SEEING IN THE DARK narrator, producer and writer Timothy Ferris
Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary by Timothy Ferris. The film, Ferris’ third, is based on his book, Seeing in the Dark (2002), named by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year.
The film reports that three technological innovations — inexpensive telescopes, sensitive digital cameras, and the Internet — have put amateur astronomers in command of more light-gathering power than that of the legendary 200-inch Hale telescope at Palomar when it opened the universe to human eyes a half century ago. Says Ferris, “Hundreds of thousands of casual stargazers are getting in touch with the night sky by using inexpensive computer-controlled telescopes, downloading star charts from the Internet, and having observations made for them on professional telescopes through Internet time-sharing programs and educational projects.”
“Seeing in the Dark is meant to alter, inspire and illuminate the lives of millions,” said Ferris. “It introduces viewers to the rewards of first-person, hands-on astronomy — from kids learning the constellations to amateur astronomers doing professional-grade research in discovering planets and exploding stars. I hope it will encourage many viewers to make stargazing part of their lives, and a few to get into serious amateur astronomy.”
See a preview and find out more at the Seeing in the Dark site.
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