Telescope Reviews: Back to School

I don't find myself helping out at school star parties as often as I would like. Life and the work schedule just don't leave weeknights open for me all that often. But when the elementary school half a mile from me holds one, I do everything I can to make an exception. And we had one of those last night.

Only three telescopes and a lot of kids - I'd guess between 60 and 70 - and all of them full of pumpkin pie and cider. Good heavens! After setting up we waited a bit, and then a few trickled out with parents in tow. One little girl in particular literally dragged her father out. She'd insisted on leaving the party early so she could have a long look at the Moon. I was happy to oblige. And, man, did she ever take a long look! I thought she'd fallen asleep after a while. In a very quiet voice she explained to her father what she was seeing, then finally stepped back and insisted that he look. From our conversation during her lunar observing session it was pretty clear she had Dad wrapped around her little finger, so he indulged. And then I thought I'd have to pry his eyeball off the scope. They went off to the next scope hand in hand, bound for Mars but talking about the Moon.

A teacher wandered out to see if we were ready, chattering away about how great it was that members of the TAAA were willing to do this. Then she looked into the telescopes - at Venus, the Moon, and Mars - and the chatter was reduced to half whispered repetitions of "Oh, my!"

And then the doors opened and the children all came pelting out, shouting and racing each other to get to the telescopes. We all braced ourselves for an onslaught, but something really cool happened. Although the teachers' instructions to slow down and calm down were barely audible, these children all queued up behind the scopes, with three lines forming spontaneously. No pushing, no yelling (although lots of excited talking). At the 'newt they came up to the step ladder where I was ready to greet each with instructions: climb as high as you need, hold the back of the ladder, not the scope, look in here...

Well, that was my plan, but I rarely needed to say that much. These kids were pros, with some real eyepiece savvy!The only visitor who had any trouble seeing the Moon at all was a parent. Her son was mortified. "Mom, how could you not see something that bright?"

Most of it was a whirlwind of very small people with parents in tow. Almost none of them looking without uttering a "Wow", or "That's cool!" Many of them cycled themselves to the ends of lines so they could take second and third looks.

After an hour and a half or so things calmed down. A lot of the kids had been taken home by their parents, and most of those remaining behind belonged to parents who had gotten caught up themselves and wanted to know more. Others wanted advice on how to use astronomy feed the curiosity their children had displayed over the course of the evening. From the questions I was asked, I suspect that there will be a few young astronomers after December 25th this year. With luck some of them will be brought to the TAAA beginners group to help make sure they get off to a proper start.

The time came to pack it in. Just as I turned the 'newt away from the Moon I saw a small pickup truck pull up to the curb. Out jumped a little girl, followed in a moment by her father. She got halfway to the scopes before she was stopped dead by the realization that she was too late. The striken look on her face said it all. "All done?" herf father asked.

"Not quite," I said, swinging the 'newt back around. "Come and take a look at the Moon." She did so, and then I gave her a (rather poor, I'm afraid) look at Mars that nonetheless seemed to thrill her. By the time she was satisfied my fellow club members were all packed and ready to go, and kidding me about how long it takes me to tear down a scope on an EQ mount. (To be fair, if I hadn't been chatting with a neighbor - a lot of the kids live right around the place I call home - I'd have been half done taking things apart. Any one of us would have put it together for the late arrival. I just happened to be in the best position to do so.)

I went home exhausted. It felt like a big, noisy wave had rolled over me. I could stand to be overwhelmed like that a bit more often!

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Tom W.

SVP8 'She turned me into a 3-legged Newt' EQ
Ralph, the All-Purpose 102mm Refractor
Under the Desert Stars

Alcohol and calculus do not mix. Please don't drink and derive.

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