The Sidewalk Astronomers group was started to provide a particular type of stargazing opportunity for the public and other MAS members. The group sets up in a heavily traveled pedestrian area (like a city park) and offers free views of the sky to the public. These events will be held on a Friday or Saturday (depending on the weather), during the summer months, and between the scheduled MAS star parties. The Sidewalk Astronomy events will provide an excellent opportunity for the public to meet the MAS, and for new members to come out and try out some equipment before making purchases.
Depending on the time and date, we'll show you the Sun, the Moon, any visible planets, and various groupings of stars. These pictures of the Sun and the Moon were taken from telecopes used at sidewalk events.
We have permission to set up at Lake Harriet and Como Park for the summer. The schedule for this summer's events is listed below. (612)649-4861
| 1998 MAS Sidewalk Event Schedule | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Astronomy Day | Minnehaha Park | May 2nd, 7-10pm | Q Moon |
| Deep Impact Event | Coon Rapids Theater, Hwy. 10 and Foley Blvd. | May 8th, 8-10pm | F Moon |
| Deep Impact Event | Coon Rapids Theater, Hwy. 10 and Foley Blvd. | May 9th, 8-10pm | F Moon |
| Lake Harriet | Band shell | June 12th or 13th, 8-10pm | No Moon |
| Armageddon Event | Coon Rapids Theater, Hwy. 10 and Foley Blvd. | July 1st, 8-10pm | Q Moon |
| Como Park | Lake Como Pavilion | July 10th or 11th, 8-11pm | No Moon |
| Lake Harriet | Band shell | July 31st or August 1st, 8-10pm | Q Moon |
| Lake Harriet | Band shell | August 7th or 8th, 8-10pm | F Moon |
| Como Park | Lake Como Pavilion | August 14th or 15th, 8-11pm | No Moon |
| Lake Harriet | Band shell | August 28th or 29th, 8-10pm | Jupiter and Q Moon |
| Lake Harriet | Band shell | September 11th or 12th, 8-10pm | Jupiter and No Moon |
How much does it cost (the telescope)?
Amateur telescopes cost from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. As with anything, you usually get what you pay for, so the views are generally nicer in more expensive instruments. A general guide would be about $200 or less for a small refractor that can show pleasant views of the Moon. From $300 to $1000 can get you a telescope that will let you see the planets fairly well and some deep sky objects (like galaxies and nebulae). From $1000 to $5000, you can buy a nice telescope with very good eyepieces that will show fine detail of the planets and deep sky objects. Above that are the high end telescopes that show very fine detail and perform special functions, such as astrophotography. Of course, for $4 billion, you could buy your own orbiting space telescope.
Don't be discouraged from trying astronomy because of the expense. A great deal of the sky is available to be seen with inexpensive (under $50) binoculars. There are also many public observatories that show the night sky for free. One of these can be found on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Another local observatory open to the public is at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. The MAS will be opening up its own observatory for public viewing soon in Norwood/Young America. The MAS star parties are free and open to the public and usually feature the best collection of amateur telescopes to be found in the area. During the daytime, try the Minneapolis Planetarium in the downtown public library.
Can you see footprints or flags on the Moon?
No. The craters you see in the telescope are actually many miles wide and footprints and flags are obviously much smaller.
How far away is the moon?
Approximately 1/4 million miles. So yes, you would drive your truck out of warranty driving to the Moon.
Could an asteroid/meteor/comet really hit the earth and destroy life just like in the movies?
Absolutely. The question really is not if this could happen, but when. As scientists (such as the late Eugene Shoemaker) study impact craters on the Earth, they are starting to realize that impacts are much more common than were once thought. Just a few years ago, the world witnessed a huge impact on the planet Jupiter when the comet Shoemaker (yes, the same Shoemaker) - Levy 9 slammed into it, creating a plume larger than our entire planet!.
What we do have in our favor is that space is truly very big, so we may not be hit by an "Extinction Level Event" (the term used in Deep Impact) for many millions of years. Think of playing the lottery. If you play it every day for millions of years, you will win eventually. The odds of winning on any one day are not particularly good, but if you play long enough (millions of times), you will eventually win. Similarly, the surface of the Earth will be destroyed by an impact some day. But the chance of it happening within our lifetimes is very, very, small. Still, the chance is there.
The name of the MAS Sidewalk Astronomer's list server is sidewalk@mnastro.org. To subscribe, type the phrase "subscribe sidewalk" in the body of a message sent to sidewalk-request@mnastro.org. Send mail to majordomo@mnastro.org with "help" as the only line in the body of the message for full details on using this list.
If you have comments or questions, please send an e-mail to the Minnesota Astronomical Society's Sidewalk Astronomers.
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