You look into the eyepiece and the world falls away. Stars that have been burning for billions of years come into focus, distant planets and galaxies that feel impossibly close.
This Virginia observatory lets you gaze at cosmic wonders through a telescope that has been doing exactly that for 140 years. The instrument is a piece of history, a brass and glass marvel that has survived wars, storms, and the passage of centuries.
I visited on a clear night, and the astronomer on duty guided the telescope with practiced hands. The views were humbling and thrilling…