Here are Links to Images and Information on Some of the Sights I was able to see at the Winter Star Party Astronomy Conference 2011

I cannot convey the excitement of seeing the stars the way they appear from the WSP. I linked to images and information found on the web because these links can give you more of a feel for what I was able to see first-hand.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2003/28/image/a/ (Sombrero Galaxy)

http://www.starrycritters.com/eight-burst-2/

http://earthsky.org/clusters-nebulae-galaxies/omega-centauri-milky-ways-prize-star-cluster (Omega Centauri)
Watching this large, luminous star cluster together with Al and Judi Nagler was an extra special treat. You capture their enthusiasm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades_%28star_cluster%29 (Pleides)

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_762.html (Eskimo Nebula)
Compare my avatar to the Eskimo Nebula.
J S Shipman

Create Your Badge
Did the comparison make you smile?

http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/ngc2392_18cass_6303.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux (Southern Cross)
This was only the third and fourth times in my life I was able to see the Southern Cross.

http://www.omniscopic.com/blog/archive/2006_12_01_archive.html (Orion nebula)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn

http://observing.skyhound.com/archives/mar/NGC_3242.html (The Ghost of Jupiter)

http://www.astrosurf.com/antilhue/NGC2261.htm (Hubble's Variable Nebula)

M82, M83
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_82

http://www.ing.iac.es/PR/science/m83_high.html


...among others.

Astronomy from the Keys...

Here are a few pictures taken at the, "WSP." More posts following the astronomy Winter Star Party coming soon!!!! Interesting talks were presented and I will discuss some ideas I got that can be applied to activities for students.

Note, that the 'scopes I looked through the most, are those of which I didn't take photographs. Maybe that was because the night sky images I was seeing were so exciting. Or, maybe I didn't see palm trees and ocean in the background (We had these nestled in a relatively wind-free area between a row of cedar trees and two or three camper trailers and trucks... to give fantastic viewing of the night skies...More on these telescopes later!)


I did take these pictures on the way to Micki's Kitchen, the canteen at the Winter Star Party, and the source of the best brownies in the Universe. Lucky for me I am not a chocolate fanatic since these brownies are hard to pass up even if you only like chocolate a little... But, if you crave chocolate...You are in the right place. (I'll look for Micki's Kitchen's contact information in case you need to send anyone a care package and I'll add it here.)

cay /key/quai/quay/cayo... See: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cay
" a small low island or bank composed of sand and coral fragments,...[ especially]... in the Caribbean area Also called key"

Trying out the TeleVue Eyepieces in the Southern Sky...and, The Stars of Entertainment before Television

In the wee hours of the early morning, the constellation , "The Southern Cross," appeared over the horizon in the East. There inside of it, one could see, "The Jewel Box," a sparkling set of colorful stars. Following an arc of stars above the Southern Cross to the left, Omega Centauri...a globular cluster that may appear as a fuzzy ball to the naked eye (...if you have great eye sight!), is a cluster of distinct, shiny stars. Well worth staying up, or setting the alarm clock earlier, these nighttime delights of the southern sky bring a childhood sense of wonder back into our lives. Of course, the blowing palm trees and the cool night air help, too. "Clear skies and sunny days," the astronomers wish each other. I wish them to you, too. Al and Judi Nagler's eyepiece loaner enabled a fantastic, star-filled evening for those attending the Winter Star Party.


Around the firepit, earlier in the evening, Bob Summerfield entertained and educated the young and young at heart with the exciting pre-television and electronic game evening activity of the stories of the constellations. Following the pointer stars of the front Big Dipper (Ursa Major) to Polaris, to orient to the North and then following around the skies to other constellations, including Orion (and of course his belt...but Bob got the children laughing when he mentioned Orion's other garments), and Orion's weapons (to protect himself from Taurus (The bull about to charge into him). Orion couldn't fight the bull alone, so Sirius, his dog was nearby to help out, and the twins, Gemini (They go by Castor and Poloux), at the ready.

The lion appeared about to attack the Twins. Oh no! Quick, grab that frying pan (Another name for the Big Dipper) by the handle and bonk Leo on the head a few times to save Castor and Poloux.

Bob took his listeners around the Universe with a wonderful tale. He included many other parts to his story, like the ship with a, "poop deck," and how to remember where that was, and how it is now three constellations. His tale wove in the navigation star that many the satellites and space missions use for navigation, and the Seven Sisters, and importantly his night time story gave an important message on the difference between the science of astonomy and the pseudoscience of astrology. If you get a chance to hear Bob, don't miss it. (Check out the Summerfield's Astronomy to Go for your next event.)

More---
Read more about how one astronomer first became interested in astronomy:
http://televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=203

http://www.astronomytogo.com/

http://cs.astronomy.com/asycs/blogs/astronomy/2010/02/11/falling-stars-2010-winter-star-party-wednesday-recap.aspx

Links to Pictures---
http://www.scas.org/wsp.html

http://www.abmedia.com/astro/articles/wsp06-trip.html

http://www.cfas.org/article.php?story=20100215223849431

---under development---

Build an Astrolabe from Paper and a Few Other Items...

What is an, "Astrolabe," might be your first question.

The astrolabe is a remarkable Medieval instrument designed to facilitate astronomical calculations. In that sense it is an analog computer, one that can solve a wide range of problems in trigonometry, Greek solar theory, astrology and problems involving time. It was probably developed in early Roman times and became extremely popular by the fourteenth century. I would hope that those who take the time to explore these pages will appreciate the ingenuity and mathematical skill involved in constructing such a complex and useful instrument.

Source: http://www.uwsp.edu/physastr/rislove/astrolabe/index.htm; Accessed February 10, 2010.

Visitors to the 2010 Winter Star Party (February8-13, Florida USA) who were lucky enough to hear Mark Friedman speak on the Astrolabe and attend a workshop he and his wife presented learned about astrolabes and each had the opportunity to build and use one. Your students might like to construct one, too. The Friedmans have referred listeners to:
http://www.uwsp.edu/physastr/rislove/astrolabe/index.htm with the following links:

• History of the astrolabe
  

• Resources for constructing an astrolabe
  

• Description of the astrolabe
  

• Examples of calculations using the astrolabe

• Glossary of Astrolabe Terms

The astrolabe can easily link science to other areas such as literature, religion, mathematics including trigonometry. For example, "The oldest surviving English-language treatise on the astrolabe was written by none other than Canterbury Tales author Geoffrey Chaucer," Source, http://www.uwsp.edu/physastr/rislove/astrolabe/index.htm; Accessed February 10, 2010. "Okay, literature, but, religion," you might wonder. Prayer times for Muslims and others relying on astronomical events to determine times, can be calculated with an astrolabe, even with the one students build!

Using other areas, such as history, religion, language and math can improve science literacy by engaging students. If a student is very interested in another area, he or she can develop a strong interest in science that overlaps with the area of special student interest, encouraging further reading and study in science.

Have fun building an astrolabe. I'll add some links for further reading:

Severus Sebokht, Description of the Astrolabe, in R.T.Gunther, Astrolabes of the World, Oxford (1932) pp.82-103

Wikipedia on Astrolabes

More from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_astronomy

http://www.giovannipastore.it/ISTRUZIONI.htm (In Italian)

http://www.jstor.org/pss/227240

Astrolabe shown courtesy of Matt Baum. Thanks, Matt!

(c)2010 J S Shipman