Olga Vidal
McDonald Observatory Davis Mountains
N 30 68.084', W 103 01.502';
Elevation 6602.3’ (at HET)
Content:
My name is Olga Vidal. I am a chemistry teacher at United High School in Laredo, Texas. I would like to share with you what I learned at a private star party I attended on the evening of June 4th at the McDonald Observatory Telescope Park and Amphitheater. The astronomer who was hosting this party was Marc Wetzel, the Education Coordinator at McDonald Observatory. If you had attended this star party here is a list of things you would have learned:
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•Star parties take place when it is dark so you need to have a flashlight with red cellophane around the light to save your night vision.
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•With binoculars, you can discern the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.
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•A star chart is a map of the sky and you need to know the following three things before you can use one correctly: what month it is, what time it is, and what direction you are facing.
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•If you are facing North, then the word North should be at the bottom of your star chart, if you are facing East then the word East should be at the bottom of your star chart and so on. The bottom edge is your horizon.
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•One big limitation of your star chart is that it is flat while there is a dome above you.
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•On your star chart, stars look white and are not all the same size. The larger ones on your chart are brighter stars in the sky.
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•Because your local horizon is an obstruction and there are no obstructions on your map, you may not be able to see all the stars on the star chart at a particular moment.
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•Use averted vision to see faint stars better.
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•You can see most stars and constellations that are on the star chart from the amphitheater at the Mc Donald Observatory on a very dark night, but it may not be so easy when you go back to your home town.
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•You can easily make your own light to point up at the sky when you host your own party with cardboard and a light you buy at the hardware store.
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•The stories that each constellation tells.
Reflection:
I was amazed at how easy it was to read a star chart and find all the stars and constellations in the sky. I was very impressed with Marc Wetzel’s depth of knowledge and his way of teaching it as a story that I hoped would not end. I wrote down eight pages of interesting notes while I was listening to him because I want to share this information with my students when I host my own star parties. Mark inspired me to host my own star parties with the Science Club members at my high school and maybe with elementary kids and their parents and teachers during an Open House or Meet the Teacher Night.
Supporting Resources:
Sunday, June 4, 2006
