November 2, 2005
Mars makes stellar showing
More than 1,000 attend weekend viewing of red planet at NMC Rogers Observatory
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Peering through the telescope's eyepiece, Meadow Carnes marveled at Mars.
The Traverse City nine-year-old and her two brothers turned out Friday night at the Rogers Observatory to check out the red planet and other stellar notables thanks to a weekend open house. More than 1,000 people attended during the two-hour sessions Friday and Saturday nights; Sunday's planned event was cancelled due to pouring rain.
But for four hours last weekend, eyes lit up and the "Wow!" factor was high as people of all ages checked out distant objects including galaxies and globular clusters.
"That's what we love to see, the kids, because they're the ones that are really going to make the future," said Gary Carlisle, president of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society and a volunteer at the event. "It is something that we enjoy doing because every one of us who volunteers is an avid lover of astronomy."
Attendees moved between a telescope outside aimed at Mars, the large 14-inch dome telescope also aimed at Mars and two more telescopes outside: one pointed at the M-13 globular cluster and the other peering at the distant Andromeda galaxy.
Staffed by volunteers with the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society and students from Northwestern Michigan College, the nights also helped raise funds to refurbish the 14-inch telescope. This Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was purchased in 1976 for $5,435 using funds raised at the annual NMC Barbecue.
College staff used the supposedly portable telescope for classes but quickly found it's weight and electricity needs unwieldy for sessions in dark farmer's fields. After the Rogers Observatory was completed in 1981, it was permanently installed in the observatory's 14-foot dome.
"It desperately needed to be cleaned," said Jerry Dobek, a professor at Northwestern Michigan College, secretary of the society and curator of the observatory. "It usually should be done every eight to ten years and it had never been."
Other donations received during the weekend open house or other regular public viewings throughout the year help the society with education and outreach programs. These programs include Project ASTRO, Family ASTRO and school group sessions - all designed to spark an interest in astronomy. The society, which formed in 1982, hosts an average of 17 to 19 open houses a year.
Seeing a planet or galaxy or comet through the eyepiece of a telescope is a thrilling event for anyone, Dobek noted.
"There's a big difference between viewing it as pictures on the web and looking at it through a telescope," he said. "Pictures on the web or from the Hubble telescope, yes they give you a better view but there's something about seeing it live with your eyeballs."
"It's the difference between watching a movie or going to a play to see it live," Dobek added.
The Rogers Observatory, named for founder and former NMC professor Joseph Rogers, is a working scientific research facility used for classroom and laboratory exercises by students at Northwestern Michigan College. To Dobek, that adds to the excitement of a visit for the average of 5,000-6,000 people who come by every year.
"For me, a professional astronomer, as many time's as I've visited larger facilities, I experience that same excitement," he said of the atmosphere of a working observatory. "It's fun and out of the wonderful comments we get, I always manage to hear some version of, 'You've got the best show in town.'"
Members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold their monthly meeting this Friday, November 4, at 8 p.m. The program will feature a lecture by Jerry Dobek on the Discovery of the 10th planet. The society will also host a public viewing on Saturday, November 5, from 8-10 p.m. There is no admission fee but donations are welcome. For more information, call the observatory at 995-2300 or see the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society's website at www.gtastro.org.