Date: February 24, 2010

Title: Sidewalk Astronomy

Podcaster: Jay Horowitz

Organization: Riverdale Astronomy: riverdaleastronomy.blogspot.com

Description: This podcast covers astronomy outreach and education – how best to share your love of the cosmos with your friends and the general public. It provides general guidelines for introducing others to your science and goes into detail on how to get started in sidewalk astronomy.

Bio: Jay Horowitz is a 24-year-old amateur scientist based out of New York City. Founder of Riverdale Sidewalk Astronomy and member of the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey, he can frequently be found at the eyepiece of a 16″ telescope at the top of a mountain in Hope, NJ. He works in financial services and loves sharing his love of the skies with others. He can be contacted by email at riverdaleastronomy@gmail.com.

Today’s sponsor: This episode of “365 Days of Astronomy” is sponsored by Tom Foster.

Transcript:

With 365 Days of Astronomy for February 24th 2010, I am Jay Horowitz from Riverdale Sidewalk Astronomy. In this episode, we are going to talk about public astronomy education, with a particular focus on the method I am most involved in – sidewalk astronomy.

One of the more frustrating parts of an amateur astronomer’s existence is the difficulty of convincing non-astronomer friends that it would be a blast to spend the night out in the middle of nowhere, staring up at tiny dots of light in the sky. Extra points if the convincing happens in the dead of winter. I don’t know about your experience, but mine tells me that “But the winter sky is so much more interesting!” doesn’t get you very far.

So what’s the best way to share your love of the cosmos with non-scientists while keeping and perhaps even sparking their interest in the sciences?

Let me summarize with some quick pieces of advice and then get into the details.

First: Bring the astronomy to them. Absolutely no starting out with a six hour trip to the desert. I live in New York City and I can see almost all of the best “Intro to the Sky” objects from my roof.

Second: Show them things that are just obviously cool, like Saturn or the Moon. Subrule: Don’t just pick great objects. Pick bright objects too. The Horsehead Nebula is way cool, but the Double Cluster is bright. Here’s a rule of thumb: Make sure you don’t have to explain averted vision until they’re hooked on the night sky. And don’t limit yourself to things that are out every night. My wife doesn’t share my love of astronomy, but she does think that magnitude -8 Iridium flares are pretty awesome. Chances are your buddies will agree.

Rule number three: Make things interesting, and don’t assume your audience knows anything about the cosmos unless they tell you otherwise. We all know that things can be pretty without knowing their context, but it’s so much easier to appreciate, say, a great work of art when you know something about the artist, the style, and the period. Know something about what you’re looking at and share it.

Finally, as an extension of the above rules don’t overdo it. Giving your audience the most interesting information about the most interesting and easiest to see objects will keep them coming back for more. And if all else fails, let them play with your green laser pointer. I can’t tell you how many “WHOAH!”s a solid green laser beam to the sky can elicit.

Those pieces of advice are great for taking a friend out or for sharing your hobby with some curious work buddies, but what about public outreach? How can you get the general public interested in science – specifically, your science – astronomy? For me, that’s where sidewalk astronomy comes in. On clear nights in New York City there is a decent chance that somewhere, someone has a telescope out for public viewing. Jason Kendall, a friend and the brains behind the Inwood Astronomy Project, has been sharing the night sky nearly every Wednesday and Saturday night. Cameron Hummels at Columbia University organizes public lectures and observing with regularity. My schedule is less rigid, but I try to hit the street with my telescope at least once a week.

So let’s take the rules for sharing with friends and extend them to sidewalk events.

Bringing the astronomy to them. This is the essence of sidewalk astronomy. Perhaps the most important part of a successful sidewalk event – aside from having a reasonable view of an interesting celestial object or two – is setting up where the people are. While some sidewalk astronomers like having a regular schedule of events, others prefer to leave their events unscheduled and just make sure to set up in a location that gets a good amount of foot traffic. I have found that the authorities – be they store owners or the police – tend to be sympathetic to a sidewalk science lesson, but make sure that you have any necessary permissions before setting up your telescope. Make sure you’re not blocking the flow of traffic, and depending on the darkness of your location, give some thought to whether streetlights or headlights from passing cars will be an issue.

Timing – While clear skies are generally the only thing necessary for a successful sidewalk event, and a bright Moon usually keeps astronomers at home, the Moon is a wonderful treat for first-time observers. I suggest scheduling infrequent events around the first quarter moon, which is a great time to see interesting Moon features while not completely destroying your ability to observe other celestial objects.

Telescope type and safety – Use common sense here. Sidewalk events are not the place to show off your new 10” Takahashi refractor or Nagler Ethos eyepiece. Never leave your telescope unattended, and while chances are nothing will happen to your equipment, make sure you clearly communicate your rules for viewing. Dobsonian telescopes are particularly good for sidewalk events – they set up quickly, are easy to explain, and are relatively inexpensive. They also look much sturdier than they are. I suggest having at least one telescope and operator for every ten or so expected observers, and stating clearly and frequently that observers should not touch the telescope. You’ll be surprised at how many people try and use your telescope as a convenient object to lean on. On the topic of telescope type, while I prefer to use a Dob for sidewalk events, others prefer to use telescopes that track the night sky. This particularly allows for easier use of high power eyepieces, with which objects can quickly pass through a non-guided Dobsonian’s field of view. Do what’s easiest for you. Tracking is nice, but ease of use is most important.

Now, a big safety item, both for you and your observers: kids. Kids can get excited and need supervision. They also might need a sturdy step-stool for larger telescopes. Things can get sticky if you don’t have a step-stool and kids need to be picked up. For your protection, do not touch a child in the dark under any circumstances, and make sure that for kid-friendly events you have at least one other adult present at all times. If a parent asks you to pick up their child and you are comfortable doing so, I strongly suggest having another club member or telescope operator around for your protection.

A final safety item. Solar observing can be fun, but it can also be dangerous for people who aren’t familiar with proper techniques and equipment. It may seem simple and fun to set up during the day with a solar filter, but make sure that your filter is fastened securely and that all viewfinders are removed from the telescope for your daytime observing. You will be surprised by the number of people whose first instinct is to look in the finder.

On to a lighter note. People will have questions, and they’ll want to know who to ask. I suggest identifying telescope operators or club members with a nametag or bright colored shirt.

That brings us to education. You should know something about the things you are looking at, the night sky, and astronomy in general – and bring a good reference book with you anyway. You might, however, find yourself overwhelmed with trying to operate your telescope and answer questions at the same time. I suggest putting together a handout with information on your group and the most common objects you look at, perhaps some information about the night sky or a small FAQ section, and contact information for you or your group. Search the web for sidewalk astronomy groups and you’ll find some great templates you can work off of. Some groups have a non- telescope-operator attending events, whose sole job it is to engage the crowd and answer questions. If you have the manpower, give that idea some consideration.

If you are serious about your outreach work, some government funded space and science labs provide free or discounted materials you can hand out at public events. NASA’s Education and Public Outreach office is a great place to start. You may also want to connect with other local astronomy groups or other sidewalk astronomy groups in your area and around the world. In the United States, try The Sidewalk Astronomers, a public astronomy association.

So if you are thinking, “Hmm… should I give sidewalk astronomy a shot?” YES! One night out and you’ll be hooked. If you have customers, you’ll have fun. Remember to enjoy yourself. I guarantee you that you will make someone’s day. Clear skies to all, and good luck.

End of podcast:

365 Days of Astronomy
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