Visit to the Local Planetarium

The Harford County Public Library coordinated with HCAS and the Planetarium at Southampton Middle School for a planetarium show and some observing on both Tuesday, March 4th, and Thursday, March 6th.  Both events were from 18:30 - 20:30. Kelly Mills, the STEM coordinator for the school, along with Jayson Mills the planetarium director, sponsored the event.

On Tuesday the 4th, the weather was reasonably warm with temperatures in the low 50s but with a gusty wind from the south.  Members present were Rob B., Tom R., Tim K., Bill B., and Sam A. from HCAS and Doug from the school system. Jayson Mills manned the planetarium. There were two planetarium shows with a possibility of 50 people in each with outdoor observing following each show. Five scopes were utilized. Objects observed were the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mercury, the winter constellations with associated stars, the Orion Nebula, and the Cigar Galaxy via Rob’s digital scope and laptop computer imaging. Representatives of all ages were present.

Following the last observing session, HCAS members were invited to view the planetarium with Jayson M. as host.

On Thursday the 6th, the skies were cloudy, with temperatures near 40 and winds gusting to 30mph. Scopes belonging to the school were set up in the cafeteria. After each session, everyone was welcome to inspect and ask questions about them. Rob B., Joe D., and Tom R. were there to help. Tom R. attended the first planetarium talk by Jayson. It was an educational show, and Jason did a fabulous job explaining the winter constellations, stars, and the upcoming lunar and solar eclipses. Everyone oohed and aahed at the presentation.

A well-deserved thank you to the library, school, and all the participants in this event.