Clear skies greeted 23 visitors (14 children and 10 adults / leaders) from the 1st Dorchester Cub Scouts for Exploring the Stars at Western University’s Cronyn Observatory, Tuesday, October 25th, 2016, 6:30 p.m. Graduate student Dilini Subasinghe began the digital slide presentation “The Cub Scout Astronomy Badge” and then took a short break when Everett invited everybody upstairs to view Venus though the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian (17mm Nagler eyepiece, 66X) before the planet set below the buildings to the west. Dilini then finished the slide presentation and fielded questions.
Dilini followed the slide presentation with the “Constellations” activity, distributing 19 “Star Finder” planispheres. She then showed the Cubs the slide “Reading a Star Finder” followed by 2 constellations slides from the astronomy software program “Stellarium,” for them to learn how to use the planispheres. Graduate student Robin Arnason assisted the Cubs in assembling the planispheres with adhesive tape.
RASC London Centre was represented by Everett Clark and Bob Duff. Bob gave a brief telescope talk about the observatory and the big 25.4cm refractor when everybody arrived upstairs in the dome. Everett and Robin showed the visitors Mars through the 25.4cm refractor, using the 32mm Erfle eyepiece (137X), and then Vega, using the Meade 28mm Super Wide Angle eyepiece (157X). Bob showed the visitors the yellow and blue double-star Albireo and the Ring Nebula (M57) through the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian (17mm Nagler eyepiece, 66X).
The visitors were very appreciative and were gone by around 8:30 p.m. after a very enjoyable evening learning about astronomy and observing through telescopes.