Astronomy Day 2000 - Revisited!

By Chris de Longpre

When April 8 dawned to an unseasonable winter storm, causing a power outage at the Kentwood Public Library, undaunted KAAL members began planning for a June 3 event. This time the weather cooperated and we were able to share our enthusiasm for astronomy with the Kentwood community, and celebrate the first anniversary of KAAL, with Astronomy Day events at the library, followed by a star party at our dark sky site.

Visitors to the library were greeted by members Jerry DeRuiter and John de Longpre, stationed at telescopes on the entry walk. Solar filters allowed views of some spectacular sunspots whenever there was a break in the clouds.

Inside the community room, various exhibits were hosted by members Rick Forberg, Kathleen Steele, Cathy Kapugia, and Chris de Longpre.

Rick "scaled" his model of the solar system to include a map of the Kentwood area showing distances between the Sun model in the community room and the planets, whose relative distances from the Sun were depicted by circles on the map.

Kathleen provided a hands-on star mapping activity for young children, featuring Ursa Minor and the Little Dipper. Chris hosted an astrophotography display, including photos, books, cameras, and other tools of the trade.

Rick presented scheduled talks based on his Learning Lab, "A Brief History of the Telescope." The clouds broke near the end of the day-long event, providing good viewing for the evening event, our second star party, hosted by members Ken and Cheryl Thede. Members and visitors alike enjoyed viewing through a wide variety of telescopes and binoculars.