Public Outreach For Astronomy Clubs

The public gathers at the University of North Alabama's
observatory to watch the Transit of Venus.

The Venus Transit in the summer of 2012 just so happened to be one of the most exciting astronomical events for the members of the Shoals Astronomy Club . The turnout was great, the views were spectacular and everyone there seemed to walk away feeling a little educated, a little awed and a little more interested in what was going on in the sky above their heads. The last part is the most important part because it’s hard to get people interested in astronomy these days. But events like the Venus Transit give smaller astronomy clubs the opportunity to do something fun and exciting with the public that will make it all worth the effort in the end. Even if one child walks away infused with wonder and the hunger for knowledge, then the event has been a successful one.

With the ISON comet coming up, the astronomy forums and blogs are beginning to buzz with talk of comets and observation tips. People are getting curious about what the heck is going on with this whole comet deal, and for some it’ll be the first comet they’ve ever seen. Hopefully it’s as bright as they predict it will be. So we will see. But this year things like the ISON comet and the recent PANN STARRS (for those of you who are able to see it) provide the perfect community outreach program opportunities for amateur astronomy clubs everywhere. But to get the local community interested, it's important to let them know what your club is doing to begin with.

There is a lot of debate about the effectiveness of club literature, but one thing is for certain: The more items a club can put out there with their name on it, the more exposure they’ll gain. This is true of everything from small printed pamphlets to large billboard signs. Most astronomy clubs don’t have the funds for the large billboard signs, so pamphlets would be their best bet. And the internet is full of free advertising sites. There’s also social media, of course. It’s important to utilize the internet for astronomy club announcements and the like because that’s where most of the astronomers that are on the cutting edge of astrophysics and cosmology are posting their findings and carrying on their discussions. The internet is also where people go to find out about these kinds of things as well and so it’s important that astronomy clubs have at least someone in their group who can write and write decently. It doesn’t have to be fancy or include a lot of details. But it will need to include some basic information about the club, what they do, and what they’re about. The importance of a good writer in an astronomy club should not be overlooked. Someone should be selected to do it and let that be their primary responsibility.

Mailing lists are perhaps the best way to update those who are following the group’s activities to make them

The yellow arrow points to Venus as it transits. The orange
is pointing at a sunspot. (Courtesy of the Shoals Astronomy
Club)

aware of public outreach events and club viewings. A simple newsletter that’s forwarded to all of those on the mailing lists will suffice most of the time. General astronomy announcements can be included in the body of the newsletters as well as photos from previous astronomy events. It’s also wise to include articles and interviews with the officers of the club regarding their thoughts on what the next year or several months might have in store. Star-gazing tips and a welcome letter for beginners who are new to the club are also important because the more welcome a new club member feels, the more likely they are to stay with the club and participate. And one thing that may seem obvious but is so often the root of the problems within astronomy groups is this: Keep the discussions between the members and those on the mailing lists limited to astronomy. There is no need to bash political beliefs, religious beliefs, or involve any kind of discussion which might generate negativity. Present things that are most relevant to the club. Club members will be coming from all kinds of backgrounds, with varying levels of interest and astronomy knowledge. A club that continually offends the newcomers and the established members is a club that is doomed to eventually fail. Astronomy clubs should be about unity and strength in sharing a common interest. Make like the solar system and pull yourselves together!

While it may seem trivial and even difficult at first, it’s important that if the club has a social media page that it is continuously updated. A page that has gone “silent” is not likely to be a page looked over by those interested in astronomy. And there are also opportunities to host webinars or upload videos regarding instructions on how to operate a telescope or locate certain star formations in the sky(An example of an astronomy video can be seen here ). An account with a video-hosting website of some kind can be indispensable. It’s the perfect place to post slideshows of past astronomy events so that people can see what the club is about. So always keep the posts and updates rolling. How often you want to update a page also determines what kind of outlet you want to use. A blog may not be the best media outlet for a small club who meets occasionally because they may not have enough content to constantly update the blog. Meanwhile, media outlets like Facebook and Twitter accounts are best suited for astronomy clubs that perhaps don't need to continuously update their members on current events. 

However, community outreach involves more than just posting events on the webpage and handing out pamphlets. Sometimes local newspapers will run free ads for community events and even local radio stations will pitch in and make announcements for the club. If the person who is dealing with the community outreach is tactful enough, they can swing a free radio spot if they find a broadcasting station that is sympathetic towards the club's cause. Also, it’s a good idea to talk to any local college professors who may be involved in physics or science programs. Attending a club meeting may be the perfect opportunity for them to give their class extra credit or to take a field trip. It's good to be upfront about your goals for the club and how the club may benefit the students. This is free promotion and should be taken advantage of. If it can be arranged astronomy clubs should also try doing events for local schools as well. When doing something like presenting to an elementary school, it's important not to bore the students with facts and figures, but to keep them interested with projects, fun trivia and handouts. If an astronomy club wants a community presence, then they should go out and be present in the community.

When an astronomy club starts to get serious about public outreach and starts to build a membership, they may want to apply for recognition by the Night Sky Network . The Night Sky Network gives a lot of aide to astronomy clubs for outreach programs. Since the Night Sky Network is so closely affiliated with NASA, it also lends to the club a kind of legitimacy. Night Sky Network will also have benefits for the members of the clubs it recognizes, so this can be something that appeals to those who are looking for an astronomy club to join. The FAQ section on their website covers all the qualifications here .

Finally, no matter what a club does it's always important to try and educate the general public about astronomy. Our primary goal is to be educators. It's our responsibility to generate discussions about astronomy, interest in the programs we support and to increase the public's awareness of what's going on in our solar system, our galaxy and our universe. So long as an astronomy club and its members maintain this as their sole objective above all else, then it will hold the interest of their members and continue to acquire new ones. This is what makes up a successful astronomy club and will determine the future of the public's interest in what we do.

For The Beginning Astronomer

The night sky is huge. When you look up at night, you're peering into the heart of a cosmic washing machine, where particles are constantly getting churned up, stirred up, swirled about and changed on their atomic levels. There are subatomic particles whose behavior we have yet to fully understand zipping about the empty space between the stars and planets. And even the empty space is not entirely empty. It's buzzing and humming with random particles on the quantum level that pop up for an instant and then are gone. And that empty space that isn't so empty? It's expanding and warping. It never stays the same. It always changes and so does the matter in it. There are places in the cosmos where the matter disappears and is never seen again-these are black holes, super-dense and super-dark. There are places where clouds of interstellar gases thousands of light-years wide are colliding and forming new stars and there are extra-solar planets with the capacity to support life, if only on the microbial level. And even in our own solar system, we have giant mysterious ribbons of energy just on the edge of interstellar space that astronomers can't really explain. We have moons that orbit our gas planets that may support life in the oceans beneath their icy surfaces. From the moonless, airless world of Mercury to the gaseous, bubbling, brewing cloud-world of Jupiter our solar system is replete with opportunities to learn and discover. And somewhere, far out there, 14 billion light years or more, are these things called quasars and they are quickly becoming some of the most fascinating phenomena that cosmologists and astronomers have observed. It's a lot to take in, but if you're curious enough about the night sky and what's in it you can start on a journey of cosmic discovery that will change the way you look at the world and the universe around you.

 As an astronomer I know once said, "Half of the universe is observable to you at night. You don't need a telescope. You don't need binoculars. You just have to look up." Overhead you can see half of the entire universe, and the other half is hidden just below the horizon, obstructed by the ground beneath your feet. Lucky for us that we don't live in the middle of a nebula or that our view of the universe isn't obscured by the light of a second sun. (Some planetary systems have what's known as a binary star and it's theorized that they may experience strange lengths of days and nights or may have erratic orbits) We have our own wide-angle view of the universe that is relatively unobstructed. Our planet is bathed in radiation and particles from the most fartherest reaches of our universe and even when you look up at night to watch the stars there are all kinds of weird and quirky little quantum particles that are passing through the atmosphere, through you, down through the ground and out the other side of Earth without so much as a hint that they were even there. Contrastingly, energetic particles from the Sun are passing up through the Earth and through  your feet, shooting up into the sky overhead and out into space. It's enough to give anybody the willies if they think about it too long. Human beings are exposed to the wonders of the cosmos. And it doesn't take a degree in quantum mechanics or theoretical physics to understand it all.

Basic astronomy really only requires two things:

     1. A good pair of eyes
     2. A dedicated mind

All the rest is optional, and in some cases can even get in the way of a budding astronomer. I should also add that number 1 isn't even really necessary, because there have been instances of astronomy students who are visually impaired learning astronomy anyway. So it's all about the mind, in essence. Not a strong mind, not a quick-witted mind or even a necessarily young mind. Just a dedicated one.

Anyone who wants to become a student of astronomy should consider acquiring a star-guide or a star-chart. A star wheel is also a good way to begin, but there is a practice that's even more basic than that. All a person has to do is go outside and look up. Curiosity will, sooner or later, get the best of them. Questions like "What's that bright star shining in the south?" or "Is that a planet or a star that I see moving every night?" The night sky is like a map full of symbols and characters that the casual observer may not know. That's when the star guides come in handy. With a little practice, it won't be that hard at all for an amateur astronomer to gain the necessary sky-navigation skills that will let them locate and spot most naked eye objects in the nighttime sky. All it really takes is a bit of curiosity and a thirst to learn.

After an amateur astronomer learns the language of the stars and has some basic constellations memorized, it might be a good idea to step up to getting a pair of binoculars or maybe even a telescope. The mistake a lot of beginning astronomers make-and every beginning astronomer has been guilty of it at one point or another-is getting the biggest telescope they can afford (Or, in some cases, can't really afford at all). Or, they don't research their telescope types and wind up buying a Schmidt Cassegrain telescope when they would've been happier with another reflector telescope design or even a refractor telescope , which is basically of the same design as those which Galileo used to sketch the four moons of Jupiter (commonly known as the Galilean Moons ). Ease of transport is also another consideration if the astronomer in question must travel to another location away from city lights or other obstructions in order to observe.

It's possible for an amateur astronomer to go at it on their own, but it isn't nearly as fulfilling or as enjoyable that way. There are local astronomy clubs available to beginning astronomers or even seasoned astronomers. These clubs often host star parties and other community events, which will allow astronomers, no matter what their experience, to network and to try out other types of telescopes and learn more about night sky objects that they may not have even known about. These clubs will host monthly meetings and will often provide opportunities for the club members to volunteer locally. It's a good idea to research a club before entering and most astronomy clubs will allow prospecting members to sit on a meeting or two just to get a feel for how the club is run.

It's almost impossible not to feel in awe of just how massive the night sky is overhead and what all it contains.  A lot of literature has been written on the topic of the night sky and a lot of folks have looked up at it in wonderment. While it would be difficult to say for sure what it is exactly that draws our attention to the cosmos overhead, it probably has something to do with the innate curiosity that all of us have, and perhaps-to some extent-to the imagination that resides within us all and tells us that we should strive for the stars.

Europa: The First Alien World?

A photo of Europa courtesy of NASA's Galileo Spacecraft

While it’s nice to see the Spirit and Opportunity rovers wheeling about on the dusty, cinnamon-colored plains of Mars, there is another world which warrants some attention: Europa. If you’ve never heard of Europa, it’s no surprise. It’s not a planet, but a moon. And if you have heard of Europa, most likely it’s within the context of Jupiter. Europa is actually one of the four moons that Galileo first saw surrounding Jupiter when he turned his telescope toward the heavens and began his detailed observations. The Martian rovers’ primary missions have been to find evidence for life on Mars and to discover liquid water somewhere either beneath its surface or in the rocks. While we can assume that there might be bacteriological life either in fossil or living form (bacteria have been known to survive some of the coldest and hottest extremes on the planet Earth) somewhere on Mars, what’s interesting about Europa is that if we were to land a probe on it, it wouldn’t be long before that probe detected liquid water because just below Europa’s icy surface it is assumed there is an entire ocean of liquid water. The water doesn't freeze beneath the ice because it is being heated by the tidal forces caused between its interaction with Jupiter. Most scientists and astrobiologists will agree that water tends to be a kind of cosmic calling card whenever it comes to life on other worlds. It’s one of those things that astronomers look for in the spectral signatures of distant planets orbiting other stars. And while one can hope for at least some form of bacteriological or microbial life (extraterrestrial plankton, perhaps), others are looking at Europa as a potential haven for life on a much larger scale. Say, the Jovian equivalent of a sperm whale?

An artist's rendering of an alien
world courtesy of NASA.

Life is surprisingly abundant in even some of the harshest environments here on our planet. Drill down into the Antarctic ice and you’re liable to find small pockets of bacteria literally thriving in the permafrost. Take a submarine into some of the deepest parts of the ocean and there are bioluminescent wonders and creatures that look utterly alien swimming about where the sunlight cannot reach and where the pressure exceeds the tolerable limit of even the hardiest of ocean-dwellers. And off the coasts of certain islands there are vents that are hot with volcanic activity which host a surprising variety of bacteria which in turn support larger organisms and form complex ecosystems where life shouldn’t be able to exist at all. Churning in the dark cold waters of Europa might be an ecosystem analogous to the examples above. There could be a seafloor teeming with bacteriological life collected around volcanic vents and coral reefs that extend upwards miles high. Like my favorite fictitious mathematician Ian Malcolm loves to say, “Life finds a way.” These kinds of ideas are not too far-fetched. When the Voyager probes did their flybys years ago, they detected cracks in the icy surface of Europa where meteors had impacted. In addition to this there was a strange, brown discoloring around these cracks where the ocean below had filled in the gaps between the shattered plates of ice. Astronomers and biologists have concluded that these discolorations might be evidence of organic compounds. Mind you, that doesn’t conclusively prove that life exists under the ice. These are merely chemical compounds that biologists agree are essential to the formation of life. And Europa has had quite some time to form life of its own. Of course, all we have are pictures and spectrographs of Europa. That’s why the next step should be to land on its surface.

Let’s say we send a probe to Europa to study it. It’s more likely that we’ll find evidence of life in the ice of Europa as opposed to evidence of life in the dry, arid landscape of Mars (By no means  is the exploration of Mars is a waste of our time. I think it’s important for Mars to stay a priority because it keeps space exploration in the public eye). If there are life forms on Europa which are similar in composition and biology to those here on Earth and they have an aquatic ecosystem that bears any resemblance to our own, then it’s likely that frozen in the surface ice are various types of microorganisms. Or maybe even the remains of larger animals. Or perhaps evidence of underwater plant life. Imagine our surprise, however, when we actually drill through the ice, send down a submersible and view the stalk of an extra-terrestrial seaweed which has grown in low gravity extending upwards through the water for miles and miles. If that wouldn’t rekindle the passion we once had for space exploration, then it’s doubtful that any discovery would. And it’s unusual that Europa isn’t mentioned that often when discussions turn toward what our next step in the exploration of our solar system should be. But there Europa is, hanging in the night sky. With a telescope or even a good pair of binoculars it’s visible from Earth as one of the four dots of light around Jupiter. And with Jupiter being one of the brightest objects visible to the naked eye it can be somewhat humbling and awe-inspiring to glance up and see what is perhaps the planet which hosts the first extraterrestrial beings we will ever encounter.

There really is no reason—aside from maybe the funding of such a project—that a mission to Europa can’t be assembled and launched within five years. The technology is there and so are the minds. The visionaries can dream it and the engineers can build it. There has been more buzz about exoplanets and the compositions of their atmospheres then there has been about Europa and the possibility of life beneath its surface. And the possibility does exist. And being as it would probably be either microbial or bacteriological, it would change our perspective of what alien life really is. Aliens would no longer be green men zipping around beaming up hapless farmers and mutilating their cattle for reasons unbeknownst to us. Aliens would be no different than the insect larvae in a vile of pond water. Or the tadpoles in a stagnant puddle. All sorts of theories will arise as to the origins of the life on Europa. Some may argue that life arose on Europa as a result of small organisms blasted off from the Earth’s crust when life first formed. Others may argue that both life on Earth and Europa have the same origin—some distant asteroid carrying the life from another far away planet crashed down and seeded both worlds. Evolution then proceeded side by side over the span of eons. But for these arguments to take place, we have to first get samples of Europa’s ice for analysis. 

Once that’s done, we can drill through the surface and send down submersibles. Sound ambitious? Maybe. But Europa may open up the gateway for an entirely new field of science: Astromarinebiology. How cool would that Ph.D. degree look on a resume? And who knows? Maybe life—if there is life—on Europa has some sort of intelligence. It sounds like the dream of a sci-fi writer, but there could exist vast cities in Europa’s oceans populated by aquatic civilizations. But regardless if we ever find life in our solar system or not, it’s important to at least try. The absence of life here should spur us on to seek life elsewhere. We are always so focused on the things below us, here on Earth, that we hardly ever look to the things above us. Space is a potential avenue for us to improve our life here for everyone. Organisms on Europa wouldn’t stop death or wars, but it would give us an entirely new perspective on what our lives mean. Suddenly, it might not seem so important to fight over strips of land or the exact location of a country’s border. We’d be faced with the cosmic truth that we don’t really know as much as we believe and that there are things outside our lives over which we have no control. We’d be shaken up, but we’d be aware. And while we keep pointing our telescopes into the deepest parts of the night sky and observe galaxies on the edge of the known universe, the answer to all our searching may be here, not even a billion miles away, waiting for us, encircling one of the largest objects visible in our night sky.