Outdoor activities can be fun and exciting! Astronomy is among the great activities that expands the imagination and will to learn. At Rapp Park just outside of Shenandoah, Iowa the High School Astronomy Club had an evening of stargazing and learning. It was a privilege to be invited by them to attend with the scopes I had on hand.
What started out as a cloudy day lasted on into a clearing sunset. The clouds quickly burned off after the sun went down. They were able to see Venus, Mars, Mercury, Saturn and many stars and constellations. What started out as a cookout with unfavorable cloudy conditions ended up as a pleasant lakeside Astronomy Club event.
For the people of Shenandoah this is a great event to report on. We have a great location and youth who are curious and want to learn about the world and worlds around them. Our city and countless other need to harness and utilize their resources to continue fostering that learning and desire for knowledge.
We used my Dobsonian Skywater reflector, Meade Lightswitch, Astroscan reflector and GoScope all of which proved useful. Using telescopes is a peering into unknown parts of the human experience. It's the gaze into knowledge yet unknown. Many of our young go to their beds at night dreaming of common space travel. They see movies like Star Trek and Aliens and wonder about extraterrestrial civilizations yet to be found.
It is my hope that these young minds will hunger to grasp their potential. If gazing and learning about the stars works then all the more power to it. By expanding knowledge our young grow to be more effective leaders, compassionate and problem-solving parents and pillars of example.
I thank Mr. Morse and his invitation to attend this event. I thank the students who asked questions and were curious. I thank the city and creators of Rapp Park for giving us the ideal setting and I thank God for parting the clouds.
What started out as a cloudy day lasted on into a clearing sunset. The clouds quickly burned off after the sun went down. They were able to see Venus, Mars, Mercury, Saturn and many stars and constellations. What started out as a cookout with unfavorable cloudy conditions ended up as a pleasant lakeside Astronomy Club event.
For the people of Shenandoah this is a great event to report on. We have a great location and youth who are curious and want to learn about the world and worlds around them. Our city and countless other need to harness and utilize their resources to continue fostering that learning and desire for knowledge.
We used my Dobsonian Skywater reflector, Meade Lightswitch, Astroscan reflector and GoScope all of which proved useful. Using telescopes is a peering into unknown parts of the human experience. It's the gaze into knowledge yet unknown. Many of our young go to their beds at night dreaming of common space travel. They see movies like Star Trek and Aliens and wonder about extraterrestrial civilizations yet to be found.
It is my hope that these young minds will hunger to grasp their potential. If gazing and learning about the stars works then all the more power to it. By expanding knowledge our young grow to be more effective leaders, compassionate and problem-solving parents and pillars of example.
I thank Mr. Morse and his invitation to attend this event. I thank the students who asked questions and were curious. I thank the city and creators of Rapp Park for giving us the ideal setting and I thank God for parting the clouds.
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