Science is all around us. And for some, the best way to get in touch with the coolest science is to simply look up.

The members of Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County (AELC) were so enamored of the study of the stars that they formed their own club.

Sixty members strong, the AELC meets for two evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month in the community room of the Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road. Members of the club derive great enjoyment from observing the night sky, exploring it and sharing information pertaining to it.

"(Astronomy is) the oldest science," said AELC's treasurer, Tom Lugar. "Ancients would look to the stars for answers. It's something that goes back to a time when men looked up to the sky to see stars. It incorporates all the other sciences."

The club's meetings consist of presentations and lectures on astronomy, and the last half-hour is typically reserved for discussion. But the AELC also meets once or twice a month outside to observe celestial phenomena as a group, and the club also participates in outreach events across Lancaster County and beyond.

Many members of the AELC own complex equipment used to visually explore space, like telescopes, binoculars and even observatories.

"The goal is to get people interested in astronomy and what's going on in space," said Lugar, a 76-year-old resident of Lititz. "It's about people who like to do observing getting together."

The popularity of astronomy exploded in the 1960s and 1970s with the space race and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's landing on the moon. But while we as a species know more about supernovas, eclipses and black holes than we did back then, there is seemingly an infinite amount of information about space that is still left to discover.

"There's a lot happening in the night sky that people aren't seeing anymore," said Lugar. "The night sky is one of our natural resources, but now you can't see it because there's light pollution. Our goal is to inform the public that there's a lot going on in the night sky if you know where to look and know where to go."

As a club, the AELC was formed in the late 1980s by a dozen science-minded individuals at the North Museum of Nature and Science in Lancaster. The club's numbers grew in the early 2000s before the AELC relocated its home base to the Lititz Public Library about a decade ago.

"I think the club has reached a point where it should be," said Lugar. "Some people want to see the lectures and learn, and they may not be interested in seeing the night sky. Then there's a hardcore group of guys who have a lot of money invested. It's reached a point where it's become a place for everyone."

The AELC sponsors a telescope loan program at the Lititz Public Library. The kit contains telescopes and accessories. For additional information on the Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County, go to http://www.aelc.us.