A beautiful day today for our outreach event for Trickum Middle School. We did a presentation about the launch and entry/descent/landing of Mars Science Laboratory’s Rover “Curiosity” for Mr. Patterson’s 6th graders, and in the class room we also took them on a trip to Mars, where they could observe the conditions and topography of the planet. In addition they got the opportunity to observe the sun with some nice prominences, sunspots and filaments. A few other classes took the opportunity to stop by to observe the sun as well as did some of the other teachers and administrative personell. Thanks to Frank and Theo, but mostly to Valorie Whalen, who participated today and learned very quick how to help out!! Thanks a thousand Valorie!

Yesterday, Charlie Elliott chapter members went to Scott Elementary in Atlanta for their first KITES Stem Festival.  Marie, Dan and Theo showed over 120 students the sun with a few prominences and some nice  filaments.  Theo did a presentation about the MSL mission, including how the rover Curiosity was launched and will land on Mars in August of this year.  Click the picture to take a look at the gallery.

Clear skies,
Theo

A great event today at East Newton Elementary. 85 fourth grade students learned a little more about the solar system and space weather. They took a closeup look at Mars and its topography and learned what happens if the gravity on a marsian moon is very small. They also learned the different phases of a rocket launch and how NASA lands a mobil laboratory on Mars. Last but not least they took a look at the sun through an H-alpha scope and a white light scope and saw a beautiful prominence and sunspots. Click the picture to look at the gallery

Frank and Theo from the Charlie Elliott Chapter went to McConnell Middle School in Grayson on 2012-04-16 for a solar program and a presentation about Mars and how Curiosity was launched and will land on Mars. The three 6th grade classes of Mrs Sandidge were very interested and learned about the topography of Mars and about its moons. They also came up with a number of items how the trip to Mars could be improved!! If it would not have been cloudy we would have observed the largest solar flare in years, but clouds made us to postpone the solar observing until another time.

The Atlanta Kate’s Club came to Charlie Elliott for activities, and we did participate whith showing the kids the sun and the moon, while we teached them something about them. 85 Kids and adults took the chance to see both the sun and the moon. They also got a good feel for the relative sizes of both and the distance from Earth to the sun. Click the picture to see the gallery.

65 students and parents from East Newton Elementary attended our Starparty for these students. Smart and eager to learn more…. They saw 4 planets with some of their moons, Orion’s nebula, some double stars, star clusters and other galaxies. Thanks to Mrs. Thompson to bring the school out to Charlie Elliott and to Frank Garner, John Town, Jeff Rebitzke, Steve Phillips, Annette and Piere Michel and Theo for coming out and letting these kids experience the Universe over CE. Click the picture to see the gallery.

I wanted to pass on the email I received from Julie from the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center:

Hi Theo,
I forwarded your email to Charlee.
I so appreciate the tremendous effort you, Frank and the other volunteers gave to make the Royston field trip a success. All of our TODS and BADR students are so fortunate to be able to receive the gift of your knowledge and time.

We love CEAstronomy!!!

Julie
Julie Duncan
The Outdoor Discovery School
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
GA-DNR, Wildlife Resources Division
543 Elliott Trail
Mansfield, GA 30055

Friday the 30th of March it was time to return to Palmetto Elementary School for the Field Day of  Ms. Lyle’s classes.  Theo presented various programs about the solar system, including asteroids, meteor(ite)s and telescopes.  But they also learned about the mission  of the Mars rover Curiosity and the different phases in the launch, and entry, decent and landing stages as it arrives at Mars and how long it takes to get there.  They were very appreciative of what they learned and were very proud to let me know at the end what they learned that day.

The Charlie Elliott Chapter of the AAC had two events for the 83 students and parents of Royston Elementary School from Franklin County, who came to Charlie Elliott for three days. A solar event at 11:00 A.M and an evening program with an hour presentations in the Shepard Room followed by observing the night sky at the Jon Wood Astronomy field, Despite the steady but transparent layer of clouds at noon, which made the sun hard to see, they enjoyed looking at our nearest star and learning some facts about it. In the evening, Sarah Flynn, Jeff and Kieran Rebitzke, Steve Phillips, Frank Garner and Theo Ramakers showed them Jupiter with its belts and 4 of its moons as well as the crescent Venus, the double star Mizar, M42 and some other nightsky objects. The group was very excited about what they saw “above”.

Annette and Pierre Michel, Marie and Tim Lott, Anthony and Lesley Edwards, Frank Garner and Theo Ramakers were the Charlie Elliott Chapter members who made it to the third annual solar observing event at Anna Ruby Falls.  Between 200 and 250 visitors passed through our roped off area at Anna Ruby Falls State Park.  And between the clouds they learned some facts about our sun, and why and how we to study the sun.  Finally and probably the most enjoyable part was taking a look at our sun through our solar scopes.  Marie also brought a projection cone on which they could see the sunspots. Everyone had a great time!  Click thumbnail for more photos.