Sky Rangers Workshop - September 26, 2011

Sky Rangers Outdoor Astronomy Interpretation Workshop
Acadia National Park, Maine
September 25 - 29, 2011

 

Sonya Berger - NPS Ranger

  Getting Started: Welcome to Acadia

Our Place in Space Scale Models

-Pocket Solar System

-Our Place in our Galaxy

Planispheres

-Celestial Motion

 

 Intro to Optics

Our Place in Space Scale Models

-A Universe of Galaxies

Interpretation at the Telescope

Modeling Good Practices

-Interpretive Talk: Astronomy in the National Parks

-Andromeda Drama

-Sky Orientation with Naked Eye & Telescope Viewing

Anna Hurst Schmitt, Robert Sparks & Kevin Poe

Our Place in Space Scale Models - Marni Berendsen

Marni Berendsen

Marni Berendsen is with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. "I'll have the pleasure of sharing many of the activities and resources we have developed for the NASA Night Sky Network (NSN) and for AfGU.
 

I've been with the ASP for almost ten years as the education lead developer for the NSN program and ToolKits. I have been interested in astronomy since childhood when my mother first introduced me to the night sky in Girl Scouts, using star maps she made in the early 1930's. Those maps now hang on my office wall."

 

Celestial Motion - Chad Moore

 

Chad Moore - Instructor & Telescope Coach

Chad Moore has been serving as the National Park Service Night Skies Team leader for 11 years. This is my third orbit with the Sky Rangers class, and prior to that the NPS held a similar course where I was an instructor. I'm also a longtime amateur astronomer.

For my part, I am charged with protecting dark skies and natural darkness in all national parks. Having an understanding, inspired, and educated public is essential in curtailing light pollution and maintaining this window to the universe that has become so rare. So I look at you all— interpreters, naturalists, and amateur astronomers— as a "restoration army." I'd like to provide you the tools and skills to communicate to the public about the plight of dark skies, make them care, and inspire them to make positive changes 

Marni Berendsen & Laurel Ladwig

 

Planispheres - Anna Hurst Schmitt

 Introduction to Optics

Robert Sparks

"I work at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (better known as the people who run Kitt Peak) in Tucson.I work in the Education and Public Outreach group on a wide variety of programs including the Galileoscope. I have a lot of background in telescopes and optics. I will be talking about the optics of telescopes at the workshop and am also one of the telescope coaches.

I am a big proponent of scientific literacy and my areas are physics and astronomy. Carl Sagan and I agree we have a problem: "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology."

Robert Sparks with Galileoscope

Our Place in Space - A Universe of Galaxies

Chad Moore & Anna Hurst Schmitt

 Interpretation at the Telescope - Kevin Poe

My name is Kevin Poe. I lead a small cadre of park ranger/astronomers at Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah. Each year we present over 100 astronomy presentations / public stargazing to a ever growing annual total of 35,000 people. Our attendees come from all over the globe (60% from outside of the U.S.) filling the experience spectrum from people who can't articulate the difference between astrology and astronomy, to astrophysicists who just want to get the big picture perspective of seeing the night sky splendor of America's last grand sanctuary of natural darkness -- 7.4 limiting eye magnitude sky!  We pride ourselves in high volume, high impact, interpretation at our telescopes, preceded by thrilling and educational powerpoint presentations.

Our efforts to advance the science of astronomy and champion the preservation of natural darkness has earned us the catchy play-on-words label "Dark Rangers." We have managed to not only draw the attention of the International Dark Sky Association (Former Bryce Canyon Dark Ranger Angela Richman sits on their Dark Sky Designation Committee), but the International Astronomy Union has also endorsed our efforts by renaming the asteroid formerly known as 49272 to "Bryce Canyon."

If you are ever in Southern Utah please stop by and say hi!  Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights (May - October) are astronomy nights at Bryce Canyon!

Interpretive Talk

Astronomy in the National Parks

 Tyler Nordgren

I'm an astronomer at the University of Redlands in California. For the last five years I've been working with the National Park Service on ways to increase astronomy awareness and education in parks using the dark night skies and the wonderful geology and history that the parks protect by day. I spent a year on sabbatical from my university traveling through the national park system working with rangers and park visitors developing material to help bring the latest astronomical discoveries to the public using the wonderful hand-on and "eyes-on" opportunities the parks provide. I got started on this course of outreach thanks to an evening ranger program like many of you probably give.
 

One of my big goals in my science outreach is showing people how astronomy is all around them. While a dark night sky is the best doorway into the universe, like Carl Sagan demonstrated in his Cosmos series over 30 years ago, astronomy is also an integral part of the world around us, our history, and our culture.

Tyler Nordgren

Anna Hurst Schmitt

Kevin Poe

 

Sky Rangers Workshop - September 25, 2011

Sky Rangers Outdoor Astronomy Interpretation Workshop
Acadia National Park, Maine
September 25 - 29, 2011

This four-day workshop at beautiful Acadia National Park covered hands-on astronomy activities for outdoor settings, sky navigation, and telescope operation. Participants learned about the science behind the various astronomical objects viewed through the telescopes, heard from experienced rangers on how to organize astronomy events and interpret the sky for park visitors, and developed their own observing lists and constellation tours. Astronomy from the Ground Up online community has over 700 informal astronomy educators and interpreters around the U.S.   

 

Introductions - September 25, 2011

Anna Hurst Schmitt: Lead educator for AFGU

Kevin Poe: Lead park ranger/astronomer at Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah.

Presenters & Telescope Coaches

Lecture: Protection of Night Skies in National Parks

 

Chad Moore

Chad Moore, one of the instructors for Sky Rangers. He serves as the National Park Service Night Skies Team leader for 11 years. He is also a longtime amateur astronomer. He gave a presentation on "Protection of Night Skies in National Parks".

Acadian National Park Night Sky

Night Sky Through The Trees

Custer 33rd Annual Astronomy Jamboree

Astronomy Jamboree  

Friday, Sept. 23, 2011

Theremin Concert by C. Chris Peters

C. Chris Peters

Astronomers Drinking Song

Rich, Justine & Dave

Take A One-mintue Break Through The Universe

The Galaxy Song

Night Sky Photos During Power Outage from Hurricane Irene

Some photos taken during the power outage from Hurricane Irene. It was a rare opportunity to view the night sky without the glow of light pollution from the lights on Long Island. It was also a good time to take some photos of the night sky. These photos were taken where I live where the night sky is usually drowned out by too much and improper lighting.

Custer Observatory Program "Space Shuttle: End of an Era"

Paul Stengel's program on the "Space Shuttle: End of an Era" was one of the best programs I've seen at Custer Observatory. Paul is a "32-year veteran high school science teacher and taught for 22 years at Shoreham-Wading River High School.  Throughout his career, Paul has presented science programs with physics and aerospace themes to students, teachers, professional organizations and civic groups.  Paul’s efforts in the classroom have been recognized with awards such as “Science Teacher of the Year,” an "Excellence in Science Teaching Award" by the Science Teachers Association of New York State. In addition, Paul was a NYS Finalist in NASA’s Teacher in Space Project.  Since his retirement 12 years ago, Paul has maintained his commitment to science education as Curriculum Consultant for NOVA’s “Einstein’s Big Idea”, Solar System Ambassador for NASA/JPL, Chandra X-Ray Satellite Teacher Resource Agent, and more recently, as a participant in Chautauqua Program Short Courses in Astronomy, Energy Sustainability and Climate Change. At present, he teaches a summer program in physics and aerospace to minority high school students at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He is also an active member of the Southampton Town Kiwanis Club since 1980 where he has served as President on three occasions."

Steve Bellavia introduced his colleague from Brookhaven National Lab to the audience at Custer. Paul Stengel's detailed explanation and demonstration on a model Space Shuttle of everything that happens just minutes and seconds before a Space Shuttle Launch was very informative and the closest explanation you can hear without being there. Hearing his description of what happens before a Launch would have made watching the Space Shuttle take off more meaningful.

Paul demonstrates the heat-shielding properties of a Space Shuttle Tile

 Paul described the Space Shuttle as "the most complex flying machine ever made, the Space Shuttle has reached its 30th birthday and the end of its mission. It was designed in the 60’s, built in the 70’s, launched in the 80’s, the Shuttle legacy includes remarkable achievements – and glaring failures. He explained how it got into space? What it was like to be in orbit? How does it get back home? Were Challenger and Columbia tragedies avoidable? How will the cancellation of the Constellation program impact the future of NASA and the  US manned space program?"  In this lecture, Paul answered all these questions and more. It was a program not to be missed! 

 

Photos from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida showing the relative size of some of NASA's rockets and engines. The Rocket Garden has grown significantly since these photos were taken.