Library Telescope Program
Our mission: Place a Library Telescope into every public-library system in Hampton Roads.
Explore the Universe with a Library Card
You don’t need to own your own telescope to explore the night sky.
The Back Bay Amateur Astronomers Library Telescope Program works with libraries across Hampton Roads to put simple, capable telescopes into the hands of the public — and to provide the training, maintenance, repairs, supplies, and local astronomy support needed to keep those telescopes serving their communities for years.
Whether you want to borrow a telescope, bring telescope lending to your library, or help put another telescope into circulation, we would love to have you join us.
A Telescope You Can Borrow
Library Telescopes are designed for people who may never have used a telescope before. Borrow one through a participating library, take it home, set it outside, and begin exploring the Moon, planets, star clusters, double stars, and brighter deep-sky objects.
No astronomy experience is required. The telescope is completely manual, intentionally simple to operate, and designed to minimize loose parts and complicated adjustments. If you need help, the BBAA is nearby.
What Can You See?
Quite a lot. From Hampton Roads, even under suburban skies, Library Telescope users can enjoy mountains, craters and shadows on the Moon; Jupiter and its four bright Galilean moons; Saturn and its rings; bright double stars; open star clusters; the Orion Nebula; and, under darker skies, many additional deep-sky objects.
Visual astronomy does not look like long-exposure astrophotography — and that is part of its charm. The light reaching your eye is arriving from the object itself, in real time.
Need a Hand?
Borrowed a telescope and need help? Bring it to Skywatch. BBAA volunteers will help you set it up, learn how to use it, and find something worth seeing. Skywatch is one of our regular public observing events and is a great place to turn “I think I'm doing this right?” into “There it is!”