Our summer “dog” days are hot and humid and typically cloudy. Observing nights are limited, but when they happen you learn to move quickly. July 31 was one of those nights–it was clear and calm for a few hours. I grabbed the little 80mm refractor that we use in astronomy kits that we sent to our friends in the Philippines. Our Philippine friends are still very new observers. While we trained them, it takes a little experience to gain confidence.
I wanted to take the same scope they have and use the same guidance we taught them to observe some summer objects. July 31 was my chance to do some quick example observing sheets with the same media and equipment they can use. I quickly sketched M8, M16, and M22. The next day I scanned them and sent them to the staff I had trained. The whole objective of the exercise was to say, “you can do it!” It may take them a little longer and their observing sheets may not be quite as complete, but they can do it.
When we return, we will be setting up a permanent observing area with an 8 inch SCT. We will retrain the same staff but go further. Later we go to little villages and schools, where the same staff is likely to help us train others and give demonstrations to people who have never used or seen optics before.
It is a humbling experience because we live with so much and waste so much. We are seemingly economically insulated. Or are we? After you review the second observing sheet on M16 (The Swan Nebula) below, I invite you to this page: ( http://christworksministries.org/inspiration_houses_on_sand) where you can see some pictures and a story about the origin of true stability for a life. It might be an encouragement to know that stability need not rest on the economic situation around us.
I reposted the observing sheet for the Swan. In my haste, I had labeled it incorrectly as M16, which is the Eagle Nebula. Now it is correctly labeled as M17. Roland
/ I beleive this is so imanptrot to our hobby and education in general. I am currently in the process of designing a program for the local schools. The idea is to have a Family Astronomy Night held at area schools. It starts with an indoor program and wraps up outside with observing through different types and sizes of telescopes.
That is a very good thing to do. However, the questions that always arise from children as well as adults when they are observing is, “where did it all come from?” One of the distinctive things about our program is we present biblical creation as the answer to what they are seeing. From questions about aliens to other universes to why the earth is special are relatively easy to answer from a biblical framework. From an evolutionary framework, the answers are entirely different. The biblical framework also spurs good observation and encourages empirical science, because God wants us to learn about what has been created. It points to him. We started all of this as a simple hobby, but people want to see and they want answers. Hence, our personal hobby rapidly became a way to introduce a biblical worldview and the Creator of it all, rather than the obscure, random, by-chance notion that the universe developed by itself. We encourage you to consider these things in your program.