Springfield Museums sponsor host of astronomy programsDate: 4/28/2016 SPRINGFIELD – Next month, the Springfield Museums will host a number of unique astronomy programs designed to give patrons the opportunity to explore the heavens. First, the Springfield Science Museum’s large rooftop telescope will be open for public sky gazing on May 6 at 7:30 p.m. for the monthly “Stars Over Springfield” observatory program.
These programs are organized by the Museum and the Springfield Stars Club, and take place on the first Friday of each month. Stars Over Springfield programs are best suited for families with children ages 8 and older, however younger children are also welcome.
Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children 17 and under. These programs are held rain or shine. If it is cloudy, a planetarium show will be presented in place of telescope viewing. The featured talk on May 6 is “How to Photograph the Moon Using a Telescope” by Tim Connolly, Springfield Stars Club member and an electron microscopist at Baystate Medical Center.
On May 9 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., Springfield Science Museum staff and members of the Springfield Stars Club will set up telescopes on the Quadrangle to view a rare astronomical event known as a transit of Mercury. This phenomenon occurs when the sun, the planet Mercury and the Earth are aligned in a such a way that Mercury gradually crosses in front of the sun’s orb, allowing its silhouette to appear as a tiny black dot. At the May 9 viewing, the telescopes will be equipped with safe solar filters, as observing the sun improperly can result in permanent eye damage. Please note: the May 9 viewing is free, but will only take place if skies are not overcast. Please check the Museums’ Facebook page or online calendar to confirm that the event will take place.
The May astronomy events will culminate with the Museums’ annual Astronomy Day on May 14 from noon to 4 p.m., with safe sunspot viewing outside with the Springfield Stars Club, tours of the rooftop observatory, and presentations on meteorites inside the Museum by planetarium educator Jack Megas. Museum educators will also lead hands-on astronomy activities for all ages about how craters are formed on the moon, plus a space sensory bin for little hands, and more. The May 14 events are free with Museum admission; planetarium shows are $3 for adults, $2 for children ages 3 to 17, and free for members.
The Springfield Science Museum is located on the Quadrangle at 21 Edwards Street in downtown Springfield. Secure free onsite parking is available. For information about astronomy programs at the museum, call 263-6800, ext. 318.
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The Springfield Museums’ monthly tour and lecture schedule continues in May with the popular Museums à la Carte lectures, which take place on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Admission is $4 ($2 for members of the Springfield Museums); visitors are invited to bring a bag lunch (cookies and coffee are provided). For more information about Museums à la Carte, call 263-6800, ext. 488.
This month’s lectures are:
• May 5 – Celebrating 100 Years of the National Parks: Beyond the Grand Canyon. Jack Megas, lecturer, tour planner & guide, provides an overview of our country’s network of federally-protected parks on this, the 100th anniversary of its establishment.
• May 12 – The Grand Tour: George and Belle Smith Collect in Italy. Julia Courtney, Curator of Art Museums for the Springfield Museums, highlights the two-and-a-half years the Smiths lived in Venice and the striking paintings they collected which are now on display at the Museums.
• May 19 – Blue-Eyed Doll: The Story Behind the Book. Deanna K. Klingel speaks on the inspiration for her new novel, which tells the story of the exchange of Friendship and Ambassador Dolls by American and Japanese children between 1927-1947.
• May 26 – Hollywood: Wild West to Movie Mecca. Anne Barrett of A Brief History! historical lectures describes how Hollywood evolved from a barren landscape to a prosperous community and then to the “Tinseltown” of the modern era.
As part of the Museums’ members-only “Continuing Conversations” series, museum docents Betty Romer and Richard O’Brien will lead a guided gallery discussion at the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum following the May 12 lecture, and docent John Howell will lead a post-lecture gallery discussion on May 26 at the Wood Museum of Springfield History.
Monthly Walking Tours are presented on second Saturdays in collaboration with the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association (AQCA). Walking tours are free for Springfield Museums and AQCA members, $5 nonmembers, and start at the Museums’ Welcome Center. On May 14, city planner Susan Heller will lead a tour titled "The Quadrangle.”
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