Graduate student Shannon Hicks made the digital slide presentation “Our Solar System” before 38 visitors, including 23 children and 15 adults (not including 1 infant), from the Northdale Central Public School (Dorchester) Grade-6 class for Exploring the Stars at the Cronyn Observatory, Monday, January 20th, 2014, 7:00 p.m. Shannon asked and fielded questions during and after her presentation.
RASC London Centre was represented by Everett Clark and Bob Duff. Everett selected 23 “Star Finder” planispheres and Shannon immediately distributed them and showed everybody how to assemble and use them as dispensers of Scotch tape were circulated around.
Since cloudy skies and possible snow flurries had ruled out opening the dome, Bob gave a talk about the history and technical aspects of the big 25.4cm refractor and explained the Standard and Sidereal Time clocks on the east wall.
Everett had set up the London Centre’s 25.4cm Dobsonian (17mm Nagler eyepiece, 66X) inside the door to the roof patio and Bob supervised as the visitors lined up to view the weathervane on the Engineering building. Everett gave 3 “Moon Gazers’ Guide” cards to one couple for 3 children. The visitors were mostly gone by 8:30 p.m. after a very enjoyable evening learning about astronomy.