Warren Rupp Observatory and the members of the Richland Astronomical Society dedicate themselves to public awareness of astronomy. On the first Saturday of each month, March through November, we hold an open house at the Observatory where we offer the public an opportunity to view through a variety of telescopes, including the 31" and provide educational astronomy outreach programs at no charge. We volunteer our time and services because we love what we do!
NASA Night Sky Network
Warren Rupp Observatory is proud to be a member of NASA Night Sky Network and to work in conjunction with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific to offer the public the best in astronomy education. With the help of several educational toolkits, members of NASA's Night Sky Network have shared the wonders of the universe with more than 150,000 people across the United States since the program was founded in March 2004.
For many clubs, participation in the Night Sky Network aligns with their existing mission of improving public awareness of astronomy. It also gives them new tools to reach new audiences, especially young people, and provides opportunities to stay updated on the latest space news via members-only teleconferences with NASA scientists. Each club receives a series of activity kits put together by NASA and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. ASP manages the Night Sky Network in cooperation with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's PlanetQuest, an education and outreach program for several of NASA's planet-finding missions, as well as NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe, Origins and Solar System education programs.
The Night Sky Network is a nationwide coalition of astronomy clubs bringing the science and inspiration of NASA's missions to the public. We share our time and telescopes to provide you with unique astronomy experiences at science museums, observatories, classrooms, and under the real night sky. Here are some examples of programs you might encounter when you visit with us!
When you look through a telescope, you are actually looking back in time. The light we are seeing tonight from planets, stars, and other galaxies took time to reach us. While you're here, we'll answer questions like: Why don't I see any color? Why is the image upside down? What power is your telescope? Why doesn't it look like the photos? Can you see the flag on the Moon? If it's cloudy, you'll find out right away why we put telescopes in space! We'll also talk about major discoveries made with telescopes and their technologies that changed the way we understand our universe. While we're at it, we'll provide you with a telescope to use and show you how to use it!
Participate in hands-on activities to show the structure of our Solar System, including models for sizes and distances, and to connect what is seen in the sky with where the planets are in relation to Earth. The many NASA missions that explore our Solar System serve as an inspiration to children and adults. This ToolKit provides activities that give an introduction to the many ways we can explore, learn, and discover: fly-bys, orbiters, landers, probes, sample returns. Perhaps on the night you're here we'll take a look at comets, too. Comets have inspired humans for millennia with their short-lived appearance against the starry background. We'll model a comet and even have real meteorites to touch!
Who out there isn't curious about black holes? We are!! Let's do a series of hands-on activities and resources that are designed to address gravity in general and black holes in particular as an extreme form of gravity. Let's find out what happens to a spaceship that falls into a black hole! Will the black holes in our Galaxy eventually suck up everything in it - a cosmic vacuum cleaner? What would happen to Earth if the Sun was replaced by a black hole of the same mass? If we can't see black holes, how do we know they are there? We'll show you how scientist are able to find black holes in space, how the fabric of space/time is bent with gravity and even how spacecraft can use gravity to assist them in flight!
Two of the most misunderstood concepts in astronomy are distance and scale. Related to those are the difference between the Solar System, the Galaxy, and the Universe. Come with us as we help you visualize the basic structure and organization of our Galaxy and the rest of the Universe, and the place of our Solar System within it. There's a whole world of galaxies out there! Perhaps on the night of your visit we'll even be looking at the distant galaxies, too. How far away are the other galaxies? How far to the limit of the observable universe? Where are we located with respect to other galaxies we see in the telescope? We'll answer questions like these... And more.
Did you know that astronomers use telescopes to learn about and discover other planets orbiting other stars? They might not be like the telescopes you see here - but we can teach you more about them and how they work! Let us teach you about locating and identifying stars with extrasolar planets. We have star maps for each month of the year which shows stars visible to the unaided eye known to have planets! We even have postcards from what is known about planets orbiting other stars. While you're here, we'll explain why telescopes in space can be more effective than telescopes on Earth and we can explain the twinkling of stars and how atmospheric conditions affect telescopes. Our program might even include the techniques scientists use to find planets orbiting other stars!
Here is an easy way to demostrate the difference between solar and lunar eclipses to just about anyone! Originally from the Night Sky Network Shadows and Silhouettes ToolKit, this version has been modified for use by teachers. It uses an acurate scale model of size and distance. We also offer a series of hands-on activities to explain moon phases, Venus phases, and solar and lunar eclipses. Features NASA's Kepler Mission and provides activities to explore searching for planets orbiting in the habitable zone around other stars. While you're here, we might talk about "Sun-like" Stars and discuss what kind of stars we can see with the unaided eye and which stars are like our Sun. You might be surprised!
Is there anything out there more scary than a supernova? Maybe gas prices... But let's think space! What is a supernova? Are they dangerous to life on Earth? How would the universe be different if supernovae never occurred? Did you know that everything we know - including humans - are all part of a supernova? Maybe on the night you visit we'll be taking a look at supernova and all the wonderful things that go with it - like the life cycle of stars and solar nuclear fusion. We can even show you how different types of telescope gather different information such as gamma rays, x-rays and light rays... and why it's important to have telescopes in space and on the ground, too. If the night is clear and dark... Who know? Chances are, we can even show you the remains of a supernova in a telescope, too! While we're at it, we'll try to find the stars in the night sky likely to go supernova and even take a look at a captioned video that depicts the last few minutes in the life of a massive star. You'll like this!
