Chilly but sunny skies greeted those who ventured to LIGO Hanford Observatory for a February 11 open house. LHO head Fred Raab and staff scientist Michael Landry hosted showings of the new National Science Foundation film "Einstein's Messengers" and provided site tours (photo above). Staff scientist Greg Mendell added a new public event feature by creating and hosting a planetarium-style tour of the Milky Way in LIGO's auditorium using the "Starry Night" software package.

The open house program received a little help from our friends. Tri-City Astronomy Club member Mark Bryant manned the Coronado Solar Telescope throughout the afternoon, providing excellent solar views of a relatively quiet sun for many guests. A full menu of LHO's interactive exhibits and demonstrations was available thanks to the staffing help of seven WSU Tri-Cities student volunteers, coming to us from Professor Judy Morrison's courses in the WSU-TC Department of Teaching and Learning. Community member Robyn Ingram greeted visitors and provided orientation about the slate of open house activities. As usual, a number of LHO staff members made behind-the-scenes contributions to the event preparations. The combined efforts of all resulted in many expressions of interest and thanks from the 350 guests.

Here is the Open House program.

Welcome! Use this guide to make the most out of your visit to LIGO. Activities in the “Corner Station” are in the large building that is up the path from the auditorium building.

Timed Events:

• 1:30 PM:  Movie, “Einstein’s Messengers” in the auditorium
• 2:00 PM:  LIGO Tour, departing from the front of the auditorium building
• 2:15 PM:  Demonstration, “All Things Cold and Beautiful” featuring liquid nitrogen, in the corner station
• 2:30 PM:  Movie, “Einstein’s Messengers” in the auditorium
• 3:00 PM:  Planetarium Show, “Surfing the Night Sky,” in the auditorium
• 3:00 PM:  LIGO Tour, departing from the front of the auditorium building
• 3:15 PM:  Demonstration, “All Things Cold and Beautiful” featuring liquid nitrogen, in the corner station
• 3:30 PM:  Movie, “Einstein’s Messengers” in the auditorium
• 4:00 PM:  LIGO Tour, departing from the front of the auditorium building

Exhibits and Demonstration

These will run throughout the afternoon

• Baby LIGO (Michelson Interferometer), auditorium building
• Gravity’s Bike Wheel, auditorium building
• Gravity Well, auditorium building
• Magnet Drop, auditorium building
• Make a Sundial, auditorium building
• LIGO Steering Mirror (Please look but don’t touch), auditorium building
• Find the Stars (with a computer), auditorium building
• Little Physics, auditorium building
• Long Path Diffraction, auditorium building back room
• Interference Patterns, auditorium building back room
• Fan Frequency, auditorium building back room
• Spectroscopy, auditorium building back room
• Walk the Stars, outside
• Sun Gazing (the safe way!), outside
• Pendulum Snake, corner station
• Vibrating String, corner station
• Giant Slinky, corner station
• Sound Waves, corner station
• Seismic Jello, corner station

Please fill out one of our guest surveys as you depart. If you would like to subscribe to our electronic newsletter, leave us your email address on the survey card and write “newsletter.”

Thanks for coming to LIGO!