Spring 2016 Astronomy Workshops Series at Seagrave Observatory

April 2016

One of the newer, and more successful, programs that Skyscrapers, Inc., has begun is its several-week workshop series. This is geared for both organizational members, and for the public who might want to get to learn about a specific topic in astronomy.

The spring series begins May 7th, and, with the exception of Memorial Day weekend, continues each Saturday afternoon at Seagrave Memorial Observatory, starting at 6:00 P.M. The topics include:

May 7th: The Sun & the Upcoming Mercury Transit – Ian Dell’Antonio will open Skyscrapers’s springtime workshops with an introduction to our daytime star. In addition, he will explain how the planet Mercury will appear to move across, or transit, the Sun’s surface on Monday, May 9th. As a transit of Mercury won’t occur again for another three years, please make every effort to both learn more about this historic event and to determine how to very safely observe something that doesn’t happen very often.

May 14th: Astronomical Definitions – To find your way around the sky you will need to know both celestial coordinates and time definitions. Let Skyscraper President Steve Siok introduce you to many of the terms you will encounter as you look through the various celestial guides.

May 21st: Observing the Sky & Light Pollution – Our resident planetarian Francine Jackson will introduce you to the beauty of the late spring/early summer sky, and remind you of the problems we face in attempting to observe this natural resource.

June 4th: Globular Clusters – You may know what a globular cluster is, but are you aware of where they are and how important they are with respect to the structure of our galaxy? Steve Siok will lead you in search of them within the late spring and summer skies.

June 11th: Building a Backyard Observatory – Skyscraper member Steve Hubbard was tired of dragging his telescope in and out of his house to enjoy the sky, so he made his own backyard observatory. If you’ve ever thought about putting one in your own yard, Steve will speak of his experiences, and give you tips he learned that may prove helpful to you, also.

After each program, skies willing, stay and observe the sky with the organization’s telescope, including the historic 8-inch Clark refractor.

All programs are free for Skyscraper members, and only $5.00 for nonmembers.

For more information contact Steve Siok ssiok@cox.net or Francine Jackson francine_jackson@brown.edu.

Hope to see you all there!