This year, National Astronomy Day occurred on May 2. The weather was pretty bad, but it was still a success. We have more than 250 people come out, and people even came after it was raining, which was past 11:00pm! We gave those brave souls personal observatory tours and invited them to partake in the beverages we were enjoying in the garage.
Everything took place at the W.J. Nichols Observatory, which is in Richfield, WI. Nick and Jeannine did a fantastic job of hosting this event, going light-years above and beyond the call of duty. Their hospitality truly made this event a pleasure for everyone, and in spite of the poor weather, we all had a great time!
West Bend Hobbies had their own tent, with just about every Meade telescope a beginner would ask for, including 60mm and 90mm refractors, 4.5″ reflectors, 6″ and 10″ Dobs, a few 8″ SCTs, and a couple ETX scopes.
Several NCSF members and friends brought their own telescopes for the daytime display.
Our host, Nick Nichols, discussing telescopes with a guest.
Kevin Bert, Scott Kroeger and Danny Bert put Rod Nabolz’s Pronto through it’s paces as a spotter.
A group of family and friends prepared to take “A Stroll Through The Solar System.
Some people at the beginning of the journey…
…and a father/daughter team near the end. Note the yellow Pluto marker down by the barn.
The father/daughter team makes their way to the edge of the Solar System, admiring the Nichols’ horses on the way.
The ingredients for making your own lunar impact crater.
And the results of one study! Notice the 12-inch ruler on the upper-right corner of the box, for scale. BTW, nice box Kevin!
Al Steinberg shows a father and his son how to point their new telescope, while Rod Nabholz inspects their eyepieces.
While the skies were overcast, it was sitll fun to take a tour of the W.J. Nichols Observatory.
We had plenty of room for the 250+ people who came out! Note the West Bend Hobbies tent behind the dome.
Northern Cross Science Foundation 