On many evenings, as darkness sets in, Jamie Vogel turns off his TV and computer, steps outside his home in Raleigh, N.C., and tilts his head upward to contemplate the stars.

We may be living in bad times, says Mr. Vogel, a 43-year-old computer engineer, "but it's never a bad time to look up at the sky."

Yes, much of the world is focused on...