About Mary Astronomy Foundation
Why this exists
Most people never look through a telescope large enough to show them a galaxy. The equipment is expensive, dark skies are far from where people live, and a cloudy week can end a school project. A telescope that anyone can book over the internet removes all three problems at once.
Mary Astronomy Foundation is being established to run telescopes at dark-sky sites and make observing time available to people anywhere in the world, with a particular focus on young people and the teachers who work with them.
How it works
You choose something to look at. We schedule the observation for a night when your target is up and conditions are safe. The telescope does the work, and the images come back to you as files you can keep, study and share.
You do not need to know how to operate a telescope, and you do not need to stay awake for it.
The story behind the name
The foundation is named for Mary, whose curiosity about the night sky outlasted every practical obstacle in her way. She never owned a telescope. The idea behind this organisation is simple: the obstacles that stopped her should not stop anyone else.
Where we actually are
We are being honest about our stage, because an organisation asking for trust should be.
- Mary Astronomy Foundation is being established. We are not a registered charity, we do not have 501(c)(3) recognition, and donations are not tax deductible.
- We are building the platform first. Telescope operations begin once the software, the site and the hardware are all ready.
- We have no partnerships, sponsors or completed observations to report yet. When we do, they will appear here with names and dates attached.
If you want to be told when observing opens, write to us and we will keep you posted.