2010 events overview
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
NRAO: Behind-the-scenes Tour
The 2010 tour will be a "behind-the-scenes" tour, so participants will get to visit labs and the telescope control room —locations that are normally off-limits to the public!
Hands-on Radio Astronomy
We have arranged for access to NRAO's 40-foot educational dish on the evening of Saturday, September 4th. Participants will stay overnight at NRAO and return the morning of Sunday, September 5. No prior radioastronomy experience is required; NRAO will provide instruction and support. Space is very limited!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Cameras are welcome at NRAO. In order to prevent radio-frequency interference to observations in progress, the observatory prohibits the use of digital cameras (and electronics-laden film cameras) in some locations close to the telescopes. Bring a simple film camera if you'd like to get some pictures up close to the instruments.
Speakers
Bringing Telescopes to the People:
Building and Operating a Public Observatory on the Nation's Mall
Friday, September 3 - 6:30 p.m.
Dr. David DeVorkin
An updated version of his extremely popular AHSP 2009 talk, Dr. DeVorkin's talk will discuss how the Smithsonian team located the telescope for the public observatory, took it apart, evaluated it and then transported and reassembled it. And with almost a year of operation to talk about, he'll also discuss what he and his team have learned about public outreach. It's a great story about making astronomy visible on the nation's mall.
Ring-Planet Rendezvous (Two-Part Talk)
Saturday, September 4 - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 5 - 3:30 p.m.
Robert Naeye
Expectations were sky high for NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn: humanity's first orbiter around the Ring Planet. But since going into orbit around Saturn in 2004, Cassini has managed to exceed even the most optimistic projections. The orbiter has returned thousands upon thousands of spectacular images of the planet, rings, and moons, and it has transformed our understanding of this miniature planetary system. Hexagonal storms on Saturn. Bizarre structures in the rings. Organic lakes on Titan. Liquid water just beneath the surface of Enceladus.
In this two-part lecture, Sky & Telescope editor in chief Robert Naeye will discuss some of the major findings and show some of the best pictures from Cassini and the European Huygens probe, which touched down on the surface of Titan in January 2005. The first talk will cover Saturn and its rings. The second talk will cover the moons.
In the Footsteps of William and Caroline:
Conquering the Amateur Astronomer's Life List
Sunday, September 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Rod Mollise
Detailed description to follow.
If The Galaxy Is Full Of Intelligent Civilizations,
Why Haven't We Found Them Here?
The Fermi Paradox
Saturday, September 4 - 1:30 p.m.
Dr. Harold Geller
Dr. Harold Geller of George Mason University will discuss what has been known for years as the Fermi Paradox. Simply put, if the galaxy were full of intelligent civilizations, why haven't we noted any? This discussion will address the difference in time needed to evolve intelligent life forms and the time needed to spread a civilization throughout the galaxy, and how these relate to this famous paradox.
Color Perception and Meaning in Astronomy
Saturday, September 4 - 3:30 p.m.
Alan Goldberg
Why do colors in astrophotos look so good, while colors in the eyepiece are so muted? The answer to this question leads to an intriguing story of the nature of the sky objects, physics of light, eyeballs, cameras, and computers. Alan will try to explain and show the difference between true color, pleasing color, and informative color when applied to imaging stars, planets, nebulae, and objects beyond.
Common and Not-So-Common Telescope Optics
Sunday, September 5 - 1:30 p.m.
Alan Goldberg
Galileo first looked at the sky and made profound discoveries with a telescope 401 years ago. For good reason, almost no one uses his telescope design today.
Instead, we have developed a wide variety of telescopes using refraction and reflection to optimize performance, convenience, and cost. These designs solve the problems of viewing the heavens for everyone from amateurs viewing on field trips to professionals viewing from space, and looking at everything from the Sun and its corona to the faintest galaxies and nebulae.
Alan will provide a non-technical overview of the major and some minor optical telescope designs, and their advantages and disadvantages for various astronomy applications, from binoculars to adaptive optics. He will help explain why there is not a simple answer to the question: which telescope is best?
The Human Eye at Night
Monday, September 6 - 6:30 p.m.
Brad Hoehne
Brad will speak about the physiology of the eye: how dark adaptation works, what the resolution of the eye is, and how to use this information to observe difficult objects.
On-field Activities
Field Collimation Workshop
Monday, September 6 - 1:00 p.m.
Rod Mollise
Uncle Rod shows you how to align the optics of your reflector without blood, sweat, or tears.
Polar Alignment
Tom Kennedy
Achieving imaging-quality polar alignment is not as hard as it sounds. Come to this always-popular workshop and learn all you need to know to master polar alignment.
Informal Visual Observing Workshop
Evening, through Sunday, September 5
Donna Blosser
Donna will be available every night at dusk to chat with beginners on a variety
of observing topics. This informal get-together could cover anything from how to
locate and recognize deep sky objects, types of objects to observe, tips on seeing
faint objects, etc. Beginners questions will steer the topics discussed. Drop by
for a short while or stay until the chat winds up for the evening. This is informal!
Appropriate for observers of all experience levels.
On-field activities schedule pending, and will be subject to sky conditions.
Outdoor Events
Birdwatching
Ian Carmack
Saturday, September 4
Sunday, September 5
Whether you are a seasoned birdwatcher or a casual observer you are sure to enjoy one of our two birdwatching sessions. Don't miss this opportunity to see what West Virginia has to offer this time around. It will be later in the season and we expect cooler-climate populations to delight us with a visit.
Birdwatching sessions will occur Saturday and Sunday morning right after breakfast, weather permitting.
Bring binoculars if you have them. We will be walking through some uncut grass, so shoes (boots) that can withstand some dew may be a good idea.
Geology Hike
Lyle Mars
Date to be announced
This is a fascinating hike for those interested in learning more about the geology of the Spruce Knob region. No prior knowledge of geology needed.
Summit Hike and Canoeing
The Mountain Institute Staff
Sunday, September 5th
The Mountain Institute's staff will lead a Spruce Knob summit hike and a canoeing trip.
Please notice that we will be unable to host our traditional caving event. Caves all along the eastern seaboard are closed voluntarily because of White Nose Syndrome, a disorder that is causing cave-dwelling bats to die off in large numbers. While humans aren't affected by this disease, they're clearly involved in its transmission.
All events, times and dates are subject to change without notice.