With the International Year of Astronomy just coming to a close, I came to learn a great deal about how the general public views astronomy.  Regardless of age, income, religion, politics, or lifestyle, it seems that everyone gets inspired and awed when they look through a telescope.  I've been amateur-astronoming (yes, it's a word, and don't bother looking it up) for around a year and a half now, and even when I see objects I'm very familiar with, it never fails to send shivers down my spine with amazement. While I'm fortunate enough to have a decent telescope and camera , it doesn't take nearly the investment of money, time, or space (get it?) that you might think.  You needn't drop $500 on a scope that you then need to find a place to store and learn how to use, when simply glancing upwards will show you much more than you might at first think.  This post is aimed at helping the non-amateur astronomer get into this wonderful, instantly rewarding hobby.  It's a lot easier than it appears! Naked Eye When people think of amateur astronomy, rarely does "naked-eye observation" come to mind.  But in a reasonably dark sky, the naked eye can see approx. 10,000 stars !  Even in a heavily light-polluted area (when I visited New York City last year, I made sure to take notes as to what I could see in the night sky in the largest city in the United States), a person can still