Old Outreach

We would be glad to try to visit any School or Club that wants us to. The biggest problem is, as usual, the weather. However we also have an indoor presentation put together that can be shown instead if the weather will not co-operate or if a night time session is not possible.

For a night observing session we need a reasonably flat, dry, dark area to set up the telescopes and an idea of how many (roughly) will be expected to attend. Some adults to help organise the kids (and to have a look themselves!) will also be necessary.

To contact us about setting up a "Show me the Stars!" session for your School, class, club or group, go to the Contact page and just send us your details and an evening or mobile contact number. We will take it from there!

On the 14th of April, we arranged for outreach educator Deirdre Kelleghan to come down to St Brendan’s National School in Fenit Co. Kerry to give a talk to the children. Deirdre is an Irish astronomer who enjoys doing talks on astronomy and space exploration. She is Vice Chair for IFAS i.e. The Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies and a member of The Saturn Observation Campaign an informal education program run by JPL/NASA. The presentation was about Saturn and Her Wonderful Moons as seen by Cassini, i.e. a selection of fabulous images taken by the Cassini spacecraft that has been in orbit around the planet Saturn since 2004.

The children of 4th, 5th and 6th class assembled in the hall where they were treated to an awesome presentation of the latest images from Cassini.

Some of the images, specially the 3D ones, brought gasps of wonder and excitement from the children who were very attentive. Deirdre supplied the children with lots of educational material and also invited them to do drawings of Saturn so as to further enhance their educational experience.

Kerry Astronomy Club followed up the talk by inviting all the children, teachers and parents to return to the school later that evening to see the planet Saturn for real. That evening in the clear skies above Fenit on the grounds of St Brendan’s National School there were lots of smiling faces.

Many local people got a really good look for the first time at what the dark skies of Kerry has to offer through telescopes. Deirdre’s presentation and Kerry Astronomy Clubs star party were also part of Global Astronomy Month. GAM2010 is a huge undertaking by astronomers on this planet to share the night sky and encourage everyone to look up.

Following Kevin Lawlor's eclipse visit to Kilmoyley National school we arranged a night observing session there. We had five telescopes set up and about 60 students and parents in attendance.

Picture by Kevin Lawlor

The Moon, Saturn and Mars were about all we had time to show them as each telescope had its own long queue.

We had 5 telescopes setup and Saturn was the "star" of the show with its rings and the shadow of the planet on them easily visible along with the Cassini division, four of its moons and a one of its cloud bands.

The young Moon also got a good examination with the craters and mountains of the southern hemisphere showing great detail.

Kevin Lawlor went to Kilmoyley National School on the morning of the eclipse and with the fortune of partially clear skies he set up his ETX 70 with its solar filter and showed the slim partial eclipse to each class and teacher in turn. By the time he had finished all 140 students and their teachers each got to see this rare event.

The next generation of astronomers queue for a look.

David Tough, a club member and scout leader with the "Boy's Brigade" gave an introduction to astronomy to the boys and girls of the brigade at one of their weekly meetings and the following week we brought some scale models of the Earth and Moon to explain the phases of the Moon and eclipses. There were so many varied questions from them that their interest and knowledge was in no doubt.

Then with a clear sky and a slim crescent Moon visible outside we put on our coats and set up the telescopes in the adjoining yard, but first we showed them the brighter constellations and how to find the North star. They then took turns at the telescopes to look at the mountains and craters on the Moon.

The decision to do a small exhibition for the Rose of Tralee festival was rewarded with a busy night with lots of interest and even a few new members. Thanks to all that took an interest to come and have a look. The skies were mostly cloudy but later it did clear and we got to view the rising full moon.

Some pictures taken on the night :

Paddy holds back the crowd while Trevor signs another autograph!

There was interest from all ages

A brace of LX200's, a 12" and an 8"

Tony Curran went to Dromclogh National School near Listowel to give a talk and slide show to the 6th class there. The talk lasted for about two hours and the questions just kept coming!

As a follow-up to the talk we took the opportunity of a forecast of a clear sky to bring our telescopes to the school on the following Thursday night. The night started with a bright fireball at about 19:40 in the west, falling vertically from Cassiopeia towards the horizon. It was slow, very bight and it broke up as it fell.

By eight we had about thirty students accompanied by some of their parents and teachers. With the four telescopes and a large pair of tripod mounted binoculars we showed them Saturn, the Orion nebula, the double cluster in Perseus, the Milky Way, Andromeda galaxy, comet Machholz and Alcor/Mizar.

We stayed until about 10:15 PM and as we packed up Jupiter just began to rise. A thoroughly enjoyable night was had by all of us, and we think the kids and parents enjoyed it too!

On the afternoon of Friday 26th March 2004 I went to Gaelscoil Mhic Easmainn, in Rathonane, Tralee to talk to approx. 50 very eager 5th class pupils. I was given a "Céad Míle Fáilte" by their class teachers Liam Ó Conchubhair and Seán Ó Dómhnaill. Normally lessons are taught through the medium of Irish but an exception was made as we discussed the Solar System, using various sizes of spheres to represent the various planets.

Their enthusiasm and their level of knowledge of the subject pleasantly surprised me. Using a flash lamp and globe I explained how Solar Eclipses and Lunar Eclipses occur and also the various phases of the moon and how it affects the Tides. We also discussed the Lunar Surface and they were very interested in the Moon Map and how the various craters occurred. As it happens the ISS was passing over head that weekend and I gave them the times it would be visible on the Saturday and Sunday and pleased to hear afterwards that many of them saw it.

We began at 1.30p.m. and when the school bell rang at 2.40p.m. I felt that we could have continued on longer. This was no observing session because of school hours but the pupils expressed great interest in the subject in general and would love to attend an observing session soon.

We held our first "Show me the Stars!" session on Wednesday night the 25th of February 2004 for the pupils, parents and teachers of Noeval National School in Cloontarriv, near Ballymacelligott just east of Tralee.

Just some of the attendees at Noeval National School.

Being a small school and the weather forecast promising wintery showers we were not expecting big numbers and arranged for just two of us to bring our telescopes and binoculars.

However, when we found cars parked on the roadside well away from the school we knew that we were in for a busy evening. In all about 70 parents, teachers and pupils had braved the cold and were waiting for us in the school and in the yard for the hail shower to blow over.

Soon the sky began to clear in patches and we set up the telescopes and the binoculars on their tripods. With the moon in view an orderly queue formed behind each eyepiece and everyone took their turn for a look. The reactions varied from "That's just so cool!" to "Oh my God, I can see rocks and mountains!" Best of all were the youngest that just looked and looked in silence. (With the younger pupils it can be difficult for them to position their eye in the correct place to see anything. The best way we found to ensure that they are seeing what they should, is to look for the projected light from the object on their eye.)

As the night rolled on we showed them Venus, the Orion nebula, Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, Jupiter, the Pleiades star cluster and various bright stars. After about 3 hours it was past bed time for most and just a handful remained. We were then free to try to answer some of the questions posed to us. We will have to study our astronomy books before going back to a school again! The questions and the knowledge of astronomy of the students was a credit to their teachers.

Thanks to everyone for a most enjoyable night. We will be back! (with more telescopes next time!)