Three local Observatories joined forces via the Internet to give the Tri-Cities a unique National Astronomy Day celebration on May 6. Columbia Basin College's Moore Observatory and LIGO Hanford Observatory (LHO) have previously partnered on several public astronomy activities. For the May event the partnership expanded to include the Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory (RMO), operated by the Association for the Advancement of Science Teaching through Astronomy (AASTA). The members of the Tri-City Astronomy Club (TCAC) hosted telescopes at the Moore Observatory and at LHO with their usual skill and enthusiasm, and the CHREST Museum provided additional hands-on science at LHO.

The evening's highlight was the display of real-time lunar images from RMO (below left -- look closely!) on screens at both LHO and the Moore Observatory. AASTA members Ken Swanson and Justin Garofoli journeyed to the top of Rattlesnake and manned the controls of RMO's 31-inch telescope. Ken is visible in front of the scope in the lower right photo. A waxing gibbous moon served as the only suitable target through a hazy evening sky, but the sub-par viewing conditions failed to dampen the enthusiasm generated by the subdued but striking view of a 500-mile region of the lunar surface. AASTA has developed full functionality at RMO, from image capture to broadcast. LHO engineers Richard McCarthy and Josh Meyers completed the circuit for May 6 by mounting AASTA's receiving equipment at LHO and piping the RMO signal into LIGO's auditorium. Richard and Josh also configured a network connection that rendered the RMO output viewable at the Moore Observatory.

CBC Physics Instructor and Moore Observatory Director Juliana Grigorescu, shown below left at the Observatory telescope, led the evening's program on the CBC campus with the assistance of TCAC members Thom Ahl (below center) and Michael Garvin (below right, shown with his son Michael). Members of CBC's technical staff developed the site's network connectivity prior to the event. Guests received 10-minute tours in the Observatory dome and viewed the moon and planets through TCAC telescopes set up outside. Multi-media presentations were on display in addition to the feed from RMO/LHO.

Juliana provided the LHO audience with a virtual Moore Observatory tour (below left), and the Garvins offered several of Michael Sr.'s great samples of astrophotography with audio commentary (below right). These 'at a distance' elements of the May 6 program, along with the RMO contribution, illustrate the power of the Internet as a tool for broadening the availability of astronomy to the public.

As a gravitational wave observatory, LIGO 'listens' to the sky with large interferometers, and LHO's May 6 guests received a word on gravitational waves through a showing of the new National Science Foundation video "Einstein's Messengers." Tri-City Herald Astronomy Columnist Roy Gephart (below left) followed with a discussion of "Our Place in the Universe." Roy holds long-standing memberships in AASTA and TCAC, and the evening represented a remarkable convergence of his varied roles in promoting public astronomy. After hearing from the team on Rattlesnake Mountain and viewing the moon, the audience followed LIGO scientist Greg Mendell on a virtual tour of "The Sky Tonight," compliments of the Starry Night software package.

LHO guests also visited a display and activities provided by the CREHST Museum, and TCAC telescopes were pointed skyward in a wind-sheltered area outside. By 10:00 PM the sky had clouded over and the program drew to a close, leaving the participants to wonder about the possibilities that a clear night will bring for the next teaming of the Tri-City Observatories.

Last modified Dec 16, 2008
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