (and encouragement, when needed) are all easily exchanged electronically. Many amateurs have web sites filled with astro images and accomplishments, and recently blogging has added a more immediate and engaging form of communication. If you want to know who’s the best at whatever it is you’re interested in and how they’re doing it, turn to the net. 

News is quickly distributed on the net as well. Take a recent example: no printed material could keep up with the ever changing spectacle of comet SW-3 as it flew by the Earth. Results of scientific research are exchanged among professionals and disseminated to the public through web-based resources. So how many of Hubble’s images have you seen hanging on a wall or magazine? I’ll wager you saw it first online—quite possibly at APOD. Astro-software, free and full-featured, is readily available: ordered or just downloaded, it can be installed and updated in minutes with the latest elements for comets, asteroids and satellites. Sophisticated web sites provide the same information directly to your browser, no application program needed. Many amateurs even do their observing remotely over the internet. 

So it all seems pretty indispensable, doesn’t it?  Funny thing: it’s not. The sky will be clear tonight (or cloudy or partly cloudy) regardless of whether I or anyone else checks the Clear Sky Clock. And with the possible exception of astroimaging, computers certainly aren’t necessary for a night under a dark, starry sky. Worse yet, laptops are surprisingly bright, and they don’t take dew and moisture well. While newsletters from many clubs across the country are freely available in electronic form, the net hasn’t eliminated the star party by any means. Rather, it has enhanced the sense of camaraderie and community of such gatherings by drawing a wider and richer group in individuals to a one location for a single purpose—enjoyment of the sky.

The latest issue of Sky & Telescope has just arrived, and even though publication now is far more rapid than in the past, the lack of time-sensitive information and observing guides show the degree to which the net has displaced this once must-read publication. Flipping through another magazine, or dusting off the scope and hauling it out of the garage? Which will be more rewarding at the end of the evening? I just looked, and the sky seems promising for tonight...

No internet was needed to enjoy this twilight conjunction of cornstalks and the crescents of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter, taken well outside the range of my wireless connection. Need to get your day going? There are lots of “picture of the day” sites to choose from. And if you’re reading this, I’ve finally been reconnected the web and the rest of the known Universe. And my APOD. Moondark is written by Doug Miller, published at the Moondark web site, and printed in the Delmarva Star Gazers' Star Gazer News. This document was last revised on 24 May 2006. Text and images copyright © 2006 by Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.