Astronomy Day at the AZ Science Center downtown Saturday May 2 was very successful.. We had a good turnout of folks from both SAC and EVAC staffing the two indoor astronomy club displays, along with displays by ASU and the Science Center staff. I got set up at 9 am, bringing along my books and star charts for talking points about "Getting Started in Astronomy" (see the April SAC News), and a new poster display on SAC activities and fliers for the Thunderbird Park Star Party Saturday night. Richard Harshaw and Jack Jones joined me at the SAC table, along with Chris Hanrahan and his wife, and Steve Dodder who arrived later and set up telescopes outside. Bill Houston, Bruce LaFrance, Debbie Bader, and Howard Isreal staffed the EVAC table and display, along with Randy Peterson who brought two telescopes, including a 4-1/2 inch reflector which he displayed indoors. Howard set up a new display for the International Dark Sky Association.
(By the way, as usual the Club volunteers got to see all the Science Center displays and Planetarium and Imax shows for free, along with pizza and sodas for lunch, and free validated parking.)
The crowd picked up after noon, probably timed for the Planetarium shows and lecture. Planetarium and IMAX Theatre Manager Mike George estimated the daytime crowd through the Science Center at about 1,600. There was a lot of interest in the giveway drawing for a small telescope and other prizes. Late in the afternoon Richard and Jack left for the Thunderbird Park Star Party; at closing time we moved outdoors on the mall and Randy set up the small reflector, joining Chris and his wife and Steve. In the evening, we had a steady stream of observers, and Randy set up his 10-inch LX200, along with Chris' 4-1/2 inch reflector, and Steve's big 20-inch Dobsonian reflector. Claude Haynes from EVAC arrived and set up a small reflector. The cloudy skies did permit views of the Moon and Saturn, along with glimpses of some bright stars and a couple other objects. Everybody who viewed seemed favorably impressed -- we collected lots of "Wow"s! The sky show continued until about 10:30 pm, when the crowds thinned a bit. The Planetarium staff then opened up for a Midnight show which featured a show on May skies, a demonstration of the new Digistar III planetarium capabilities, and a "behind the scenes" peek back of the new dome and Digistar III projector equipment. We also got to see a preview of the new planetarium show scheduled to open May 28, "The Stars of the Pharaohs" about the ancient Egyptians. I left about 1:30 am, while the "24 hours of Astronomy" event by the Science Center staff was supposed to continue until morning.
The next Science Center IYA 2009 event is scheduled on Saturday, June 13th. Gene Lucas (17250)
