Unfortunately, the skies did not cooperate with Florosa Elementary School’s science night, so we were not able to set up telescopes to view the setting Sun. We did come prepared though and set up a display amongst the other science stations. We focused a refracting telescope at an image of Saturn that was set up way down the hallway. This provided an hands-on station allowing the students to exercise the focuser and view the inverted image the scope provides.
NASA Solar System Ambassador Tom Haugh also displayed a model of NASA’s airborne observatory SOFIA as well as a video showing the modification of the aircraft and one of the recent missions it participated in.
Even though we didn’t get to view the Sun, we do consider the event a success as 337 students got a brief hands-on introduction to Astronomy.