Standing under a dark country sky on a moonless night, our eyes drink in a couple of thousand stars as well as visible planets. This alone is a wonder but once we use the magnification of a telescope, fainter objects now reveal their subtle detail. Amateur astronomers not only use their telescopes to magnify what the unaided eye sees but hunt down the elusive galaxies, star clusters and nebulae.

Warm weather is an obvious factor in luring people outdoors - be it the summer cottage, Provincial Parks or the favourite campsite. No words can describe the sense of awe and amazement as you lay under a moonless canopy of stars, far from city lights and the veil of light pollution. From dashing meteors and the passing of high orbit satellites to the rising of the majestic Milky Way and the pastels of the Northern Lights, the mystical sky intrigues everyone. The sky is definitely alive.