Posts Tagged ‘astronomy outreach’

The Race for Space!

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

There is a race for Space, and it’s taking place right here on Earth. With this year’s Shorty Awards, we have a golden opportunity to put Space front-and-center … a position that has the potential to encourage greater participation in Space-related sciences, to promote the various Space programs, and even simply to remind people to “look up.”

Currently, there are several Space Tweeps in the running for a Shorty Award. You can help Space win the Shorty race by casting and encouraging votes for each, in their respective categories.   The nominees include NASA, SDO, astronauts Mike Massimino and TJ Creamer, Twitter ISS Alerts, Universe Today’s Nancy Atkinson, Journalist Miles O’Brien, Space Shuttle technician Jen Scheer, the AstronomyFM website, MeteorWatch founder Newbury Astronomy, and astronomy outreach enthusiast Tavi Greiner (that’s me!).

I’ve compiled a hyperlinked list to make voting a little easier.  Simply click on the various links, select the appropriate category from the little dropdown (this is important!),  state your reason for voting, and click “Tweet Your Vote.”  You can vote for more than one tweep in each category (such as the three in #science), but only once per tweep per category.

NASA in #government … Vote Here

NASA_SDO (SDO) in #science … Vote Here

twisst (Twitter ISS Alerts) in #science … Vote Here

FlyingJenny (Jen Scheer) in #science  … Vote Here

Nancy_A (Nancy Atkinson) in #journalist … Vote Here

TaviGreiner (that’s me) in #education … Vote Here

Astro_Mike (Mike Massimino) in #travel … Vote Here

Astro_TJ (TJ Creamer) in #tech … Vote Here

Miles O’Brien in #journalist … Vote Here

Astronomy.FM in #astronomy … Vote Here

NewburyAS (Newbury Astronomy) in #science … Vote Here

* If you know of any other SpaceTweeps in other categories, please share them in the comments section and I’ll add them to the list.

A Short Word on Awards – the Shorty Awards, That Is

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Last week, I was nominated by a friend, Waddell Robey, for a Shorty Award in the #education category.  For a couple of days, others followed his lead and I made a short, fun run in the top ten.  I was even in second place at one point.  But, as is the case with so many things, the initial buzz died down and I am now somewhere around 15th place.

Of course, I’ve never had any illusions of winning a Shorty Award.  In fact, I am completely (but pleasantly) surprised for the votes that I have received.  There are so many others far more deserving than I, and I do hope that their work is acknowledged with an award.  Nonetheless, I am grateful to those who have voted for me, and I am humbled by the recognition.

The truly exciting thing about all of this is not that I, Tavi Greiner, have been nominated for an award.  It is the fact that, in my nomination, astronomy outreach is being acknowledged as education!

So often, astronomy is misunderstood to be a hobby – as simply playing with telescopes or looking at the moon.  But, astronomy is much more than merely turning our gaze skyward.  It is to gain a fundamental understanding of the truth of all other things – of life itself.  The more we learn about the world beyond our planet, the greater our capacity to affect the world in which we live.  So, when I encourage others to “look up”, I am not merely suggesting we “ooh” and “ahh” at the pretty stars, I am hoping to spark a curiosity to look beyond the beauty, to learn more about the what, why, and how.

I hadn’t thought to campaign for myself for a Shorty Award.  But, the thought of astronomy outreach being formally acknowledged as #education has me considering a serious run.  Imagine the new eyes that could be opened, the interest that could be triggered, the statement that would be made, should astronomy walk away with a Shorty Award.  Oh, the possibilities!

To those who’ve cast a vote my way: a sincere thank you – its great knowing that others are “looking up” with me!  To everyone who appreciates the significance of astronomy’s greater role in education: perhaps you’ll consider an #education vote for me, or even another astronomy-focused tweep.  You can also help to promote Space in other categories by casting votes for @flyingjenny and @NewburyAS in the #science category and a vote for @NASA in the #government category!

Webcast Archive: “MoonWalking with Rob Self-Pierson”

Friday, December 18th, 2009

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12/23/2009 Update: Video archive of this webcast can be found here.

Throughout billions of years, the Moon has held an intrinsic practical and emotional bond with our planet.  Sadly, we are losing the human connection as we keep our eyes fixed on the material and social noise of today’s world.

Every once in a while, something special comes along to remind us to pause and look up at Luna, to consider that constant, though oft-forgot, guidepost for all living things on Earth.

We are proud to announce our next AFM*Radio special event, an audio/visual presentation, Moon-Walking with Rob Self-PiersonJoin us next Tuesday night, Dec. 23 0100 UTC (Dec. 22 8pm ET), when Rob Self-Pierson stops by to discuss his “MoonWalking” experiences and his upcoming Blue Moon Walk.  We’ll feature images, video, an interactive chatroom, and details about how you can participate in commemorating the last Blue Moon of this decade!

“But, Officer, it’s the space station!”

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Blogs are all about sharing, and today, we’re honored to have a dear friend and fellow amateur astronomer, Louis Suarato, share his recent “opportunity” to share an ISS flyover with a local law enforcement officer.

louisLast Tuesday night, inspired by the co-creator of this blog’s story about giving new neighbors their first view of the ISS, and given a heads-up by a Twitter friend, I traveled out to a clear western horizon site to view two ISS passes and two Iridium flares.

Shortly after arriving and setting up my tripod and camera, I began to take some shots to test the lighting, settings, and field of view.  Looking at the Heavens-Above chart, I noticed that the first ISS pass was going to be high and telephone lines would be in the way of the shot, so I moved across the street onto the road’s shoulder.  There was a field in front of me, but it was very uneven, and stabilizing the tripod would have been difficult.  Also, it was a bull pasture, and I didn’t want any surprises, above or underfoot!

I began to test my settings again, inching over when I had to avoid oncoming traffic.  The oncoming traffic included a County policeman who immediately u-turned and parked behind my car in the lot across the street.  I walked over to him, holding onto camera and tripod, and attempted to explain what I was doing.  He replied “Sir, stay right there please.”  I assume he then checked my plates.

Concerned with the time, I interrupted the officer and told him that I was attempting to take a picture of the International Space Station, which would be coming our way in four minutes and would travel directly over our heads.  I went on to explain how bright it would be with the last solar array having been unfurled, providing a broader surface for the sun’s reflection.

Fortunately, my appeal piqued the officer’s interest, and when I pointed to the bright point of light approaching from the WSW, that calm curiousity quickly became excitement.  As I handed him my 15×70 binoculars for a closer look, his reaction reminded me of the children who view through my telescope at the observatory.  His beaming expression, coupled with several “Oh, Wow!”s, were almost as good as viewing the ISS myself.

We were provided with a long clear view of the pass as the ISS made its way to the ENE horizon.  I invited the officer to return for the ISS’s second pass and the upcoming flares,  but he indicated that he wouldn’t be able to join me.  He left, probably still amazed by the view he had just witnessed and most likely forgetting why he originally stopped.

I decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea to attempt a picture from a road’s shoulder.  I’ve done this several times, including on the TransCanada Highway and New York State Northway.  At this point, I am testing fate.  So, I moved to the back parking lot of the Correctional Guard Training Academy where there is a clear western horizon.  The next ISS pass would occur within seconds of the Iridium 41 flare and I was hoping to capture both in the same field of view.

I spotted the ISS for the second time that night, this time further north, and took two pictures.  When reviewing the images, I wished that I had extended the duration of the shot.  I had the camera set for five seconds – ten or twenty seconds would have been much better.  Fortunately, I’ll have plenty of opportunities for longer exposures.

I missed seeing Iridium 41.  It must have flared in the west while I was shooting the ISS, but I did see Iridium 43 eight minutes later.  It was magnificent as have been all the flares since I first began viewing them a year ago.

If you haven’t experienced seeing the ISS or Iridium satellite flares, I strongly encourage you to do so, and I encourage you to share it with a friend.  It’s an experience neither of you will soon forget.

Louis Suarato devotes much of his time to astronomy outreach, sharing both time and equipment at area schools, his local astronomy club’s star parties, and Dudley Observatory‘s public observing sessions.  He is also a regular contributor to AstronomyFM, a new online astronomy community that includes features like radio, forums, a chatroom, daily astronomy history, and amateur astronomy pictures of the day.  Last March, Louis’ image of a 3% crescent moon, achieved from the NYS Northway, was featured in the Spaceweather Spotter gallery.  If you’re on Twitter, you’ll find Louis at @LouisS.