Author: Robin Chernow '15

On April 24, Haverford’s Public Observing Astronomy Program proudly hosted the an Astronomy Night in as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival. Over 200 guests packed into the Strawbridge Observatory and adjacent fields for a variety of astronomy-related activities.

Before sunset, two Haverford students led Solar System Walk, scaled down so the sun was the size of a basketball. The tour illustrated the vast expanse of our solar system; the group proceeded across the athletic fields without reaching outermost planets.

Inside, younger guests built their own mobiles, while others mastered four levels of astronomy trivia. Older visitors participated in virtual observing through Observing With NASA (http://mo-www.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/OWN/Own.pl) and were excited to look at images from anything up in the sky that night. A cloud chamber demonstration helped visitors visualize the paths of high energy particles in the upper atmosphere. Another creative demo utilized marbles and fabric to illustrate Einstein’s Theory of general relativity.

 

 

 

 

After sunset, groups of visitors went upstairs to observe the clear sky through the two telescopes housed in the domes of the Strawbridge Observatory. The telescopes were popular, as guests observed Jupiter (with its Great Red Spot and some of its moons!), Mars, and the moon, to name a few.

Visitors and volunteers shared many smiles and looks of wonder throughout the evening, as the exchange of science and the intrigue of astronomy captivated many minds (both young and not-so-young). We thank all of our guests for a successful year of astronomy events and we hope to see you return for more events next fall!

 

 

Despite dreary weather, fifty guests came to the Strawbridge Observatory for a constellation-themed event last Saturday.

As members of the public arrived, they engaged in a constellation art activity. They creatively drew and colored their own renditions of the animals outlined by different constellations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haverford student Sarah Betti, ’17 then presented a talk about constellations, providing the history of constellations and how they are helpful. She even provided tips on how to locate common constellations in the spring sky of Philadelphia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cloudy skies loomed over the observatory telescopes, so observing did not seem likely. Haverford student volunteers instead led tours through the observatory to the domes so guests could learn about the telescopes and the observing process.

As the crowd thinned down, several guests and volunteers noticed that a gap in the clouds exposed the moon. Students on telescope duty quickly opened the domes to provide a view.

Within minutes the moon was obscured, but nearby Venus was visible. Telescopes were urgently re-oriented to show Venus, before it, too, disappeared behind the clouds.

Fortunately the skies parted for Jupiter, and the evening concluded with a telescope view of the gas giant and its moons.

If the whole crowd from the earlier talk had been present, only a few people would have seen each object as the telescopes were rapidly rotated.

The small crowd that remained through the end of the event enjoyed the exhilarating chase of different objects as they became visible in the sky. They were lucky to experience such fast-paced observing.

Thanks to all the guests who joined us and to all the student volunteers who hosted such a fun event!

Last Saturday, cloudy skies forced the Public Observing team to keep the telescopes closed up. Despite the lack of observing, the 50 or so guests enjoyed an inquisitive night of science fun!

Haverford astronomy student Andrea Gaughan ’16 presented a talk about cosmology, raising some of the big questions about our universe, for example, its formation, size and age.

Members of the audience, including members of a local Boy Scout troop, were captivated by her talk and challenged the Public Observing team with a number of thoughtful questions about our universe. Topics of this lively discussion ranged from life on other planets to the meager future of our sun to the status of Pluto as a dwarf planet.

After the talk, guests lingered, enjoying tours of the telescope domes, astronomy crafts, and videos.

Thanks to everyone who came out last week and made the event a success! We hope you join us for our next event in March!

 

The Haverford Public Observing Program hosted a Halloween-themed open house last weekend. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great turn out; over seventy guests joined us for a night of fun science!

Our liquid nitrogen station led by Rui, Derrick, and Eric, was a popular destination! Learning about the physical properties of this cold liquid becomes even more exciting when the liquid nitrogen helps young scientists make ice cream! Yum!

Rui and Derrick are ready for the visitors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquid nitrogen at work, captivating young scientists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young visitors eagerly await the liquid nitrogen ice cream!

 

 

 

 

 

Across the room, Lyn, Mike, and Chris manned the Messy Mars station. Young scientists were invited to learn about Martian water presence and surface morphology via their own hands on experiments with some sand!

Some Brownies observe the Messy Mars demo.

 

 

 

 

 

Tamar and Matteo invited visitors to learn about neutron stars by making clay pulsars! Meanwhile, Cora and Rachel led some planetary crafts, while Alison and Arjun performed an exciting eclipse demo.

Fun with clay pulsars

 

Craft table!

 

Alison interacts with a guest during the eclipse demo.

 

 

 

 

 

A highlight of the night was Dan Deluzio’s (2015) exciting astronomy talk. He fielded numerous questions about black holes after sparking everyone’s interest.

Guests engaged in Dan’s spooky talk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all of our wonderful visitors who attended despite the weather; you all made the night fun for the Haverford volunteers! And thanks to the volunteers for your time and enthusiasm.

We hope to see you all at our next event (weather permitting) on November 15 at 6:30 when we open the telescopes for some observing!

NSF AST-1151462 provides support for our public outreach programs.

On Friday September 26, Haverford’s Public Observing Program hosted its first event of the semester! Our planet-themed evening featured crafts, a talk, and telescope observing of planets. We welcomed over 100 guests, including local members of the community and Haverford College students and professors!

The skies were clear and both telescopes were open for observing. Visitors were able to admire Saturn and its rings in addition to Mars, the Red Planet.

Guests packed into our library to engage in craft activities, modelling their own planetary creations out of clay, or being creative with paper and glitter.

Five year old Owen and his mom are regulars at our observing events. Here they show off their event t-shirts and Owen’s clay model of the earth!

Astrophysics major Carolyn Oehrig ’15 wrapped up the evening with an exciting presentation about the quest for planets outside our own solar system. She emphasized the amount of data astronomers will continue to analyze in order to identify other stars with planets. Scientists are on the hunt for “Goldilocks Planets” similar to Earth which may support life. These Goldilocks Planets lie in the hospitable zone, meaning they lie at ideal distances from theirs stars so they could have liquid water.  Further their masses are similar to Earth so that the planets may support similar atmospheres.

Here is a snapshot of Carolyn’s Prezi presentation!

Congrats to Lee and the 2014-15 team of volunteers who hosted a great first event! And a bigger thank you to all of our guests! We hope to see you on November 1 for our next open house event!