The cosmos have always fascinated me. When I was little, I used to gaze at the night sky for long periods, trying to see the constellations. When I was in elementary school, my mother bought me a Peterson's guide to astronomy. I was fascinated by the myraid of celestial objects and processes. That prompted my to read widely about astronomy over the next few years.

I bought a beginner telescope from a sporting goods store last week. A 70mm refractor with 225x magnification. The mount is wobbly on the vertical axis but otherwise it is satisfactory. I plan to use it on clear nights on my balcony. It is also an excellent terestrial telescope. I can make out indivudual leaves of trees a hundred yards away.

The Cassini-Hutgens mission discovers 2 new Saturnian moons.