International Year of Astronomy has eyes on the skies
By BEN LEACH
Staff Writer, 609-272-7261
Published: Sunday, November 23, 2008
Moisture in the air. Clouds in the sky. Light pollution in the distance. Friday night certainly wasn't the best night for looking at the sky at a field in Franklin Parker Preserve in Woodland Township.Yet out of the southwest, between the clouds, a very bright object appeared. As the local astronomers gazed into their telescopes, they debated as to whether they were seeing Venus or Jupiter.The sun had long since set, and artificial light sources were kept to a minimum. Only voices could be distinguished. "That's Jupiter?" one voice asked as others concluded the bright object was indeed the largest planet in the solar system. "That's awfully bright."Friday night's Star Party was hosted by the Willingboro Astronomical Society, one of two groups - the other being the South Jersey Astronomy Club - that explore the skies throughout southern New Jersey, appreciating the cosmos for what they are or hoping to find that next great discovery.
New discoveries encourage the work of astronomers at every level. Earlier this month, two independent astronomy teams reported the discovery of four exoplanets, or planets that orbit a different star than our sun.Bernie Hosko, the group's star watch director, regularly works with scouts and elementary schools, but when it comes to describing the new discovery, he said it's just as hard getting fourth-graders to understand the concept as it is for adults."Most people don't think of our sun as a star," Hosko said. "It's just something that never clicks with them."Telescopes of all shapes and sizes were set up for Friday's watch. Smaller designs that use refractive lenses that gather more light than the human eye can take in and focus the object are essentially the same design Galileo used in the 17th century.Many others at the watch preferred large, cannon-sized reflecting telescopes, which use large mirrors to reflect images onto a lens. Many of these larger telescopes are automated, meaning that when a bright celestial object appears in the sky, it will immediately correct its position to give its owner the perfect view.Astronomers across the world are gearing up for a big year in 2009. It's the International Year of Astronomy, and 400 years after Galileo first used a refractive lens telescope to look at the sky, he's being commemorated not only with a series of events across the world but also a float at the Rose Bowl.With the attention on astronomy next year, Fred Schaaf, author of The Press' Star Watch column, said he hopes that Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County gets certified as a dark-sky discovery site, meaning that it's considered one of the best places to stargaze."I haven't done it in a while, but now I'm at the point again where I really want to be out there," Schaaf said.E-mail Ben Leach:BLeach@pressofac.comOn the Web:Willingboro Astronomical
Society: www.wasociety.netSouth Jersey Astronomy Club: www.sjac.us
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