This Saturday is JAKES Day at Charlie Elliott. We have participated in this event as long as I remember, and we are doing this again this year. We will be showing the Sun to those who want to take a peek through our scopes and inside we will run some movies and show some of the tools we use in our outreach. If you have time, please join us for this event which runs from 10:00 – 14:00. Please come a little early so we have time to setup and let me know beforehand. Also, in the last meeting it was suggested that after the event we will move the Safety Zone signs at the Jon Wood Field to where they need to be. So bring a shovel or pole digger and help us to move the Jon Wood field within the Safety Zone of the Wildlife Center.
Thanks and Clear Skies,
Theo

We did host a solar event as well as an evening event for about 30 students of the Yargo Elementary school, who were attending Charlie Elliott’s “The Outdoor Dicovery School”. The students saw and learned about our Sun, the solar wind and NASA’s Stereo 360 mission, and at night they learned that all stars you see at night belong to the Milky Way. They also learned how to find the North Star, and through the scopes they saw a closeup of the moon and Saturn with a few of its moons. Since Stephen was imaging at CE, he joined us for the solar event. Thanks Frank, Stephen and Theo to let these students “Experience the Universe at CE”

The chapter went back to Memorial Middle School on Wednesday to let two 6th grade classes and a special education class learn more about, and take a look, at the Sun. On Thursday they went back to do the same for 4 more 5th grade classes. In addition, a math clas showed interest and got the same treatment. Very rewarding week for us and the students at Memorial Middle. The faculty thanked Frank and Theo by presenting them with certificates of appreciation. Special thanks to Mrs Peters and Schrader for asking us to reach out to their school!
Clear Skies
Theo Ramakers

This is a reminder for our meeting this coming Saturday May 7th. We also will elect a new board of the chapter. So if you are interested in helping out as one of the board members, please send me an email. You can run for Director, Secretary and Observing Supervisor. I am not running this time. However, I will continue to coordinate the outreach events and maintain the website if the new board is OK with this. After three years as the director of the chapter it is time to pass on the torch to someone else.
Hope to see you Saturday!
Clear skies,
Theo Ramakers

We finished our second day at Memorial Middle School in Conyers and reached out to two additional 6th grade classes and a special education class for a total of about 75 students and teachers. They all loved to learn about the sun and NASA’s Stereo mission. Thanks to Mrs. Peters for inviting us and giving the kids the chance to see the sun with their own eyes! I messed up the camera settings and all pictures from today of the students were over exposed. My apologies for that! Tomorrow back for the third day!
BTW this is our 300th Post on the CE Website. Time for a celebration!!
Clear skies,
Theo

Today we reached out to 150 Students and teachers of the Memorial Middle School in Conyers. Last fall we were there for their NASA day and the NASA night program. We started the five sessions off with a 20 min presentation about NASA’s STEREO satellites followed by an obcerving session of what they learned. The weather started off with variable cloud coverage but soon changed to be good enough to observe the sun. Over all, a very nice day and the students did enjoy seeing what they cannot see with the naked eye and learned something while doing it. We will be back on Wednesday and Thursday for the rest of the 6th grade.
Clear Skies
Theo Ramakers

This event was cancelled in March because of the weather and rescheduled for the last day in April. A beautiful day for solar observing and 350+ people took advantage to learn more about, and take a closer look at our Sun through our Solar Scopes. Thanks to David Carswell for inviting us and thanks to Marie and Tim Lott, Alan and Sally Bolton, Annette and Pierre Michel, Frank Garner and Theo Ramakers for showing the visitors the sun and the beautiful prominance that grew in size as we observed the sun throughout the day.
Thanks again and Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

We are reaching out to Anna Ruby Falls’ visitors to take a look at our sun through our solar scopes on April 30th from Noon until 3:00 P.M. If you have a solar scope, white light, H-alpha or whatever… come and join us for this fun event. Last year was a great success. The long range weather forecast is good, so let me know if you can make it.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

The cloud forecast for tonight is 95% with a chance of thunderstorms, so we are cancelling the observing part of our participation in the Hightower Trail Elementary School’s Space Camp for this year. However Frank and Theo will continue their participation in the rotation events inside the school. We thank Annette and Pierre Michel and Jim Sobelovski for offering their time to come and let the students look through teir telescopes. We hope to see them soon at another event.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

We did a great Solar event for the Ficquett Elementary School in which all over 100 4th grade students got to see the sun in H-alpha and Calcium-K emission light. The kids loved it as we did and also got to learn about relative distances and sizes in the solar system