Scoping the Sky

Long ago, people studied the stars just by eye. They noticed that stars seem to move across the sky and that groups of stars formed patterns. They gave names to the patterns. A group of stars that forms a pattern is a constellation. Knowing the constellations helped people travel at night.

In the 1600s scientists started using telescopes to look at the sky. Since then, telescopes have become more powerful. They allow us to see things that are very far away. Other tools let us study the light that telescopes collect.

Scientists use high-powered telescopes in special buildings called observatories. This observatory is in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.