Clear skies with a slight haze greeted the 110th Byron Brownies at the Cronyn Observatory for Exploring the Stars, Thursday, November 22nd. RASC London Centre member Everett Clark set up the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian with the 17mm Nagler eyepiece (66X) on the walkway in front of the Observatory. Graduate student Emily McCullough began the event early, around 6:45 p.m., giving the Brownies a sky tour with a green laser pointer and then showing them Albireo through the Dobsonian. RASC London Centre member Bob Duff arrived around 6:55 p.m. and took over the Dobsonian.
Emily brought the group indoors into the lecture room and made the digital slide presentation, “Brownies Exploring Space.” She then distributed 36 “Star Finder” planispheres and showed everybody how to assemble and use them.
Everett counted 26 visitors (16 children and 10 adults) before 7:00 p.m. However, 6 more people (3 children and 3 adults) arrived while everybody was still outside, bringing the total to 32 visitors. Bob made several counts of visitors in the darkened lecture room, during Emily’s presentation, and came up with 36 and then 35 people, including 14 adults. Everett eventually counted 36 visitors (21 children and 15 adults).
After the presentation, Emily brought the group upstairs into the dome where they viewed the Moon and Jupiter through telescopes. The 25.4cm refractor in the dome was directed towards the Moon for the entire evening, giving pleasing views with the 32mm Erfle eyepiece (137X). Everett had also set up the 8-inch (20.3cm) Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain, with the 26mm Plossl eyepiece (77X) on the Observatory’s roof patio and directed it towards the Moon. Bob brought the 25.4cm Dobsonian upstairs and set it up on the roof patio and showed the visitors the Moon, using the 17mm Nagler (66X) and 6mm Ortho (186X) eyepiece. He also showed them Jupiter in the Dobsonian with the 6mm Ortho (186X) eyepiece. Everybody was gone by around 8:35 p.m., after expressing their thanks for a very enjoyable evening of astronomy.
Bob Duff
Higher Education Liaison
RASC London Centre