NYC group invites all to stargazing

It may seem fruitless with today's light-polluted skies to gaze at stars and planets, but some amateur astronomers in the city are sharing their telescopes so that the public can observe the vastness of the universe.

"With a little patience, a little time, we can see the stars, the planets, nebula, comets and aurora," said Michael O'Gara of Manhattan, a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York.

"It's a misconception that it is a waste of time to look up into the sky and see the galaxies and planets in New York because it is a little bright," O'Gara, the group's former president, said.

Since 1927, the Amateur Astronomers Association has connected people to the universe with free telescope observation sessions at parks and river promenades -- spreading understanding that human beings share the same atoms that created the stars, O'Gara said.

"We all understand this need to connect with that tidal force that is pulling us to something bigger than ourselves -- the moon, the stars the universe," O'Gara said. He became an amateur astronomer when he took a broken telescope, "a trinket" that belonged to his sister, cleaned it and fixed it.

"I then focused it on the moon and wow, it was fantastic," O'Gara said. He is one of the association's 300 members.

Bruce Kamiat of Manhattan became an amateur astronomer when he was enthralled by the beauty of astronomy books that depicted the planets and stars in a rainbow of colors. Then, one night, Kamiat gazed up into the sky while walking through his Washington Heights neighborhood.

"I actually recognized the constellation of Orion. I recognized the nebula from my own street -- from my own neighborhood. I was amazed," said the freelance copy editor.

Seeing the wonders of space captivated Kamiat, 60, even though it was not the same as the astronomy books' colorful photographs, he said.

"I was looking at the real thing. It was a visceral experience and I found it to be very profound," Kamiat, a volunteer at the Hayden Planetarium's Rose Center, said.

The association offers free monthly lectures at the planetarium. In the early days, its members ground telescope mirrors in the basement of the Hayden.

During the 1980s, association members took their telescopes onto the planetarium's grounds for public observation sessions. Now, the group takes its telescopes on the road.

On Tuesday nights this month at dusk, members will take their telescopes to the West Side's High Line park.

"Right now we can see Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter is very beautiful," said Rik Davis, a 30-year member of the association. "We can see Jupiter's cloud bands that are half a billion miles away. It's incredible."

An observation is set for April 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. on Beach Channel at Gateway National Park in Queens.