Rural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy – telescopes in schools can help

A group of people look up at the night sky through telescopes.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The night sky has long sparked wonder and curiosity. Early civilizations studied the stars and tracked celestial events, predicted eclipses and used their observations to construct calendars, develop maps and formulate religious rituals.