Cloudy skies greeted 15 visitors (10 children and 5 adults / leaders) from the 84th London Cubs for Exploring the Stars at Western University’s Cronyn Observatory, Wednesday, April 19th, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Graduate student Jeff Vankerkhove presented the digital slide presentation “The Scout / Guide Astronomy Badge” with the title slide “The Basics” and fielded questions. Jeff followed this with the activity “Kitchen Comet,” making a comet from dry ice and other materials.
RASC London Centre was represented by Everett Clark and Bob Duff. The dome remained closed due to the cloudy sky. Everett set up the observatory’s 8-inch (20.3cm) Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain (20mm Plossl eyepiece, 100X) inside the dome so as to view the lights on the communications tower in south London through the door to the roof patio. When everybody arrived upstairs in the dome, Bob gave a talk on the history of the Cronyn Observatory and the technical aspects of the big 25.4cm refractor, using the 32mm Erfle eyepiece (137X) for demonstration. He explained the Schmidt Camera and Cassegrain Reflector telescope piggy-backed on the 25.4cm refractor and fielded questions. Bob then called everybody’s attention to the 2 clocks on the east wall of the observatory and the difference between Standard and Sidereal Time.
Bob supervised as the Cubs viewed the lights on the communications tower through the 8-inch (20.3cm) Schmidt-Cassegrain, and explained how this reflector telescope worked. The Cubs asked good questions and expressed their thanks for an enjoyable evening learning about astronomy before leaving around 8:30 p.m.