Foothills Library Stargazing
I went out to the Foothills branch of the Yuma County
Library system last night to check out the stargazing sessions that the library
sponsors. The library has used some of the funds it raises from donated book
sales to pay for several high quality amateur telescopes. Library staff and
volunteers set up in the east side parking lot and visitors are welcome. Last
night they had 8 inch and 11 inch reflector telescopes trained on the night
sky. They have a 16 inch telescope but did not use it because of high winds and
dust in the air. A list is prepared ahead of time of interesting objects for
viewing.
Everyone was very friendly. Also, they were knowledgeable
about astronomy and the night sky and were more than willing to share that
knowledge. A laser pointer makes it easy to follow where they are telling you
to look. We reviewed a number of the winter constellations that I introduced
last year in a PowerPoint presentation. The sky was clear so it was easy to
spot the constellations. Through the telescopes we saw the Andromeda galaxy
more than 2 million light years away from earth. Other celestial observations
were several open clusters and an interstellar gas cloud. The telescopes used
GPS and computer controlled servos to steer the telescopes around the heavens
and then keep them pointed while we looked at the chosen objects.
Magnifications ranged from about 25x up to 200x.
The library is participating in a NSF grant program. High
school students learn to set up the telescopes, set up video cameras, capture
video, and then upload it for processing. This is a program that CAP squadron
508 cadets could get involved with.
Stargazing takes place on alternate Thursday nights when the
skies are dark (the moon can reflect so much light that less bright objects are
hard or impossible to see.) The library Internet calendar site shows the
schedule. The next chance to attend for cadets is on December 28th
at 7 PM, weather permitting. Getting there about 30 minutes early will give you
a chance to see how the telescopes are set up and aligned. Last night's
activity only lasted about one hour so this should be doable on a school night.
One of my goals as Aerospace Education Officer for our
squadron is ultimately to purchase a telescope for our use. This will be a good
opportunity to learn about available telescopes and how to make a wise
investment. I encourage all interested cadets to start participating in this
worthwhile community activity.
