Stargazing Night: Reading Long Words

A Clear Night at Ridgeline Observatory

1Kenji had been waiting all month for Stargazing Night at Ridgeline Observatory. The observatory sat on a hilltop far from the city lights, and its white dome looked like a giant egg. When Kenji and his aunt Rosa arrived, though, thick clouds covered the sky. Even the moon was invisible.

2"Mountain weather is unpredictable," said Dr. Amaka Obi, the astronomer who led the program. "The clouds might stay all night, or they might drift away in ten minutes." Kenji tried not to feel impatient, but he kept glancing up at the gray sky.

3While they waited, Dr. Obi gave the group a tour. She showed them a small portable telescope that she carried to schools in a padded case. Then she led them into the dome, where an enormous telescope pointed at the roof. She pressed a button, and with a low rumble, a long slot in the dome slid open. Dr. Obi explained that the whole dome could turn, so the telescope could face any part of the sky.

4Suddenly, a boy near the door interrupted her. "Look! The clouds are breaking up!" Everyone hurried to the open slot. One by one, the stars reappeared, until the sky was sprinkled with tiny lights. Kenji's disappointment melted away.

5Dr. Obi aimed the big telescope at a bright dot low in the sky. When it was Kenji's turn, he climbed a small ladder and looked through the eyepiece. There was Saturn, a pale gold ball circled by flat, shining rings. "That's spectacular!" he whispered. He had seen pictures of Saturn in books, but seeing the real planet felt completely different.

6Before the group left, Dr. Obi handed each visitor a star map. "Make a prediction," she said. "Which constellation will you find first from your own backyard?" On the drive home, Kenji traced the patterns on the map with his finger and decided to look for a new one every clear night.