tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64739834100635125392024-02-19T11:18:04.457-06:00Yerkes Observatory Astro-EducationWelcome to the Yerkes Observatory education blog.Yerkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07961682168188379492noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-38977941036109216082014-12-02T22:34:00.002-06:002014-12-02T22:34:33.869-06:00Accessibility Educators met to Discuss Skynet Junior Scholars Implementation at Lions Camp 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Educators from the blind and visually impaired and deaf and hard of hearing communities met with Yerkes Observatory staff to discuss the further implementation of Skynet Junior Scholars. The two-part meeting took place at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, on November 13-14, 2014. Lions Camp facilitators, website developers, grant researchers and evaluators were also present at the meeting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2-day meeting began with an overview of Skynet Junior Scholars, a web portal giving students in middle and high school online access to robotic telescopes located worldwide. Special focus was on getting blind and visually impaired and deaf and hard of hearing students involved and ensuring equal access to the Skynet Junior Scholars website for such groups.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdLqyZM0FS4POXUp-fwLGIu-8_AbjFZuHh_MlR8MTx23qI3S8sfoTlB6ERK8K0RrA0ztkozHsBSkJKqwat9fIeGt9ZuEbzHRuUrbm_Pm6nXydIrme7I-JuPV6MmbXONaYOvVSxrSoT08/s1600/Camp2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdLqyZM0FS4POXUp-fwLGIu-8_AbjFZuHh_MlR8MTx23qI3S8sfoTlB6ERK8K0RrA0ztkozHsBSkJKqwat9fIeGt9ZuEbzHRuUrbm_Pm6nXydIrme7I-JuPV6MmbXONaYOvVSxrSoT08/s1600/Camp2.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfqXH5jwGxIfxUY-IVNlHHGqJqFv7LLitgKvaRAERcka3fpZ7g6J3vfCKmb2c2ouHCGYEWcpSiIxFei-lpIPEuclftrEKd5JVxo1ER5jgoG7n72pZqpU_pfx-jYNFHZlLDXYP6XBfV4c/s1600/Camp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfqXH5jwGxIfxUY-IVNlHHGqJqFv7LLitgKvaRAERcka3fpZ7g6J3vfCKmb2c2ouHCGYEWcpSiIxFei-lpIPEuclftrEKd5JVxo1ER5jgoG7n72pZqpU_pfx-jYNFHZlLDXYP6XBfV4c/s1600/Camp1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skynet Junior Scholars will be presented at Lions Camp in Rosholt, Wisconsin, during the weeks for the blind and visually impaired children on August 2-7, 2015, and deaf and hard of hearing children on July 5-10, 2015. Twenty students from each session will be studied to determine the success and impact of Skynet Junior Scholars. The Public Education Specialist from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, will interview the 20 students in the study to determine how accessible Skynet Junior Scholars was to them, and how they plan to use the software after camp is over, as well as how the knowledge gained from Skynet Junior Scholars will affect their potential career choices in the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Day two of the meeting consisted of Skynet Junior Scholars website testing to provide screen-reading software accessibility feedback to one of the web developers working on the project from the Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Chicago. A gallery of images prepared for tactilization will also be created and put up on the site, so blind students can benefit from those who have worked with the software before them, as long as they have access to a SwellForm Tactile Graphics Machine and a laser printer in order to convert the image from a PDF file to a tactile image they can touch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIzoYaWcnMO0gpTMn_IF-gyAUxWyl9tReW1IriGTqNlsjeqHvSq1HJ99S-qWzzGLb8HEOKcs4N39ILNK0EqCOtkBl9xdHeWf1go09C7jStRRuN3OSaRgq-6TvSTogRfuzABP_azVO0wQ/s1600/photo+sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIzoYaWcnMO0gpTMn_IF-gyAUxWyl9tReW1IriGTqNlsjeqHvSq1HJ99S-qWzzGLb8HEOKcs4N39ILNK0EqCOtkBl9xdHeWf1go09C7jStRRuN3OSaRgq-6TvSTogRfuzABP_azVO0wQ/s1600/photo+sm.png" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teachers in the deaf and hard of hearing community met to discuss creating closed captioning for the video tutorials of the Skynet Junior Scholars website. Another challenge the deaf and hard of hearing team will tackle is the language in American Sign Language, which currently does not facilitate the scientific terms necessary to discuss telescopes, celestial objects and other components of astronomy. Part of the deaf and hard of hearing team’s approach will be working to develop such language, along with the students who will participate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Previous testing experience shows this kind of programming has a very positive impact on the outlooks of the students as far as career and educational goals are concerned. Many students say they would never have considered careers in math or science if the subjects had not been presented to them in an accessible format. After participating in Skynet Junior Scholars, however, they say they feel the fields of math and science are more open to them. The staff at Yerkes Observatory say they are excited to bring these opportunities to the students, and to encourage them to reach for the stars. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learn more about Skynet Junior Scholars, as well as how you can be trained to bring these empowering and exciting opportunities to students by becoming a Skynet Junior Scholars Workshop Leader. Training is offered online in January and at Yerkes Observatory in March 2015. Go to skynetjuniorscholars.org for more information.<br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-vi13R9Kyevw%2FVH6QwfCDCfI%2FAAAAAAAAE94%2Fq4CjDVVYbCg%2Fs1600%2FCamp2.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdLqyZM0FS4POXUp-fwLGIu-8_AbjFZuHh_MlR8MTx23qI3S8sfoTlB6ERK8K0RrA0ztkozHsBSkJKqwat9fIeGt9ZuEbzHRuUrbm_Pm6nXydIrme7I-JuPV6MmbXONaYOvVSxrSoT08/s1600/Camp2.png" --><div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Katherine Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09140889675397963323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-61358207296620646852014-03-21T06:02:00.001-05:002014-03-21T06:02:47.976-05:00Carina Nebula Texture -Candy Activity<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Have you ever wanted to make a nebula out of candy? Here's how:</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Purpose: This activity illustrates that The Carina Nebula is a three-dimensional object in space. Since students are using materials that are familiar to them to make the nebula, they will be more likely to remember what each item represents. The activity is multi-sensory, so students will also be more engaged.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Tactile version of the Carina Nebula <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Text – A Guided Tour of the Carina Nebula –(large print version, Braille version, online audio as needed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Large black construction paper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Zip-Lok bags<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Candy Needed<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Cotton Candy – Main Nebula Materials<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Pixie Sticks sprinkled – Bright Gasses<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Mike & Ikes – Stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">2 Peach Rings (twisted together to form figure-eight) – Eta Carinae<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Gummy worms – dust pillars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">Malted Milk Balls – partial bubbles—when bitten in half--& complete bubbles—when left whole<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">twizzlers – Jets from starbirth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">dots/gummy poppers – bright globules<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">raisenettes – dark globules<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;">hot chocolate sprinkled – dusty areas <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Familiarize participants with Tactile version of the Carina Nebula and the Legend (2-5 min)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Read through A Guided Tour of the Carina Nebula as participants follow along, feeling the symbols that represent various parts of the nebula (20-30 min)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Walk participants through making their own nebula using candies to represent elements [Use construction paper as place-mat] (10-20 min)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Ask participants to explain the elements of their nebula (10-20 min)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Pour nebulae into Zip-Lok bags for participants to take home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Katherine Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09140889675397963323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-44071244821599233432014-03-14T17:10:00.000-05:002014-04-01T10:29:35.949-05:00Solar System in Your Pocket<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Purpose: To demonstrate the distances between the planets in our solar system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Materials</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">For each model:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">• 1 meter length of cash register tape<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">• 10 round stickers: five large and five small (Use textured stickers if you are doing this activity for people who are blind or visually impaired.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">• pencil or marker (If possible, make Braille labels with sticky tape, using short-hand for names of planets.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Procedure: First, guess where you think the planets are in relation to each other on the tape, marking the spaces with pencil. Then, flip the tape over and follow the steps below.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">1. Place a sticker on each end of the tape, one large and one small, right at the edge. Label the large one Sun and the small one Pluto.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">2. Fold the tape in half, crease it, unfold and lay flat. Place a large sticker at the half-way<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">point. Label the sticker Uranus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">3. Fold the tape back in half, then in half again. Unfold and lay flat. Place large stickers at the quarter mark and 3/4 marks and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">label as Saturn (closer to the Sun) and Neptune (closer to Pluto).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">4. Fold back into quarters, then in half one more time. This will give you eighths. Unfold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">and lay flat again. Place a large sticker for Jupiter at the 1/8 mark (between the Sun and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Saturn), and label.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">5. There is no need to fold the whole thing up again, because the 4 gas giants and Pluto are all on the tape already. For the remaining terrestrial planets, you’ll only need 1/2 of the first 1/8th! That’s the inner 1/16th of your meter. Fold the Sun out to meet Jupiter to mark the 1/16th spot. A planet does not go here, but the Asteroid Belt does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">6. Fold the remaining 1/16th in half and crease at the 1/32nd spot. Place a small<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">sticker for the Earth just inside this fold (between the Sun and Asteroid Belt) and a small<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">sticker for Mars just outside the fold (closer to the Asteroid Belt) and label them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">7. Place small stickers for Mercury and Venus, between the Earth and Sun, dividing the space into 1/3rds and label them as Mercury closest to the Sun and Venus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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closest to the Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are some thoughts from an Astronomy Club leader about the effects of this project:</h3>
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2014-02-26</div>
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"After last week and the demonstration of a pocket solar system, I had my astronomy club members make one. Their placement of the planets was,for a couple of the younger students, way off from the correct location. None of them had all planets located correctly, though they were in the right order. The folding and placement of the planets went well, and the discussion of the large spaces between planets was questioned( my students do that a lot). So, they then researched distances to the planets and decided that maybe the tape placement was correct. They used their chromebooks-an awesome way to get kids to research in the classroom(gives them confidence to investigate on their own). They did division problems using the distance to each planet divided by distance to Earth(their decision) to see if it was 'twice' as far, or how many times as far-so spaced like the tape. I listened and learned as they decided themselves that the tape was pretty accurate. They were surprised that the first four planets were as close as the tape and divisions showed.--cool!"</div>
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--Kathleen Roper</div>
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Hoyleton Astronomy Club</div>
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Hoyleton Public School Dist 29</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Katherine Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09140889675397963323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-37121307060648888362014-03-07T12:25:00.000-06:002014-03-07T12:25:10.435-06:00Family Nights at Yerkes Observatory are a Great way to Learn About Astronomy, say Participants<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each month, the staff and scientists at Yerkes Observatory host a night of activities based on a theme, geared toward students in grades three through eight and their families. Past themes have ranged from Arduino’s, to snap circuits, to comets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the activities completed during the night about comets on January 16 included making a “Comet on a Stick,” which is a three-dimensional model of a comet using Play-Doh, tongue depressors and other materials, as well as demonstrating how the tails of a comet move in relation to the Sun by using a hair dryer to represent the Sun. One of the participants moved the Play-Doh model of the comet around the hair dryer, and the parts of the “comet” representing the tails moved in correspondence with the way the hair dryer was blowing. Students also heard a lecture about comets, asteroids and their orbits given by Dr. Richard Kron, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. (Kron was the director of Yerkes Observatory from 1989-1991.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Participants say the themes and activities presented at the Yerkes Observatory Family Nights encourage them to study astronomy at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I think we liked the Snap Circuits the best,” said fourth-grader Connor Pecht.<br /> “I agree,” Connor’s father, Herb Pecht, said. ”We liked them so much we got a large set for Christmas.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chuck and Sue Ruehle are both amateur astronomers who teach astronomy in Tanzania, as well as to their five grandchildren. “We learn new things,” Sue said. “[Family Nights give us] new things to take with us when we go teach. It’s a great resource.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in 2014, Yerkes Observatory will unveil the Skynet Junior Scholars program, which is a program enabling middle- and high-school students to request images from telescopes all over the world using an online telescope network called Skynet. Family Night coordinator Brittnay Strubel said parents seemed excited about the idea when they were told about it at the January 16<sup>th event</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They were all actually pretty excited to eventually do the program,” Strubel said. “Some of the parents did ask more about it, like, ‘What exactly is Skynet?’ and where the different telescopes are located. They all seemed really interested in it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next Family Night takes place March 11, and the topic will be SOFIA, which stands for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. This is a modified 747 jet, with a 100-inch telescope built into the back of it. One of the cameras on SOFIA was constructed at Yerkes Observatory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Visit the Yerkes Observatory homepage at <a href="http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/">http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/</a> to sign up for Family Night programs.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Katherine Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09140889675397963323noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-74474716023644630922012-07-28T10:33:00.000-05:002014-02-19T18:11:26.378-06:00Lakeshore Library Star Party<h3>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4zKljpJwW5Y04r07m-IIXUanHnV9AuPhXVfq-jHb0Ai1r4xcUN9ExmB8ka8cZxyf4D8VxgM5vagwHSQ8TQ3KuPeXWH6McozUWR7Asq_bw8fi562hBtOnPlAYjtes_4CRBqXHQMxBikQ/s1600/Embedded+Slogan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4zKljpJwW5Y04r07m-IIXUanHnV9AuPhXVfq-jHb0Ai1r4xcUN9ExmB8ka8cZxyf4D8VxgM5vagwHSQ8TQ3KuPeXWH6McozUWR7Asq_bw8fi562hBtOnPlAYjtes_4CRBqXHQMxBikQ/s200/Embedded+Slogan.jpg" height="115" width="200" /></a>Lakeshore Library System’s ‘Dream Big: READ’ Star Party<br />Saturday, July 28<sup>th</sup>, 2012</h3>
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Approximately 200 members of the Lakeshore Library System
participated in the Dream Big READ program and were rewarded by coming to
Yerkes Observatory for a private star party! There were several different telescopes
set up with knowledgeable people eager to explain what was up in the sky and
answer any questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to the
many telescopes, activities were set up all over Yerkes for families to take
part in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a beautiful, clear night for stargazing! Among the telescopes on the south lawn were a few Dobsonians, an i-Optron,
a 12” Meade LX200, a Celestron, a Questar, ‘Sirius B’ which is Yerkes 8”
telescope in the white dome, and several more. Some of the celestial objects observed that night were Saturn, the Moon, double stars and nebulae. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Activities:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Family Sun Craft-</i> Family members worked together to trace
out their hands on construction paper and attach them to a paper plate to create a cute sun!
They decorated it, looped on a string, and brought it with them to hang up at home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Crater Demo-</i> One of our high school students, Raki,
demonstrated how craters form and disappear on planets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had kids use rocks to create craters in a sand
pile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he explained how a planet with
an atmosphere has weather (rain, wind, etc.) to slowly wear down craters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He demonstrated this with a watering can and
a fan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Story Reading-</i> Kids of all ages gathered around Rhonda in
the Yerkes library to hear her read exciting stories about space.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Skynet-</i> We had several computers set up in the Morgan room
for everyone to explore Skynet. Skynet is a network of telescopes that can be
controlled remotely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Families were able
to ask a telescope in Chile to take a picture of the celestial object of their
choice and send it directly to their email!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Tour- </i>Richard Dreisser gave 3 of his very entertaining and
informative tours of the history of the building and the famous 40” telescope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>24” Tour-</i> Teenagers ages 12 and up and their parent were able to
go up the spiral staircase in the north tower and look through the 24”
telescope.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857712472074855643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-29074350998755511892012-07-19T14:39:00.000-05:002014-02-19T18:10:43.312-06:00School Field Trip - 8th Grade<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May 8th, 2012 - School Field Trip</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Among the many things offered at Yerkes is the School Outreach Program. Schools are invited to bring their students to Yerkes to learn about astronomy through different line ups of exciting activities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recently a school group came to Yerkes and we did some exciting activities with them. The first thing the students did when they got here was set up cameras in the south lawn for star trails.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>Star Trails:</u></span> A time-lapse photograph showing the movement of the stars in the night sky.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m2creativedesign/5078060427/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4144/5078060427_c6cb9b7133_z.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m2creativedesign/5078060427/" target="_blank">Example of a Star Trail at Yerkes</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Students were also given a grand tour of the observatory. During this tour they were taken to our 40 inch refracting telescope. At this telescope they took pictures and reviewed concepts about the night sky and the difference between refracting and reflecting telescopes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVJxhaF_Ncz0mID5x4PmXG2xm-t5YgZ9XQEP6ElhGPAKkKGsZSXxyF7unrO5ToCLIct7H36ngti8Vd26ioZUfXa-nmngE7g1Iy6m3uG2aIGyOxxkjAlPe38qhHNsXTeL4_NREiaziKH4E/s1600/IMAG0081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVJxhaF_Ncz0mID5x4PmXG2xm-t5YgZ9XQEP6ElhGPAKkKGsZSXxyF7unrO5ToCLIct7H36ngti8Vd26ioZUfXa-nmngE7g1Iy6m3uG2aIGyOxxkjAlPe38qhHNsXTeL4_NREiaziKH4E/s320/IMAG0081.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students visited the 40inch</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>Refracting Telescopes:</u></span> Uses lenses to magnify an image. Often skews the colors of an image.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: #741b47;">Reflecting Telescopes:</span></u> Uses mirrors to magnify an image. Does not skew the colors of an image.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxgqrT8iuNKfAwM032Y1sbrHxOh3c9Lsv29Ck0KJIeR5CEdGQhijgZLuAFO1f4AMEHkJDyTD2hKS29yvmPK4eNivub2MOxYpbuyq_a0H6HLNXp9AWCSWOD21nLlvVu-eGGYQRPYcX3oun/s1600/IMAG0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxgqrT8iuNKfAwM032Y1sbrHxOh3c9Lsv29Ck0KJIeR5CEdGQhijgZLuAFO1f4AMEHkJDyTD2hKS29yvmPK4eNivub2MOxYpbuyq_a0H6HLNXp9AWCSWOD21nLlvVu-eGGYQRPYcX3oun/s320/IMAG0085.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student looking at 40 in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEkuVF8NzvC4l_HuqgfDrHcu1C-jVwkAhFCh58KdzDxtam-cECkGLLgsDKO87IZfyCxVapPtM8VIm0HTf8UbmPzkKIYt7qm58Pf4HFM-SpoTPJw6DtdDlWus5sbvxo6BFD10kUKHjS-yf/s1600/IMAG0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEkuVF8NzvC4l_HuqgfDrHcu1C-jVwkAhFCh58KdzDxtam-cECkGLLgsDKO87IZfyCxVapPtM8VIm0HTf8UbmPzkKIYt7qm58Pf4HFM-SpoTPJw6DtdDlWus5sbvxo6BFD10kUKHjS-yf/s320/IMAG0086.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student looking at 40 in</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After looking at the 40inch telescope the students went to one of the smaller telescopes on our property. They used the 24 inch reflecting telescope to do some observing of their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With the 24 inch telescope the students each got a chance to operate the telescopes controls. Whether they moved the scope or raised the floor, each student had a chance to use the control paddle. Students observed with the telescope were Saturn, Mars and a Globular Cluster.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2026345152"><img border="0" src="http://www.deadbirdstudios.com/gallery/cache/saturn-through-telescope/saturn52_595.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.deadbirdstudios.com/gallery/saturn-through-telescope/saturn52.jpg.php" target="_blank">View of Saturn through a telescope</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the tour the students were shown the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_2026345128"></span>HAWC <span id="goog_2026345129"></span></a>project. This is the big project happening at Yerkes right now. Yerkes is making a large Infra-red camera for the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/index.html" target="_blank">NASA Sofia</a> airplane. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/pics/hawc_lab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/pics/hawc_lab.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HAWC Infra-Red Telescope</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Students then went to the library and used the computer to request images though <a href="http://skynet.unc.edu/yerkes/index.php?" target="_blank">SkyNet</a>. <a href="http://skynet.unc.edu/yerkes/index.php?" target="_blank">SkyNet </a>is operated through the <a href="http://www.physics.unc.edu/skynet/observatories/prompt/" target="_blank">PROMPT </a>telescope in Chile. With <a href="http://skynet.unc.edu/yerkes/index.php?" target="_blank">SkyNet </a>you can request a picture taken at the observatory there!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjy5uv3Tf_ETQ366kiYy7sljDzCS3ARLaMFS9zgKHfvK-vp5XXSKBBmCV5qF0l3t9imL8_z0MQHcCS3HmULVFfXRQ6Kmpc488h3PuwuuksHfnsBxtrM1Gu7AmVpm5WLs39aVVWEFz2CP-/s1600/Yerkes+Eagle+Nebula_621879_Open_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjy5uv3Tf_ETQ366kiYy7sljDzCS3ARLaMFS9zgKHfvK-vp5XXSKBBmCV5qF0l3t9imL8_z0MQHcCS3HmULVFfXRQ6Kmpc488h3PuwuuksHfnsBxtrM1Gu7AmVpm5WLs39aVVWEFz2CP-/s320/Yerkes+Eagle+Nebula_621879_Open_001.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of the Eagle Nebula taken by PROMPT</td></tr>
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After all of this the students took some pictures with the Education Outreach Coordinator, Vivian Hoette and went home with some new astronomy experience under their belts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students and guide Vivian pose by the 40in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZxIIPXzrDUTZxp9v4Pco7mfRNKfiSq6ih3IavOgkoND_Or0KVYJWA1TrvOx0Jq-XowilLYEMxobHOif_2Ee3c6yNR2mPpdbE5jtIW-rSfR5I9948-EtKuP6pQNR8Y9FYMa0I5FUvNYxs/s1600/IMAG0101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZxIIPXzrDUTZxp9v4Pco7mfRNKfiSq6ih3IavOgkoND_Or0KVYJWA1TrvOx0Jq-XowilLYEMxobHOif_2Ee3c6yNR2mPpdbE5jtIW-rSfR5I9948-EtKuP6pQNR8Y9FYMa0I5FUvNYxs/s320/IMAG0101.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students and guide Vivian pose in the Library</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017755634699002547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-48466558903918946802012-06-19T12:27:00.001-05:002014-02-19T18:10:03.016-06:00SolarScope Instructions<u><b>WARNING!</b></u><b> </b>Do <b>NOT</b> look directly at the sun or put your head in the box. Look <b>ONLY</b> at the projected image.<br />
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1.) Point the scope (long, metal tube that goes through the outside of the box) at the sun. There is no shadow (of the tube) on the top of the box when this is pointed directly at the sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLUoBwQI24E8IY3mUphtkbPbBAoKTbWTCee6xYPJl1u5_j8A9WsaoSjmF08D3mcQDwN87oyvc1oA2moO-7E9Ax9Ea8IvXtbc9jPLRi1Yv6NzXf3sXdILyJgcjPGePe5Q2nqnyvY_6Ze5z/s1600/P1040112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLUoBwQI24E8IY3mUphtkbPbBAoKTbWTCee6xYPJl1u5_j8A9WsaoSjmF08D3mcQDwN87oyvc1oA2moO-7E9Ax9Ea8IvXtbc9jPLRi1Yv6NzXf3sXdILyJgcjPGePe5Q2nqnyvY_6Ze5z/s320/P1040112.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Position the Solarscope</td></tr>
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2.) Adjust the box up or down until a small, white dot appears on the wood panel with the mirror (small, metal piece).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmPLuyGbqKe-T8rTHxUDzfoDZBpUnwtoBglhQQiSDlcDOPPMSiNedN4J64sTc4BWKK6mdLwLzAY00F6-WvLdbPJDIW3iH2Vg_l6B1gdKvQl1FE5h1q8VeCf8EAr8785GCLJYe7qdQlN-f/s1600/P1040111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmPLuyGbqKe-T8rTHxUDzfoDZBpUnwtoBglhQQiSDlcDOPPMSiNedN4J64sTc4BWKK6mdLwLzAY00F6-WvLdbPJDIW3iH2Vg_l6B1gdKvQl1FE5h1q8VeCf8EAr8785GCLJYe7qdQlN-f/s320/P1040111.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small white dot is the image of the sun to be projected</td></tr>
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3.) Continue to adjust the box to the left or right until the small white dot is on the mirror.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x3Bh8rEEvigFTrq6zsC79fd55SaPorrVJ7cpXPxMTgB4jMXx5JIoo0paPHc5GYCUzijDEb740GdEIvA2nyzkKLD49PeA9JJXtgrhjdvSeeWaqJUW0ySoYcBy1_-3jUbJEQ8A2q6xwjEn/s1600/P1040104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x3Bh8rEEvigFTrq6zsC79fd55SaPorrVJ7cpXPxMTgB4jMXx5JIoo0paPHc5GYCUzijDEb740GdEIvA2nyzkKLD49PeA9JJXtgrhjdvSeeWaqJUW0ySoYcBy1_-3jUbJEQ8A2q6xwjEn/s320/P1040104.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small, bright white dot should be moved to the center of mirror</td></tr>
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4.) Look for the sun to appear on the top white panel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswUfEVq88Ey1AWTUqzduGzx6bor7ICqR-E6HGKPrdjo6XTj-_aNg3twUjAj8WFM7EGzeW-PcSZFV1P6MapCBI-bJE-HHJZCJbWgDIkdi2KUqGC0ImhgCgAuq-LcHE__zYdtk1RPXfLB6-/s1600/P1040108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswUfEVq88Ey1AWTUqzduGzx6bor7ICqR-E6HGKPrdjo6XTj-_aNg3twUjAj8WFM7EGzeW-PcSZFV1P6MapCBI-bJE-HHJZCJbWgDIkdi2KUqGC0ImhgCgAuq-LcHE__zYdtk1RPXfLB6-/s320/P1040108.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
5.) Look for Sunspots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aKwHTICtkLU2D07M0ABtX9DCsKdmunxyldPTracGeByBy_8a6p05Le8dxit58TETU5Vvhvyt0fWvagQD39IemGSyrIsm_dvCCFENAhlWOhV_AxVZ98tgiVrlBEWROb0KCPRp0udwKyjo/s1600/2012-06-05+15.24.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aKwHTICtkLU2D07M0ABtX9DCsKdmunxyldPTracGeByBy_8a6p05Le8dxit58TETU5Vvhvyt0fWvagQD39IemGSyrIsm_dvCCFENAhlWOhV_AxVZ98tgiVrlBEWROb0KCPRp0udwKyjo/s320/2012-06-05+15.24.21.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of SunSpots with the SolarScope</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">Do </span><b style="color: #b45f06;">NOT</b><span style="color: #b45f06;"> look directly at the sun or put your head in the box. Look only at the projected image.</span><br />
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<b>**</b>Sunspots: On the image Sunspots will appear as small, black splotches. These are areas of large magnetic storms on the surface of the sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wM0jglUCbWL9uzy5nG-by2OU67f6F1F99cURFRwOyKMwLc4EgFFlCjzTyV9066LSDR-SIe45DK-4kn0SoVOmETZdSbwdjDVP6BFbMRO9_AMcAzt3PsjG1GPyAGtvgSQcddLXBcCYbr-T/s1600/2012-06-05+19.05.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wM0jglUCbWL9uzy5nG-by2OU67f6F1F99cURFRwOyKMwLc4EgFFlCjzTyV9066LSDR-SIe45DK-4kn0SoVOmETZdSbwdjDVP6BFbMRO9_AMcAzt3PsjG1GPyAGtvgSQcddLXBcCYbr-T/s320/2012-06-05+19.05.41.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transit of Venus with the SolarScope</td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017755634699002547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-85190921104557359762012-06-06T10:33:00.000-05:002014-02-19T18:09:10.209-06:00Transit of Venus 2012Who: Hundreds of people and amateur astronomers<br />
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Where: Yerkes Observatory and Big Foot Beach State Park<o:p></o:p></div>
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When: Tuesday, June 5<sup>th</sup>. 5:04pm Central Time<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr6ZLq1eiziPpYieg7pKWSoeWC2_qRAIAV7r9u1j6ozi2LTuns5PaFfsgCXq1yWCtmP08JK1HIM8EEZWDOzx6yvOxKWI2EIRuboNx9V8WdvNpj5MWdz1vGrGFWyrHaAXnG6ASTfoAluY/s1600/p6052920_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr6ZLq1eiziPpYieg7pKWSoeWC2_qRAIAV7r9u1j6ozi2LTuns5PaFfsgCXq1yWCtmP08JK1HIM8EEZWDOzx6yvOxKWI2EIRuboNx9V8WdvNpj5MWdz1vGrGFWyrHaAXnG6ASTfoAluY/s320/p6052920_0037.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitors standing outside the 8" telescope, Sirius B.</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What is a transit?</span></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Venus is on an orbit that lies in between the Sun and the
Earth. Since the plane of Earth’s orbit is tilted about 7 degrees and Venus’s
orbital plane is tilted about 3 degrees, Venus rarely passes in front of the
Sun as seen from Earth. Transits of
Venus occur in pairs 8 years apart with a gap of 120 or 105 years until the
next pair! In our lifetime, we were only able to see the 2004 and 2012
transits.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How did we see it?</span></b><br />
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There were a lot of different instruments set up to view the transit including telescopes, solarscopes, binoculars, and a live feed from the observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the transit through the solarscopes. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgiTsSnntRbn_FgyvlV6NwNHumt0NNO0lg9NGEwo8GZmXlVIJLKk65m4p8pn7zgfFt7Cqm_mjcHROHl9I4i-uT-lqy9_xAMTDSgFfUyHJi3tKdKN18FzOYzosHho1QbePy9Esa7tBSP8/s1600/p6052914_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgiTsSnntRbn_FgyvlV6NwNHumt0NNO0lg9NGEwo8GZmXlVIJLKk65m4p8pn7zgfFt7Cqm_mjcHROHl9I4i-uT-lqy9_xAMTDSgFfUyHJi3tKdKN18FzOYzosHho1QbePy9Esa7tBSP8/s320/p6052914_0031.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Included in the large collection of telescopes set up were a
few provided by amateur astronomers in the area. All of them were equipped with solar filters
because it is very dangerous to look directly at the sun, especially through a
telescope.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viewing the transit through a sun funnel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viewing the transit just above the treetops.</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Family Activities:</span></b></div>
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We had several family activity tables where kids of all ages
and their parents participated and learned some cool, new astronomy facts in
the process. </div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">UV Bead Bracelets:</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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At one table, everyone learned about the Sun’s strong UV
(ultraviolet) rays. We tested how well
different household items blocked UV light. To do that, we used beads that
changed color when UV light hit them. We
tried to block the sunlight with sunglasses, clothing, and sunblock. After we
figured out what works best, we fashioned the beads into a fun bracelet to take
home!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW35EVcoIw8EzHFd73FBPcd8fA-pYDbGVNTyjfsInGcsmGmpn3NBAavFIecDi7u0SWfi535JICXgRxCW7BVEwFPQiF0WBc2q5snIGKQzSTjmnlWhEVmxvM2ELOyKtjykBhBcPB4lDgxc/s1600/p6052930_0047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW35EVcoIw8EzHFd73FBPcd8fA-pYDbGVNTyjfsInGcsmGmpn3NBAavFIecDi7u0SWfi535JICXgRxCW7BVEwFPQiF0WBc2q5snIGKQzSTjmnlWhEVmxvM2ELOyKtjykBhBcPB4lDgxc/s320/p6052930_0047.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making UV Bead Bracelets!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Stained Glass
Coloring:</span></i></div>
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At the coloring table, there was a really cool picture of Jeremiah
Horrocks watching the Transit of Venus in 1639!
This historic event was remembered in a stained glass window that
everyone was able to recreate by coloring his or her own picture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Parallax:</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Everyone was also able to learn how astronomers use parallax
to figure out how far a celestial object, such as a star or galaxy, is from the
Earth. Parallax is the phenomenon where
an object appears to move in the sky depending on when we look at it. Using
some fancy math, astronomers can use the distance the object appeared to move
to determine how far away it is! We learned how parallax works in our everyday
life by trying a few simple tricks. For example, we held our thumb out in front
of us, closed one eye at a time and watched as our thumb appeared to move!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Plasma Demonstration:</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Francis Dellutri gave a presentation with several cool demos
about what plasma is and where we can find it. Plasma, which makes up our Sun,
is the “fourth state of matter” and occurs when very energetic gas causes
electrons to break free of their nucleus. She had <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">h</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ands-on activities to demonstrate the effect different elements have on the plasma gas.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETxmqbN4i7neM1znZCk3jpvyfBMsWFfxzZUMzrGnoZIHX8GHEWMlde_gVLTGiSxfqetUD9aaVG2oCmLnG24LDeRkQDyI7hXnt8BtX3Xnjsk_0TewUtqzOlVWUecZhvMHi7L_23xTFO3s/s1600/IMAG0214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETxmqbN4i7neM1znZCk3jpvyfBMsWFfxzZUMzrGnoZIHX8GHEWMlde_gVLTGiSxfqetUD9aaVG2oCmLnG24LDeRkQDyI7hXnt8BtX3Xnjsk_0TewUtqzOlVWUecZhvMHi7L_23xTFO3s/s400/IMAG0214.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">Overall, we spent a wonderful afternoon with the people of our community viewing something amazing that we won’t have a chance to see again!</span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857712472074855643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473983410063512539.post-6398854185865691542012-05-10T10:34:00.000-05:002014-02-19T18:12:56.691-06:00Final Family Night 2012May 10th - Final Family Night<br />
<br />
This was, sadly, our last Family Night of the school year; but we will have regular Family nights starting back up in September!<br />
<br />
We wanted to make the last Family Night event something different and fun for the kids and their parents. So, we did some solar observing, something most kids have never done. The students got to view the sun in a couple different ways!<br />
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The first way the students were able to view the sun was using a small solar telescope, the iOptron. This telescope has a special filter that allows you to look at the sun without damaging your eyes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_xRHlYGYUJOhJ9N9WFMnRlQMrOJdbM46DISu8MxK_JGwMqMW6iqL8_gjXAacIfIjuVBAxRBd2FPrO0VBANNxZzfWJ5tifvMglrKkq3_CLq1Af5MvaSc6Ns3huJ36kKCQ9scNrdQdl94N/s1600/IMAG0153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_xRHlYGYUJOhJ9N9WFMnRlQMrOJdbM46DISu8MxK_JGwMqMW6iqL8_gjXAacIfIjuVBAxRBd2FPrO0VBANNxZzfWJ5tifvMglrKkq3_CLq1Af5MvaSc6Ns3huJ36kKCQ9scNrdQdl94N/s320/IMAG0153.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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The students also had the chance to use a sun spotter. The sun spotter shows a projected view of the sun. With this they were able to find sun spots.<br />
Sun spots: look like black splotches or speckles on the sun spotter. These are large magnetic storms! The sun spot we viewed was #AR1476.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2XwiQfnKe1cBGRBlQ7z3ft9Wl8erwJH5FmcBXgo2YTMQ_QgszMC4q4CHbMeC4uO8fdpqgfNZJ59DoHZ2zE_MHazTu-FrDTzDfp0lqU-edKG_5SczVSoQmfPbwqkitJ-secXRLpksX0OA/s1600/photo+%285%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2XwiQfnKe1cBGRBlQ7z3ft9Wl8erwJH5FmcBXgo2YTMQ_QgszMC4q4CHbMeC4uO8fdpqgfNZJ59DoHZ2zE_MHazTu-FrDTzDfp0lqU-edKG_5SczVSoQmfPbwqkitJ-secXRLpksX0OA/s200/photo+%285%29.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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The last way students viewed the sun was through special solar viewing shades. These look like 3-D glasses but are very different. <u style="color: #cc0000;">3-D glasses are NOT to be used for solar observing.</u> These are called eclipse shades and can be bought at this <a href="http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/gensolecshad.html" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/gensolecshad.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdABMsN6919lRQIoRTpLd6zTGYmqOaDd0xW8YKJL0J_FYz0esN6zww_MGZ4co04SYqtyi_6Va_LLDwQnGj-IhXkl5cW9PqIKXKX-JLtR259A_pqsyyNKtfPSgXJ8NJYAdHFRo-C3kth1_/s320/VenusTransitGlasz640.jpg" height="36" width="320" />Eclipse Shades</a></div>
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After looking at the sun the students went on a "Planet Walk." This is a model used to show the relative size and distances of the planets. The model was written by Guy Ottewell and put together by Yerkes employee Rebecca Russell.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrltSbU7SgRLatmRpmoNxCT9Is8JWbOXvff-5B2hjc9_y1r0BfUf9GuKcu3tsGhcWEzgnj-cHVTjJdGdFfIAufjaGAvGnmyLtLV7PfseLIPXsXsUx4L9rPv6VDSpl8-iNvZHAe-byEYEjj/s1600/2012-06-05+15.26.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrltSbU7SgRLatmRpmoNxCT9Is8JWbOXvff-5B2hjc9_y1r0BfUf9GuKcu3tsGhcWEzgnj-cHVTjJdGdFfIAufjaGAvGnmyLtLV7PfseLIPXsXsUx4L9rPv6VDSpl8-iNvZHAe-byEYEjj/s320/2012-06-05+15.26.17.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PoT6aPEIfQaq3QIMauZ8lmzrDoZF_U8lps9INnZr0p-kEtZ29kjEyQRXRekFkK07psoQvbPkVPhOgxn_tLMqb9yNOdYI7IZfv-7IHGB_OixsReLdwONIu9zhl0PjxTVbGAURIZH8OSKr/s1600/photo+%283%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PoT6aPEIfQaq3QIMauZ8lmzrDoZF_U8lps9INnZr0p-kEtZ29kjEyQRXRekFkK07psoQvbPkVPhOgxn_tLMqb9yNOdYI7IZfv-7IHGB_OixsReLdwONIu9zhl0PjxTVbGAURIZH8OSKr/s320/photo+%283%29.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JBV3HIr6JseF3Aba2XMcmc_qxr9Ww1IFkm8Dh2cDoNjPODlwgWD2KNwLmPi3RhcMTIDLejaA1fMdJ22HymYV0jZXPNas9Uo458xFr_9W39_0CcWPMV9dH2YxTn_0wmoc4qiMc_FLhgWQ/s1600/photo+%284%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JBV3HIr6JseF3Aba2XMcmc_qxr9Ww1IFkm8Dh2cDoNjPODlwgWD2KNwLmPi3RhcMTIDLejaA1fMdJ22HymYV0jZXPNas9Uo458xFr_9W39_0CcWPMV9dH2YxTn_0wmoc4qiMc_FLhgWQ/s320/photo+%284%29.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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The last thing the families did was look through Sirius B at Venus. Those who stayed later also looked at Mars and Saturn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZbvTgGryEpBx6uy4zppwgcltyOAT995O16A4HlUPXzdZXLWWALxpaEZCJ_FX2xhFcDs4fT8u8bN9lVXxJCGy5pFhCP57G3qq5a2L64UYaYkdDI2EgQ4BcP9q1BfP-WKutIhsEDrYhD6J/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZbvTgGryEpBx6uy4zppwgcltyOAT995O16A4HlUPXzdZXLWWALxpaEZCJ_FX2xhFcDs4fT8u8bN9lVXxJCGy5pFhCP57G3qq5a2L64UYaYkdDI2EgQ4BcP9q1BfP-WKutIhsEDrYhD6J/s200/photo.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7dwZ6MHZ8fCQmPvsLNmdDiuwCOo7f5ynRYOYIzZgfU5qnT_dbMz6AQokE6-szSEJsjmj89VbzVbkXp1b5mF-2xM0TuudvmrOm81aZnF2Qw2_pmqZsK1yNOZZUqlJmU-OubXpJsyix6Lf/s1600/photo+%282%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7dwZ6MHZ8fCQmPvsLNmdDiuwCOo7f5ynRYOYIzZgfU5qnT_dbMz6AQokE6-szSEJsjmj89VbzVbkXp1b5mF-2xM0TuudvmrOm81aZnF2Qw2_pmqZsK1yNOZZUqlJmU-OubXpJsyix6Lf/s200/photo+%282%29.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3GnUFVrqFKOKrteLF0KrW9JTq2x_bJQ0ROpGRDmyHj437aGAtlYQ3LKzJP7pg-YENzmmoDvMn6Psu3d8C-0bzkwfTiPR3_MvSNGxfdvqVGqesQi7vt816S_usoosFUix2-T5fbqnJl66/s1600/photo+%281%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3GnUFVrqFKOKrteLF0KrW9JTq2x_bJQ0ROpGRDmyHj437aGAtlYQ3LKzJP7pg-YENzmmoDvMn6Psu3d8C-0bzkwfTiPR3_MvSNGxfdvqVGqesQi7vt816S_usoosFUix2-T5fbqnJl66/s200/photo+%281%29.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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Students were given certificates and they also signed certificates for the adults as a "Thank You" for helping with Family Nights. Overall it was a great day full of astronomy and family activities.<div class="blogger-post-footer">astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017755634699002547noreply@blogger.com0