Spying the Sky: A Fiske School Star Party
7:00-9:30 PM on Monday, November 3, 2003
Click box for Boston sky forcast.
Come to
Fiske Elementary School
from 7:00 to 9:30 PM on Monday, Nov. 3 2003 if you love astronomy, space,
or just looking at the moon and stars with your fellow Fiske friends.
Through the gracious participation of the
Amateur
Telescope Makers of Boston (ATMoB), the PTA Science Enrichment Committee
is pleased to
offer an evening of stargazing, planet viewing, satellite siting, and more. We
will arrange briefing discussions and activities in the Fiske Gym and viewing
stations in Fiske Field, providing a look at - and through - telescopes trained
on objects ranging from the Moon to planets and galaxies. Supplemental
handouts, reading lists and activity sheets will also be
provided by the
Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics and the
Chandra X-ray Center.
Outside activities will take place in Fiske Field, and inside activities will
be in the school gymnasium. Volunteers can look
here for directions and maps.
(The Star Party is a school-wide event. Activities will be available
throughout the night. Families with younger children may want to come
at 7:00.)
Look for a sign-up sheet in your child's folder this week. Please respond by
Monday October 27th. Volunteers are needed to help with the event (helping
to run events, providing refreshments, and providing additional telescopes).
Contact Pat or Kathleen Slane (p.slane@rcn.com, 781-862-9687).
Telescope Viewing
ATMoB members will bring telescopes for viewing of the Moon, Mars, and other
spectacular sky objects. Do you own a telescope? Bring it!
Learn About the Stars
Presentations and demonstrations inside the Fiske gym will be ongoing.
Participants can start at the telescopes and then come inside or vise versa.
- A 15 minute presentation "Learning About the Stars" will be delivered at
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 PM by
Pat Slane,
an astrophysicist at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics.
- Star charts will be available for identifying constellations and
navigating the skies.
- Displays explaining how astronomers "fingerprint" stars to learn about
their structure will be on-site.
- See X-ray pictures of planets, galaxies, and exploded stars from the
Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Fun Activities
Stations with activities and handouts will be located throughout the gym.
- Make a
nocturnal
- a clock that uses the North Star!
- Learn how to find satellites. Use
software
to see what satellites are passing overhead, then go try to spot them!
- View an
animated fly-by of Mars. Learn about the upcoming
Mars Exploration Rovers.
See a great animation of the Rover!
- Play "Star Party Bingo!" Mark off each of the activities on
your Star Party card and get a package of spacy pictures!
Cool Astronomy Links!
