What is astronomy? It's looking up and enjoying the beauty of the night sky. It's making sketches of the craters of the moon. It's learning how to pronounce the names of stars and constellations. It's observing one object night after night to see miniscule changes. There are many aspects that make up astronomy and visiting the UMD Observatory is just one small piece. We've tried to include some material that local amateurs and those wanting to get into astronomy might find useful in this section. Watch for announcements and updates of programs as well as interesting things that might be happening in the sky.