On the night of Friday, May 16, a troop of Cub Scouts came to visit the Observatory. There were four scouts and four parents (a good ratio), all hoping to look through our telescopes. Unfortunately, the skies were overcast, so we had to choose other activities.
First, Stacey Davis (NTID) showed the scouts how to make a Star Wheel. We had enough materials to give each scout a simplified star wheel, with only the brightest stars and constellations, and also a more sophisticated one.
Next, I brought the Scouts to look up close at our 16-inch Dobsonian telescope. They had fun peering into the mirrors and trying to see each other. After we came back inside, each scout drew a schematic diagram showing how light from the sky bounces off mirrors and reaches the eyepice.
Our third activity was to create a Solar System in your Pocket. The scouts and their parents all made their own models of our solar system. There was quite a bit of enthusiasm when it was time to make little dots to represent the asteroid belt.
We hope that the scouts will soon have a chance to try out their Star Wheels!
Last modified 5/19/2014 by MWR.