They are hooked on the heavens
Duke officials are testing the idea of an amateur community observatory

By JIM SHAMP js2@herald-sun.com;419-6633
The Herald-Sun
Friday, March 15, 2002
Final Edition
Durham Section
Page C1

"See? There are the three stars of Orion's belt," said Duke assistant physics professor Ronen Plesser, pointing to a shining cluster in the darkening sky.

"See that bright thing straight up there?" asked John Board, another Duke professor. "That's not a star. Look through the telescope and you'll see it's Jupiter, a planet."

"Wow," said Katie Burke.

Burke, a Jordan High astronomy student, was part of a gathering of folks standing in a Duke Forest clearing off Cornwallis Road on Thursday night. Some three dozen area school students, parents, teachers and Duke University employees were gathered for the first of what some hope eventually will be a regular star party.

The field also was alive with jumping Jupiter gazers, including some elementary-age astronomers who found almost as much delight in the red-lensed flashlights they waved as in the computer-linked telescopes.

Duke officials planned the evening to test the idea of an amateur community observatory at the site, about two miles west of Erwin Road. A rim of trees provides a barrier from area light pollution, but the clearing is wide enough to allow stargazers to see a lot of sky in all directions.

"I've dreamed of building a basic observatory out here," said John Harer, a Duke mathematician and vice provost for academic affairs. "We don't have an astronomy department at Duke. It's not a focus of ours the way it is at UNC, for example. So it would have to be something for amateurs. I'd like to have volunteers from the community work with us to build something, maybe with a roll-off roof."

Harer, who took his telescope to the event and helped students interpret the heavens, said a building with an easily removable roof could provide wintertime shelter when needed by local astronomy buffs who might want to gather at the site and poke their scopes skyward.

"It's obvious from the excitement among people of all ages here tonight that there is interest," said David Stein, education partnership coordinator with Duke's Office of Community Affairs, who helped host the event.

Harer agreed that stargazing has proven to be a delightful social event.

"When I set up my telescope in our back yard, my 4-year-old daughter is just not interested," he said. "But she's having a ball tonight."

Burke was accompanied by teacher Ted Oakley and a few other students from her class who voluntarily showed up for the celestial show.

Chris Young, a Duke University Hospital anesthesiologist, bought his telescope about three years ago after becoming hooked on the heavens by participating in similar events sponsored by a Chapel Hill astronomy club.

Twins Madeline and Carly Jones, 7, first-graders at Forest View Elementary School, were already becoming regulars at this sort of thing. Their brother Alex, 9, a third-grader at the same school, was also there, along with their mother, Lisa, a kindergarten assistant at their school.

Kindergarten teacher John Heffernan took the Joneses with his class to the Duke physics building, the youngsters explained, and they got to see Saturn and Jupiter through telescopes. Now they were in this field for more planetary perusal.

Huge cookies, hot chocolate, storytelling and a small fire helped feed the mood and the tummies as Harer proclaimed the sun officially gone at 7:48 p.m.

Grace Betts, 6, also a Forest View student, stepped to Young's 5-inch telescope when she heard him say he'd aim it at Jupiter.

"Jupiter's the biggest planet," Young told the tot. "What do you think it's made of? Solid or gas?"

"Gas," said Grace, as her father, Scott, smiled at her correct answer.

Grace's brother Max and his buddy, Gus Donner, both third-graders at Forest View, had already headed for the cookies.

There were many sightings of Saturn's rings, Jupiter's bands and moons, Orion's belt and even his nebula, described as a "stellar nursery - a place where stars are born."

It was a learning experience. And as Harer got ready to pack up his gear, he grabbed a cookie and allowed himself a final observation on the experiment.

"You know," he said, "I think the people having the most fun out here are the parents."