Tomorrow (Saturday, March 3) the Fountain Hills River of Time Museum will
dedicate a new exhibit containing Dr. Charles Juels’ original telescope
with a celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Known as the town’s “Solar System Sleuth,” Dr. Juels was a psychiatrist and
astronomer. During the last 10 years of his life he is credited with
discovering more than 300 new asteroids from his Fountain Hills back yard,
including asteroid 20989 that he named “Fountain Hills”.
The celebration will center on the 10-inch Meade LX200 telescope that he
used to discover many of the asteroids.
Several telescopes will be set up outside for the public. If you can help
operate a telescope for an hour or two tomorrow anytime between 11:00 am
and 4:00 PM, please email tedblank@xxxxxxxxx . One solar scope will track
the sun, another will be fixed on distant mountains. The telescopes will
be provided, we just need helpers to staff the scopes and show the public
where to look in the eyepiece.
The family-friendly program also will include activities and crafts for
children, including creating star charts.
Dark Sky Committee representatives will answer questions about the local
designation and promote the April 21 Dark Skies event. Docents will lead
tours.
Admission is free to River of Time Museum members or $5 for non-member
adults and $3 for children.
During “Museum Madness,” the period from March 1 through April 15, museum
memberships, a value of $25 for individuals or $35 for a family, will be
discounted.