Sharing the Sky

Astronomy clubs in the area came into their heyday in the 1950s, when Sputnik was all the rage and sending people into space to discover what surrounds the earth became humankind’s passion. In 1953, the Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society in Stratford, CT completed their construction of the “Big Eye,” an enormous telescope housed under the observatory dome in Boothe Memorial Park. That same year, the Astronomical Society of New Haven, in existence since 1937, became incorporated.

Our friend Greg setting up for an observing night at a school. Club members bring a wide variety of equipment to these events, and provide guests with spectacular views of the night sky

The public was quickly swept up in wonder, and fueling a growing thirst to know more about what lay beyond our Earth’s horizon, the clubs quickly gained popularity. Area astronomy groups continued to thrive through the Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo programs, but by the time the Shuttle program came around, space travel was taken for granted, and the skies were largely ignored by people outside the scientific community. 

Enter John Dobson, a former monk and founder of the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers. In the 1960s, John designed an inexpensive, easy-to-build telescope mount that revolutionized amateur astronomy. He began a movement to bring telescopes out into the public, to street corners, National parks – anywhere there were people – and show them the heavens. Dobson, now 97, has regularly made visits to Connecticut and spent time with members of local clubs teaching, building telescopes, taking them out to the streets, and has been a fixture at the Connecticut Star Party (sponsored by ASNH) for many years.

John Dobson - the original Sidewalk Astronomer, our friend, and inspiration

At a time when science education is really missing the mark, members of our local astronomy groups follow John Dobson’s lead, spending a great deal of time doing public educational outreach. This involves regular observing at area parks and beaches, along with meetings and observing nights at our local observatories.

In June, Venus crossed in front of the sun (Venus Transit), an event that won’t occur again for over 100 years. Club members brought their telescopes to various public locales for people to view this special event. My son and I chased clear skies all the way to the shore of Lake Ontario, where we set up two telescopes equipped for solar viewing in a school parking lot. In no time, much of the small town of Kendall, NY joined us to view this amazing celestial event, including a theater troupe and 3 vans of cub scouts.

Elliot Severn with some kids in Kendall, NY, the day of the Venus Transit

A lucky scout gets a once-in-a-lifetime view through one of our telescopes

This past week, members of both clubs joined together and set up telescopes at the annual PumpkinFest  and at two local schools, where over 1000 sets of eyes were treated to views of both the sun and the night sky.

After many years associated with our astronomy club as publicist and event coordinator, this was my first time flying solo, running a telescope all by myself.  I arrived with a carful of big blue 126-lb. telescope, some eyepieces, a chair, a smile, and crossed fingers.  Since there were a lot of members with telescopes, I decided to make it my mission to find the moon and keep it in clear view all night. This is probably not a great feat for most, but for me it’s like making contact to the ball with a bat. (If you’ve seen my level of athletic prowess, you’ll understand! J)

While I sat there proudly trained on the moon all night, my friends were surveying the sky, showing our guests the following objects:

Polaris (the North Star) Albireo (a double star in the constellation Cygnus) a red supergiant star called Mu Cephei the Coat-hanger cluster M103 (an open cluster of stars in Cassiopeia) M32 (a dwarf galaxy in Andromeda) M13 (the great globular cluster in Hercules) the Dumbbell Nebula the Andromeda Galaxy the Ring Nebula Double Cluster (representing  the jeweled handle of Perseus's sword & Vega.) In one night, through our combined efforts, guests were able to view many more objects than someone with a single telescope might ever see on their own.   Club members and guests - that's the blue Dobsonian I was manning in the foreground Our friend Donna helps one of our younger guests to view through her telescope If you want a treat, visit your local astronomy club and take in the night sky. And if you’re thinking of getting your own telescope, talk to the members before making an investment. If you decide to pursue astronomy with your own equipment, their knowledge and guidance can help match you up with the setup that is right for you; one that will yield maximum enjoyment. At John Dobson’s 90th birthday celebration, a friend said something like, “The value of a telescope is not determined by what you paid for it. Its value comes from how many people have looked through it.” I’m feeling pretty rich right now. A great teacher, our friend Jim always draws a crowd! For more about the clubs in this article:

Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society (Facebook page)
Astronomical Society of New Haven