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| STAR PARTY 2011 |
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Gazing at the Stars: 2011 |
| Mr. P's Class • Room 213 • Meigs Magnet School • May 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 | ||
| STAR PARTY | ||
| • | SCHEDULED: Friday, May 13 @ 8:15PM... | |
| ALERT: [05.13.11] Due to the cloudy weather forecasted this weekend, Dr. Erika, Mrs. Rector and Mr. P may be re-scheduling the Star Party for Monday night, May 16. It is a school night, but there will be no homework! |
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| NOTE e-mailed to PARENTS [PDF] |
Hi all, Mark your calendars for Friday, May 13. Dr. Erika Grundstrum from Vanderbilt will be hosting us at a Star Party atop the Vanderbilt 25th Ave. Garage. Dr. Erika is leading some astronomy lessons, helping us with galileoscopes, setting up a portable star lab at school Thursday and then... letting us use the Vanderbilt telescopes Friday night - weather permitting. You may bring your family, a lawn chair, snacks, and a flashlight covered with red cellophane (or a red balloon or a brown lunch bag.) See the link on my webpage about star parties. Students may decide to practice ahead of time with a star finder and bring it to the star party. The garage is diagonally across from the baseball stadium. We would park on whatever floor we come in on and take the elevator to the 11th floor. The start time should be 8:15 or 8:30 (sunset won't be until 7:45 p.m., and it needs to be dark enough). We'd be able see the Moon, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and various stars and such. (They think we shouldn't have to pay to park since the baseball games start at 6 p.m.) Park in the "Zone 3" spaces. In case of clouds or rain, Dr. Erika will make a call to postpone until the following night. Information regarding this will be posted on the scrolling message bar at the top of www.flyparsons.com. If indeed the star party is postponed, it will be rescheduled for the following night. The reschedule dates are: May 14, May 16, May 17, May 18, May 19, or May 20. Mr. P |
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| • | STAR PARTY RULES | |
| [LINK] | Star Party Etiquette #1... | |
| [LINK] | Star Party Etiquette #2... | |
| [LINK] | Star Party Etiquette #3... | |
| [LINK] | Star Party Etiquette #4... | |
| Star Party Etiquette [from space.com] 1. Wear warmer clothes than you think you might need. Most people are not used to being outside late at night and you may find it is a lot colder than you expected. 2. Wear sturdy footwear, such as running shoes or hiking boots. In the dark it's hard to see what is underfoot and what you are stepping on, so your feet should be protected. 3.Small children are welcomed. If they're very small and they start crying, take them back to your car until they can be quieted down. Many children become cranky if they stay up too late, but are happy to sleep in the car if they have a blanket and their favorite toys. 4. It's important to arrive at the star party before dark. There are always a few stragglers who arrive after dark, but that is frowned upon because those already there don't like headlights shining at them after their vision has become dark-adapted. 5. If you arrive before dark you'll also have a chance to see all the scopes being set up (often interesting to watch, particularly with the really huge scopes). You'll find that most astronomers are quite talkative and willing to discuss the telescopes and how they work, particularly if you offer to help them set up. 6. White lights or bright lights - A BIG NO NO! 7. You may find it very handy to bring a small red light. Light at the red wavelength does not affect night vision, so at a star party you'll find that it is the only one used. You are not obligated to bring your own red light, but it will be very handy for seeing your way around in the dark. You can find these at astronomy shops or at sporting goods stores. Many are just small flashlights equipped with red filters. If you do purchase a red light, don't make it a very bright one because that will defeat the purpose. A dim light works well, and you'll be amazed how bright it is once your eyes become dark-adapted. 8. Once the observing is underway, feel free to go from scope to scope and talk with everyone. They'll be more than happy to let you look through their scopes, and will also be glad to talk about the telescope, what they're looking at and anything else that interests you. This kind of discussion and chit-chat is expected at star parties, particularly from visitors; don't feel that you are imposing on them. Most star party attendees will "make the rounds" at least once during the night to see what others are looking at and what kind of equipment they brought; feel free to join in. 9. Likewise, don't be afraid to ask questions about what's in the sky, where different constellations are or anything else. Astronomers, particularly amateur astronomers, are used to questions like that and they typically enjoy explaining such things to other people. 10. HAVE FUN! Where it is dark and free of ambient light there is an interesting effect: even if you know the location of some constellations, you may find that under a dark sky there are so many stars that you can't pick out the constellations. In the days before light pollution, this is how everyone saw the sky, filled with thousands of stars. For modern city dwellers, however, it may take a bit of practice to find the constellations again. |
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