Space may be the final frontier to some, but to many Whidbey Islanders, the solar system, space, and all of the universe’s possible discoveries mean neverending fun.

On a clear, dark night, Rick Owens of Oak Harbor can see forever — or 30 to 60 million light years — with his 13.1-inch reflector telescope.

“I got my first telescope when I was nine. After my first look at the moon, I was hooked on astronomy,” Owens said.

Owens and several others who are fascinated with looking skyward formed the Island County Astronomical Society earlier this year.

Studying the night sky spans all ages and can get as seriously scientific or stay as leisurely viewing as a person wishes.

Astronomy is the science and mathematical side of space study, while what is referred to as “stargazing” encompasses strictly the viewing, according to Langley resident David LiCastro.

LiCastro, who is not a member of the astronomical society, got interested in astronomy at age 5 when the first Mercury astronauts ventured into space. He was given his first telescope when he was in the eighth grade, and he’s been looking upward since.

The type of optical device best used to view the night sky depends on what a person wants to view, LiCastro said. If a person loves to scour the planets, then a telescope’s magnification is important. For those wanting to look at stars and galaxies, a telescope that lets in a lot of light is best.

Then there are events such as the Perseid meteor shower, seen each year between Aug. 10-14. This is best viewed through no optics at all.

Owens said looking through a telescope can surprise people who are accustomed to looking at photos of stars in magazines. Those photos are taken with special slow film that allows all the colors of the spectrum to develop. Without that slow view, everything appears white.

During an Island County Astronomical Society’s star party at north Whidbey’s Fort Nugent Park June 6, the club looked skyward.

The moon had yet to reach its first quarter and only a few thin clouds drifted in the western sky.

By 9:30 p.m. Nick Hallet, Dan Pullen, Ned Papenfus and Owens were setting up their equipment on the edge of the soccer field.

At first, only the moon was visible, a fat ellipse of silver. Papenfus was one of the first to focus on the moon. Through his telescope, craters and shadows were delineated.

Jupiter appeared, a spark between wisps of clouds in the dusk-blue.

“Jupiter is fascinating,” Papenfus said. “It has so many moons orbiting.”

As the Earth whirled in its orbit, amateur astronomers made subtle adjustments to their telescopes to account for movement and to see deeper into the heavens.

“Everything’s popping out now,” Pullen commented.

“We’re seeing deep sky,” Owens said. “There’s tons of lovely things to see tonight,” Halleck agreed as he decided where to aim his telescope next.

One deep sky object studied was a ring nebula — the remains of a supernova or star explosion.

Several people planned on staying out until Mars was visible, around 1:30 a.m. Others were content to lounge in camping chairs and sweep the sky with binoculars.

Owens said this time of year is great for scanning the heavens.

“Over there,” he said gesturing to the black southeastern sky, “we can see between 25 and 30 galaxies and all their star clusters.”

He wheeled his ‘scope around to look for a whirlpool galaxy, created when two galaxies collided untold millions of years ago.

And even as day break was just a few hours away, there was still plenty of darkness for these amateur astronomers. Owens used a red-light to consult a star chart.

“Let’s see what’s out there,” he said squinting up into the night.

After all, there’s still so much to see.

Record reporter Cynthia Woolbright contributed to this story.