Get Involved: Public Nights at Observatories, Stargazing at the Libraries and Museums

There are many ways to get involved with astronomy, and I want to provide some links to get you going places.

First, some places where I present astronomy. I am a regular at the California Academy of Sciences most Thursdays at their NightLife event. These are for adults-only (sorry, kids, they serve alcoholic beverages), and when the skies are clear, they have astronomers with telescopes trained on stars and planets, and me giving tours of the night sky. Stop by on a Thursday night and enjoy the Cal Academy, and journey up to the Living Roof for a personal tour from me.

I make special presentations for organizations around the Bay Area, this week at the Marina Public Library as part of the IMBIBE series of events being put on by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. Come join me Friday night, June 17th, to see our nearest star (with its fascinating Sunspots) up close, and when the skies turn dark, a close up view of other celestial highlights.

Local observatories and science museums hold regular astronomical viewing nearly every weekend. Chabot Space and Science Center has viewing on Friday and Saturday nights through their powerful telescopes. The Peninsula Astronomical Society hosts viewing at the Foothill College Observatory in Los Altos Friday nights. And the Lawrence Hall of Science has viewing on Saturdays. Finally, my own club, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers, hosts a monthly Star Party at Mt. Tam in Marin, along with a lecture at the Mountain Theater. I often give tours of the night sky at the Mt. Tam star parties.

There's no excuse if you live in the Bay Area. And if you are not in the San Francisco Bay Area, check the Night Sky Network to find a club and activities near you.

Get Involved: Globe At Night, Lectures, California Academy of Sciences

There is always something to do if you are interested in getting a bit more involved in astronomy. Right now, you can learn at a lecture, attend a star party, or take part in a global project to record light pollution while learning about new constellations. Read on for details.

Here in San Francisco, the California Academy of Sciences hosts a lecture series on astronomy topics. The Dean Lecture Series features talks on some of the most riveting subjects in astronomy, and Monday April 4th is the next talk, presented by Joel Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, focuses on the most modern research in cosmology, that of Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

The California Academy of Sciences also has a fun event every Thursday night with its "NightLife" series, transforming the museum into a fun party. Each week has a theme, and next Thursday April 7th is Yuri's Night, an annual celebration of the first man in space. If the skies are clear, you can find me on the Living Roof giving star tours alongside the docents of the museum showing off planets, nebulae and the Moon through telescopes.

If you don't live in San Francisco, visit the Night Sky Network website to find lectures and astronomy clubs in your area.

The Globe At Night project is now in the second phase, inviting Citizen Scientists around the world to support the effort to raise awareness of light pollution, learn about the night sky in your neighborhood, and pay attention to details of the constellation Leo the Lion. Take part - it only requires a few minutes and is an eye-opening experience.

Astronomy Gifts for the Holidays / Telescope Shopping

If you are considering a gift for someone who enjoys astronomy (or want to share something with a young person who might like to discover astronomy), I present to you my astronomy gift guide for the holidays.

A. Astronomy Gifts.

At my local astronomy shop here in San Francisco, Scope City, I asked manager Sam and salesperson Steve what they would recommend for the holidays. Telescopes are plentiful and that warrants a separate section of this blog post - see below. But aside from telescopes, there are binoculars of all types, excellent books, tools such as Star Finders and Planispheres, and new this year, the Sky Scout, a hot selling item from Celestron that has the astronomy hobbyist world abuzz. Point the Sky Scout at an object in the sky and it tells you what the object is and provides additional details. For another approach, you can open a door for astronomy for someone with a gift subscription to Astronomy Magazine or Sky & Telescope Magazine.


B: Telescopes - Top 5 Things to Consider When Buying a Telescope

A telescope is a powerful scientific instrument which, when well cared for, can provide years of viewing pleasure. Top brands include Meade, Orion and Celestron. However, there is a very wide range of options, quality and performance to choose from so before you buy a telescope learn a few things about them. Telescopes.com offers some useful background information, as does Astronomics.com with its informative pages. The Bad Astronomy blog has a helpful article, and this post provides a lot of detail for the telescope shopper. If you summarize all of the articles and if I draw from my own experience, I would recommend five things to think about when purchasing a telescope.

1. Consider Binoculars. They are easy to use, can be used at daytime as well as nighttime, cost less than a telescope, and are a good first test of one's interest in the night sky.

2. Buy quality. Avoid the cheap telescopes at the department stores. They not only have generally poor quality optics, but end up being a turn-off for those who purchase them. It's worth the extra money to get something you will enjoy.

3. Start simple. As much as the high-tech telescopes look like fun, they are still complex instruments that will need some degree of care-and-feeding when you use them. The most basic scopes, simple refractors on a lightweight tripod, take little time to set up and are the most simple to use. Also, a simple telescope is not as bulky and heavy to carry around. For kids, try out the Celestron FirstScope (see below).

4. Be comfortable. You really need to feel at ease with a telescope, so in the best case go to your local astronomy shop and try out a few. Scope City will let you take their binoculars and telescopes out in front of the store and do the "Safeway Test" to see how well you can resolve items in the aisles of Safeway grocery store next door.

5. Learn to use your telescope at your local astronomy club. Amateur astronomers like to help others to learn about astronomy. The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers and San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers hold Telescope Clinics at their monthly star parties. These are excellent venues to bring your scope and learn to use it with astronomy enthusiasts. Check the Night Sky Network for a club near you.

C: For Young People.

Kids can benefit from astronomy gifts that are easy to use and make it simple to immediately start enjoying. I found numerous websites that showcase books for kids. Skymaps.com has a very well organized list of books for different age ranges, all the way from age 4 to young adult and educator. The Top 10 Astronomy Books for Kids on about.com offers some good choices. On the telescope front in 2009, Celestron premiered the FirstScope, an extremely simple telescope for kids that, from the reviews I've read, is surprisingly good quality yet very low price (about $50 at most outlets). It is an 'official product' of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) celebration. But in the end I was most enamored with this simple recommendation from the Suite101.com blog:

"What children really need, more than 'stuff,' is for someone to take the time to stand outside with them on a starry night and point out planets and constellations. Teach them the sky. You can give coupons good for '1 Hour of Observing with Mom' or something similar."

Happy Holidays. Stay warm and enjoy the long dark nights.

Get Involved: Astronomy Lectures, Star Parties and Telescope Workshops

There are many ways to get involved with astronomy here in San Francisco, or wherever you may be. A great resource for finding events in your neighborhood is the Night Sky Network, a resource chock-full of information from astronomy clubs across the United States. Just enter your location and you can find out what is happening in your area.

Here in San Francisco, the California Academy of Sciences has an astronomy lecture series called the Benjamin Dean Lecture Series. The next lecture in the series will be on Monday December 7th. The topic is Saturn, presented by Dr. Carolyn Porco, the director of the imaging team for the Cassini spacecraft that is orbiting Saturn. You can get tickets for the December 7th Dean Lecture online.

The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers (SFAA) have their monthly meeting at the Randall Museum on December 17th and their "City Star Party" on December 26th at Land's End in San Francisco. The City Star Party on the 26th (weather permitting) will be a great chance to bring out new holiday gifts such as telescopes and binoculars and learn to use them alongside amateur astronomers. The SFAA and the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers have free telescope workshops before each City Star Party but please RSVP to them at clinic@sfsidewalkastronomers.org if you plan to come on December 26th.

I hope to see you at an upcoming event!