There is a boat ramp out in Orient where serious stargazers can catch a glimpse of the Milky Way in the night sky, said Ken Spencer, president of the Astronomical Society of Long Island. Accessing it requires driving down a narrow, two-lane road in the dark, which Spencer can only describe as "creepy." But once you arrive, it's a beautiful view — because this remote spot is void of the light pollution causing many observers on Long Island to pack up their telescopes and drive to the East End, upstate and even Pennsylvania, in search of darker skies.
"The big problem all over Long Island, certainly for Nassau and western Suffolk, is light pollution," said Spencer, 81, of Sea Cliff. "People are using way too much light." Despite this, Long Islanders have constructed setups in their backyards to get a closer look at starry nights and certain planets at nightfall.
With some visibility of the night sky and a flat surface to place your equipment, many Long Islanders have been successful with stargazing from their own homes. For stargazing, "the East End of Long Island will knock your socks off," Spencer said. "But in my backyard, you'd think, why bother to look at that?" Stargazing equipment can cost up to $3,000, depending on the size and type of the telescope and accessories included, and can go into the $5,000 range for astrophotography supplies.
And the hobby requires research to understand exactly what you're looking at. In fact, the learning never really stops, local astron.
