Stargazing Outreach: Learn from the Disinterested

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Күн бұрын

This video is the first in a series that explores public outreach in astronomy programs- especially stargazing presentations with a telescope. Your host describes lessons he learned from the 20 years of work in this area and the encounters he had with tens of thousands of people.
This video describes how to help people use an eyepiece and a trick that helps those that would would otherwise be frustrated and saddened not to see anything at all...
#MountLemmonSkyCenter #UASkycenter #McdonaldObservatory #LowellObservatory #stargazing #telescope #eyepiece #astronomy #outreach

Пікірлер: 37

@Korvash1 2 жыл бұрын

What i have learned, it is a little bit simpler to start a little bit away from the eyepiece an than get closer .... when you start with a bright object ... I like it, when people see the moon or Jupiter / Saturn for the first time 😀

@georgeshoup4046 2 жыл бұрын

I like the tip of getting started in the day. It always works better when folks get oriented and learn the basics of the scope before it gets dark.

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! exactly. It is important that people have some initial success and "feel" what that is like.

@tmostofi 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much Adam! I'm bringing my telescope and doing my first ever public outreach event with my local astronomy club tonight. This video and your focus video were so very helpful!

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tara. Even of you cannot employ all techniques... just appreciating some of these ideas is valuable.

@nightskyimaging 2 жыл бұрын

You are the man, besides the outstanding astrophotography videos at "Adam Block Studios" you continue to promote astronomy at every level. This plus the "Focus Problem" video is a must watch for all outreach types.

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@davidaylsworth8964 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Adam! I like your suggestions about outreach ideas. Brilliant!

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@enriqueboeneker 2 жыл бұрын

This is great stuff, Adam. Will help a lot of us. Thanks for sharing.

@RandallWagoner 2 жыл бұрын

Adam, great video, and thank you! I bought a 12" SCT 25 something years ago, and I used to set it up in my backyard before I had parties (50-100 people). During the day I wouldn't mention it, talk about it or nothing. As a matter of fact, I would wait until an hour or two after dark to even remove the objective cap. By that time, everyone, and I mean everyone at the party was dying to look though it. LOL There wasn't a single person who didn't want to look though it. I always found expectations were everything. If I talked it up, (got excited etc.), people weren't as interested. But If I didn't say a word about it, their wow factor increased 10 fold. And they were much more excited before and after looking though it. Anyway, I plan on coming to Mt Lemon to see your optics, and I know I will be just as excited as most of my guests were back then. See you soon!

@rickbria8420 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Adam. I operate six local observatories, three of them public, and had to learn the hard way what you covered here. I needed this video back in 1986 ha ha… One interesting thing I’ve discovered is that most people have no idea about dark adaption. They don’t even believe it exists, and they are shocked at the end of the session when I turn the lights back on.

@Desolator777 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome and insightful video! I used to host public stargazing sessions at my local observatory for 4 years, but have never visited others to observe their tips and tricks. I can tell that this video series is going to be the most productive learning I have ever experienced for hosting stargazing sessions, and I will definitely prioritise visiting other observatories' sessions when I travel abroad :) One way I tried to 'guide' visitors to look through the eyepiece was to stand beside them and crouch down slightly so I can see if their eye is directly over the eyepiece. This is reasonably successful for adolescents who can understand "slightly higher", "a bit to the left", but fails remarkably for children and a very small number of adults. I will be sure to try out your red light and Moon methods the next time I have a stargazing session!

@outdegree 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting trick with the red light! I did not think about it before. Yes, I had frustrated children and adults unable to align the eye with the eyepiece. The daylight adaptation of the group of observers is an interesting idea too. However, solar Ha or even white light solar observations are equally challenging for some of my guests as in the night time...

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah..the eye relief on those EPs tends to be poor. There is an element of practice that many ppl will not have. But dumb luck usually wins for solar observing... eventually people will see a red thing... making certain it is actually the sun is important. Sometimes not centering the sun helps... they need to find an edge.

@astrophotocologne 2 жыл бұрын

That´s a Video that I have not expected. Very interesting though. I now that face when people say: Yes i saw it, and you know they have lied, because they feel somehow ashamed in a group of people where everyone else says woooow. Your Tips are very good and helpful.

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, of course creating the right atmosphere and expectations is important.

@luggiduggi 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting video! Even with my wobbly amateur telescope, I make people touch the eyepiece first to help with the proper alignment, but then I tell them to let go. Otherwise, it is hard to see anything on my scope... As far as the U of A goes, I was fortunate enough to spend a year there as a foreign exchange student in aerospace engineering in 1995. During this time, I made a friend, an Australian named Peter Grey, who worked as an engineer for some of the telescopes in Arizona. He was kind enough to give me a private tour through the Mirror Lab underneath the stadium and this sparked a lifelong fascination with telescopes and the night sky. Ok, the Arizona desert might have played a role too...😉 Keep on sharing your knowledge Adam, we all apreciate it!

@gazer63 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video Adam, thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing your recommendations for setting the focus for public observing. I'm considering switching to doing EAA at public events to eliminate some of these issues, but then I'll lose the visceral experience people have when looking directly through the telescope, and the light from a screen or monitor might not be appreciated by other astronomers using their scopes visually nearby. .

@davidleejenkins 2 жыл бұрын

Great insight Adam! Thank you for sharing these valuable tips. I have often taken for granted that others see what I see when peering through the eyepiece. Interestingly, I tell people NOT to touch the eyepiece because when people grab onto my backyard telescope, they end up moving the target out of view. Maybe I need a bigger, sturdier scope. :)

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah...that is a valid issue. However, if people understand they need to be delicate and they know *why* they are touching the telescope/eyepiece...it can probably work.

@chrisshelton3504 2 жыл бұрын

I can see the advice about touching the eyepiece is in reference to a larger telescope complete with good, solid RA and DEC clutches. Most of the Star parties I help with Ive been using decent altitude azimuth mounts that are way too sensitive for the participants to hold onto the eyepiece.

@AdamBlock 2 жыл бұрын

These suggestions work in the cases where you have a small group of people that will be looking through a given telescope multiple times. In your situation (you are only considering the night observing part)- you can point the telescope at the sky anywhere and *let people touch the eyepiece*- Their job is to get their eye into the right spot and see some stars- if the telescope moves... so what- it is a non-specific field.. just stars. Then they can see how delicate they need to be so that the telescope doesn't move when they lightly touch things. If you have just fly-by people looking- there isn't much explanation you can give- that is out of the scope of this advice. The flashlight trick can still help you if you do not allow them to touch the eyepiece. Any credit for that? :)

@chrisshelton3504 2 жыл бұрын

I THINK I see what you are saying. But I’m not in some random part of the sky. I’m showing a certain object, for example, Albireo. And I will describe the particular telescope setup I was using, a 60mm Takahashi refractor on a Starbase 80 altitude azimuth mount. I have had good luck showing the first two to three people in line Albireo by asking questions. “What do you see? Do you see any colors? Let me know if you’re NOT seeing anything.” I HAVE had to point people WHERE to put their eye. The most common mistake are people who want to look through the finder. I think I’m working with different groups of people. My “Star parties” are in association with a small public library and a State Park just outside of town.

@chrisshelton3504 2 жыл бұрын

Adam, my fat fingers made me end my reply too quickly. Not meaning not too give you credit for great ideas! The way you approach your “clients” is valuable, one-on-one time which I’m sure makes a BIG difference and DOES instill a better appreciation in people that didn’t have that appreciation before!