Starry Sky Austin
Educational Astronomy Programs For All
What a beautiful annular eclipse!
May 20th
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- Homemade pinhole projector- so cool!
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- the pinhole projector in use
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- me and the sun funnel
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- the beginning of the eclipse through the sun funnel
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- Kalen and Piper with eclipse glasses on
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- photo of eclipse from Jonathan’s iPhone
Annular Solar Eclipse this Sunday
May 18th
We won’t be in the best viewing spot to see the annular solar eclipse, however we will be able to see less than half of the eclipse before sunset here in Austin. What we can see here will begin at 7:35pm and the maximum annular eclipse we will see will be at 8:20pm. Remember to not look at the Sun with your naked eye. To learn about eclipse viewing safety visit: http://www.perkins-observatory.org/eclipsesafety.html#methods
For a table that shows viewing times from locations visit: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2012-Tab03.pdf
For more information about annular solar eclipses visit: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/ASE2012/ASE2012.html
For a great article with a great picture of what is possible to be seen in Austin visit: http://earthsky.org/space/for-u-s-observers-annular-or-ring-eclipse-sunday-may-20
Making telescopes at the Austin Mini Maker Faire
May 12th
Brave telescope makers at the Austin Mini Makers Faire. We ran out fast! For instructions on how to make the telescopes we made today visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msIAdyljrwI (Thank you stormthecastle.com for the youtube tutorial) I ordered the lenses from the Surplus Shed: http://www.surplusshed.com/lens.cfm We used a 50cm focal length and a 5cm focal length double convex lens, both with 38 mm diameter. http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l1907d.html and http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l1901d.html. The rest of the materials we used: cardboard, an X-acto knife, scissors, tape, glue and a paper towel roll. Happy telescope making!
Come see me at the Austin Mini Maker Faire tomorrow!
May 11th
Make a simple telescope out of two small lenses cardboard tubes, foil and toilet paper rolls. (Come early! We have only enough telescopes for the first 20 kiddos.) Make a constellation projector out of toiled paper rolls. Cut out your very own star charts to take home. See ya there!
5 week course for ages 5-13 ends
May 2nd
What a great course we had! By the end of it everyone was finding the planets all by themselves in the telescopes. Everyone could pick out the major constellations, and towards the end we started having conversations about life on other planets and discussing theories about the formation of the solar system. It was a joy to get to know everyone who took the course as well as their parents. I don’t know who asked more questions, the kids or the parents! We saw Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus and various phases it went through over the course. We learned about the phases of the Moon, how eclipses work, the upcoming transit of Venus, the reason for the seasons, the fact that the North star isn’t always the pole star, and how immense in size our universe and solar system really is. If you are interested in signing up for the next course, click on the link: Course for ages 8 and up.
ASTRO Camp! A camp that is truly out of this world!
Apr 7th
Austin Planetarium’s Astro Camp:
The camp that is truly out of this world! Explore the Sun, Moon, planets and galaxy with lots of hands-on activities. Learn constellation stories and make up your own. Build a simple telescope. Take part in Astronaut activities. And every day spend time in the Austin Planetarium’s incredible Discovery Dome mobile planetarium – a different experience each day. Includes an evening stargazing session: check out the rings of Saturn in a real telescope!
Age range: ages 8-11, entering 3rd – 6th grades
July 16-20, 1:30-4:30pm plus one evening session Th or Fri 9-10pm
Location- All Saints Episcopal Church 209 West 27th Street Austin, TX 78705
For more information and to fill out registration forms visit: austinplanetarium.org or
contact Lucia Brimer- 512-961-5333 email: lbrimer@austinplanetarium.org
Price: $160/session
Keeping the Dream Alive
Mar 8th
or, I could have entitled this post “Why I love Neil deGrasse Tyson”. If you haven’t heard, he has a new book out entitled, “Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier”. He discusses the history of the space program in America and why it is important for the future of our country. He writes, ”America is fading right now. Nobody is dreaming about tomorrow anymore. NASA knows how to dream about tomorrow-…” And I couldn’t agree more. So many people try to rationalize why we cannot afford to support the space program. There seem to be so many good reasons for us to not contribute our tax dollars to fund what some would think of as unnecessary to what is fundamentally needed to survive.
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper waves at the camera during a spacewalk (file photo). Photograph courtesy NASA
One thing that is drastically overlooked however is the necessity for keeping our dreams alive. Without the ability to dream, we would not be here as a country. It is of the utmost importance for us to support new endeavors that open ourselves up to what has not been done before and push us to develop new technologies for doing so. Who will be inspired to become the engineers, scientists and astronauts of tomorrow? It will be those kids who day dreamt of space when they were young and kept their dream alive throughout their childhood and onto their adult life. Growing up in Houston, we were surrounded by the space program. Every shuttle launch, the school I went to would wheel in a television and we would watch it live on the news. We went to NASA for field trips, and on one particular field trip, I found a book sitting on a podium in a gallery of space artifacts and mock ups of space vehicles. This book was open and filled with signatures. It was filled with signatures of children who dreamed of becoming astronauts. Eagerly, I scribbled down my name. I have never forgotten about that book, and I am happy to say I have applied to the astronaut program in the past. I always keep tabs on when they are hiring. For me, the dream is still alive. I hope it will be kept so for others for generations to come.
Whole Life Learning Center’s first session with Starry Sky Austin
Jan 22nd
The Whole Life Learning center had a good turnout for their first monthly, semester long session. It was cold!!! Nevertheless, we saw Orion, Jupiter, the Moon, Venus and heard about “The Lost Children”, a Native American star lore tale about the Pleiades constellation. We made a pocket sized scale of the Solar System to get a better understand of the distances of the planets. We also learned how to use a planisphere. For more information about what the semester long course they signed up for, click on the STARGAZING CLASSES section of this site. For more information about this wonderful, new school please visit http://www.wholelifelearningcenter.com
City of Sunset Valley Star Party
Jan 21st
What a joy it was to be back for the third time with the City of Sunset Valley at their public star party tonight. The trusty ole telescope must have seen at least 100 people! We focused on Jupiter, the Orion Nebula and Venus. We saw one of the Galilean moons just barely sticking out beside Jupiter and then sneak behind the gas giant and hide from view the rest of the night. I had the chance to tell some native star lore about the Pleiades and Orion constellations as well as guide everyone in how to use a star chart/planisphere to find constellations. As always, their staff was so eager to help and learn. Thank you lovely folks for a fun-filled and educational evening.