Beginning today, amateur astronomers in Alachua County can get a glimpse into outer space with their library cards.
Alachua Astronomy Club Inc. donated a 13-pound telescope Thursday to the Newberry branch of the Alachua County Library District, allowing library patrons to use it recreationally.
The telescope, an Orion StarBlast, can be rented out by anyone with a county library card for up to four weeks, which is enough time to observe a full solar cycle, said Andy Howell, the president of the astronomy club.
“This telescope is great for anyone interested in astronomy,” Howell said. “It’s perfect for the youngsters, too.”
The Astronomical League, an organization of amateur astronomy clubs, provided the telescope to the club through the Library Loaner Scope program.
Modifications made to the telescope ensure its scopes and lenses cannot be removed or damaged while in use, Howell said.
He said the telescope can make the moon, which is about 240,000 miles away, appear to be just 1,000 miles away.
The club chose to donate it to the Newberry library because the Newberry Star Park observing site is located nearby, he said.
Marlin Day, the manager of the Newberry library, said that along with renting the telescope, patrons will receive instructions and a sky-chart book for suggestions on what stars and constellations to look for.
He said the library doesn’t have any other kind of equipment-rental program, so he expects the telescope to be checked out regularly.
“We are really pleased with this donation,” Day said. “It is a cool service and a really nice addition for our library patrons.”
Bill Helms, a member of the astronomy club and a retired NASA physicist, said renting the telescope would be a good opportunity for kids to get involved in science, but at their own risk.
“Do not look at the sun through this,” he said. “It could take your eye out.”
