By David Philips

“Don’t worry about what telescope you own or its quality. Just get out under the night sky and enjoy God’s wondrous universe.”
— Thomas M. Back

I love looking up on a clear night. Whether I am under a dark sky far from city lights and overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of stars visible or, more often, looking for the bright stars and planets I can make out from my backyard there is always something worth seeing.

The ability to view objects of expansive scale which reside at vast distances from us inspires awe and their visual beauty delights the senses but so few of us bother to regularly look up. Enjoying these objects doesn’t require great amounts of time or money; a bit of curiosity and preparation go a long way when the opportunity allows for a few minutes under the stars.

My goal is to use this website to share my enthusiasm for the night sky in hopes that more of us might appreciate the wonders visible each clear night. Here’s what you can expect to find on T.O.A.:

• Observing tips and reports
• Astonomy gear impressions and reviews
• Astronomy related links

Most of the posts will have comments enabled. If you have something you’d like to share please leave a reply using the comment form following the article. I’d very much enjoy reading your thoughts on these topics.

I will be posting regularly so stop by often to see what’s new.

This site is supported by affiliations with Orion Telescopes, Amazon, B&H Photo, and Adorama Camera. Ocasionally I will link to a product from one of these sites. Clicking the link and ordering something (anything) doesn’t cost you anything extra but it does help defray the costs of keeping this site running and is much appreciated.

If you’d like to contact me directly you can send e-mail to dave@theopportuneastronomer.com.

Clear skies!

-Dave