I am not looking to start a debate, I just wanted to share some of the joy in my heart...
I just got home from helping at a Northern Sydney Astronomical Society viewing night at a nearby school. I am not exactly sure how many kids/parents were in attendance but I enjoyed it a great deal. The kids were largely well behaved, respectful and interested. Well done to the organizers!!
No, it was not particularly dark and the views were a bit limited to moon, Jupiter (other planets early) some double stars, Jewell Box Cluster etc. but it was still great fun.
But, the highlight to me was that there was one boy, I did not even get his name, that came back after most everyone had left and expressed a real interest in looking up at teh night sky...He did not know a lot about the night sky but was keen and I got a great charge out of showing him a few things and letting him just look through my scope on his own. His excitement was contagious and refreshing and while I always enjoy outreach, this particular experience helped me leave at the evenings conclusion with even bigger smile than normal.
While I can't claim that he will go on to a career in Astronomy or even science, just seeing his interest in learning for this one evening was a great buzz for me. I am hopeful that the spark I saw tonight can be nurtured into a life time passion for learning...who knows, but that is why I enjoy doing Astro outreach...
I just got home from helping at a Northern Sydney Astronomical Society viewing night at a nearby school. I am not exactly sure how many kids/parents were in attendance but I enjoyed it a great deal. The kids were largely well behaved, respectful and interested. Well done to the organizers!!
No, it was not particularly dark and the views were a bit limited to moon, Jupiter (other planets early) some double stars, Jewell Box Cluster etc. but it was still great fun.
But, the highlight to me was that there was one boy, I did not even get his name, that came back after most everyone had left and expressed a real interest in looking up at teh night sky...He did not know a lot about the night sky but was keen and I got a great charge out of showing him a few things and letting him just look through my scope on his own. His excitement was contagious and refreshing and while I always enjoy outreach, this particular experience helped me leave at the evenings conclusion with even bigger smile than normal.
While I can't claim that he will go on to a career in Astronomy or even science, just seeing his interest in learning for this one evening was a great buzz for me. I am hopeful that the spark I saw tonight can be nurtured into a life time passion for learning...who knows, but that is why I enjoy doing Astro outreach...
