|
Chance to look at night sky up close offered
Free planetarium shows will be presented Monday to Wednesday at 7 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Math and Science Center
The Oscars are over but there is still a chance to get up close and personal with the world's biggest stars at the biannual Astronomy Nights.
"Astronomy Night is an opportunity for students and the community to learn about the night sky and celestial bodies," said physics, astronomy and engineering science chair Mark Nook.
According to Nook, Astronomy Night has been going on for approximately 27 years and is divided into two parts. The first part involves a presentation at the planetarium, followed by a question and answer segment.
"We just seat people in the planetarium until we get very full, then discuss the constellations and the stories and myths associated with them," Nook said.
This helps prepare people for the second part of the evening. After the presentation, and assuming the night sky is clear, stargazers are directed to the grassy area just west of the old bookstore where five telescopes observing Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, the Orion Nebula, and the Andromeda galaxy await them. Then faculty or students, like physics and math major Sarah Reid, will guide the onlookers.
"Basically everyone moves from one telescope to the next, and they are set up so all people have to do is look in, and hopefully we can tell them something about the astronomy behind what they are seeing," Reed said.
According to Nook, Astronomy Night has been going smoothly for approximately 25 years, with last spring as the only exception.
"We had to cancel the show last spring because of instrument failure," Nook said. "The elevator the projector rides on dropped four feet and we had to have it rebuilt. It was the first time in 25 years we ever had a problem,"
But according to Nook, the weather, not technology, is the wild card every year.
"We try to pick the nights in the spring and the fall that will get dark earliest and be reasonably warm, but if it is too cold or a very cloudy night, we cannot do the telescope portion of the evening," Nook said.
The telescope viewing is a very rewarding part of the night for not only the public, but also for students like Reed, who has been involved with Astronomy night for the past four years.
"I love the kids and the excitement they have when they see a planet they have never seen before, and I love to teach people," Reed said. "It is a really good feeling when they actually understand something new, and you were a part of that."
The free planetarium shows will be presented March 25 to 27, at 7 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Math and Science Center Planetarium, room 24. Nook recommends the later time slot for the students.
"The earlier showings fill up pretty quickly and they are mostly younger children and families," he said.
Kristen J. Kubisiak can be reached at: [email protected]
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy Network Advertising Article Syndication
|
|
