October, 2005
Photos courtesy of Frank Murray and Columbia Basin College

The Moore Observatory of Columbia Basin College, in partnership with LIGO and the Tri-City Astronomy Club, hosted the Tri-Cities' second Spanish-language astronomy event of 2005 on October 1. The sponsors provided discussions of all things astronomical over the course of the evening, including a glimpse of gravitational wave astronomy. Event coordinator Marisela Mendoza of CBC (below, center photo) scheduled community volunteers and students from the Translation/Interpretation class at Pasco High School to provide translation. The sponsors thank Elizabeth Flynn, Pasco School District Director of Instruction and Achievement, and Alicia Izaguirre, Pasco High instructor of Translation/Interpretation, for their help in coordinating the participation of the students.

Visitors to the Observatory dome received a warm welcome from CBC's new Physics and Astronomy instructor Juliana Grigorescu, shown at left. Juliana now manages the facility's public event schedule while TCAC member Tony George continues to teach the CBC astronomy course and pursue research activities on the telescope. 130 visitors participated in tours of the dome by using the college's advance reservation system. TCAC members hosted additional telescopes. LIGO's displays included the American Museum of Natural History short film, the demonstration interferometer and a variety of wave and gravity-based devices for hands-on exploration.

All of the ingredients for a wonderful evening were in place with the exception of the weather. Clouds thoroughly masked the stars until the very end of the event, preventing Juliana from demonstrating the full capabilities of the Observatory and leaving telescope operators and interpreters feeling a bit under-utilized. The 2005 World Year of Physics could also be labeled the Tri-Cities Year of Reduced Visibility. Once again, however, many members of the community enjoyed experiencing the Moore Observatory along with the displays and materials provided by all of the sponsors.