Regardless of their interest in astronomy, visitors to Chris Krstanovic's home want to look through his telescope.

Krstanovic recently built an observatory at his house in Windham, N.H. Before he added the domed structure, he didn't star-gaze as often as he liked because of the time and effort involved in setting up his telescopes and other equipment.

"It takes you two hours to set up plus two hours to take down. It takes away from your observing time," said the business owner, who developed an interest in astronomy as a kid. "Being out there in the open sky, it's kind of cold. It's miserable."

Now, he can easily search the sky for exoplanets planets outside the solar system anytime he wants to. And share his hobby with guests.

"Everybody that comes to our house wants to go in there and look," he said. "Many of my neighbors have young kids. This opens up a whole new field for them. It is a very good way to get young people interested in science."

A growing number of amateur astronomers around the country are installing home observatories to indulge their passion for exploring the night sky, said John Goss of Roanoke, Va., vice president of The Astronomical League, which represents more than 200 astronomical societies.

The cost of equipment has decreased dramatically over the last 20 years, he said. Advances in technology also mean amateurs can buy cameras and viewing equipment once limited to professional observatories. Today, amateurs can buy a telescope and accessory equipment that allows a more detailed look at deep space for about $4,000. A similar set-up might have cost $20,000 two decades ago and wouldn't have been as effective.

Aside from telescopes and cameras, a home observatory must have a roof that opens or retracts, and a stable mount for the telescope. Do-it-yourselfers often construct observatories out of shed-type structures designed so the roof rolls off the building onto support beams. Others buy prefabricated domes and mount them on their homes or other small buildings. It helps to live far from the city lights.

You can set up a home observatory for about $20,000, said Suzy Gurton, education manager at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, in San Francisco.

She used to see such a project "as the exception. Now, I'd compare it to buying a new car."

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Home observatories make star-gazing easier