Cloudy skies with some occasional light wet snow precipitation greeted visitors to the Cronyn Observatory Saturday evening Open House, April 13th, 7:00 p.m. Graduate student Parshati Patel began her presentation, “Smaller Bits of Our Solar System” before and audience of some 28 people (18 adults and 10 children), which increased to 56 visitors by the end of the evening.
Upstairs in the dome, graduate student Emily McCullough showed visitors the lights on the communications tower in south London through the big 25.4cm refractor, using the 32mm Erfle eyepiece (137X). On the roof patio, RASC London Centre member Bob Duff showed visitors views of the weathervane on the Engineering building through the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian, using the 17mm Nagler eyepiece (66X). London Centre member Peter Jedicke was also there and left around 8:00 p.m. Emily and Parshati spoke to visitors as they arrived throughout the evening even after wet snow precipitation made it necessary to close the dome and bring the Dobsonian indoors.
Some “Star Finder” planispheres and “Moon Gazers’ Guide” cards were distributed. Parshati also gave out 5 copies of the book “Mary Lou’s New Telescope,” including 2 to children and one each to 3 different families, since she did not have enough copies for their 7 children. Everybody was gone by 9:15 p.m. after a very enjoyable evening of astronomy discussion.
Bob Duff
Higher Education Liaison
RASC London Centre