• Home
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • About Us
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us

Grimag

  • In This Issue
  • Featured
    • Cover Story
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
    • Events
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Tee Off with Hope: Dawn of Hope Golf Classic
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • Journey Into The Unknown
      • Virginia Ground’s Band Camp Music Festival at Holston River Brewing
      • Jenny & The Hog Drovers at Carter Family Fold
    • Arts
      • ETSU to present Mr. Burns A Post-Electric Play
      • Award-Winning Murder Mystery, In The Heat Of The Night, Comes to Barter Theatre
      • The MIDTOWN MEN Perform at NPAC
      • Spoken Word Open Mic
      • May I Serve You? April 23 at 7p.m. with musical guest Aaron Jaxon
    • Music
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Paul Edelman & Jangling Sparrows Back in Bristol
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • The MIDTOWN MEN Perform at NPAC
      • May I Serve You? April 23 at 7p.m. with musical guest Aaron Jaxon
      • Virginia Ground’s Band Camp Music Festival at Holston River Brewing
      • Jenny & The Hog Drovers at Carter Family Fold
      • Band Booking
    • Food & Drink
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
    • Free & Fun
      • Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
      • Paul Edelman & Jangling Sparrows Back in Bristol
      • Tusculum Old Oak Festival: April 20-22
      • Journey Into The Unknown
      • Spoken Word Open Mic
      • How Does Your Garden Grow?
    • News
      • ETSU to present Mr. Burns A Post-Electric Play
      • Tee Off with Hope: Dawn of Hope Golf Classic
      • Award-Winning Murder Mystery, In The Heat Of The Night, Comes to Barter Theatre
      • How Does Your Garden Grow?
      • Pets of the Week
      • Things To Do
    • Classifieds
      • Pets of the Week
      • Things To Do
  • Columns
    • Appalachian Wanderers
      • Springtime Hiking Safety
    • *batteries not included
      • The Awful Truth
    • The Casual Word
      • Gargoyle
    • Kelly’s Place
      • English 101: Out With THE OLD, In With THE NEW?
    • Mister
      • Man Up: Redefining Masculinity
    • Mountain Movers
      • Don Raines: The Interview
    • Outdoor Life
      • Is a 9mm pistol good enough for defensive use?
    • Pop Life
      • A Quiet Place
    • Skies This Week
      • Skies This Week
    • Stargazer
      • Astronomy Day this Saturday: Time to Look Up!
    • The Nerd’s Corner
      • Nano Metalfigs
    • The Trivial Traveler
      • The Ultimate Limited Access Road
  • Businesses
    • Restaurants
    • Services
    • Salons
    • Museums
    • Schools / Colleges
    • Stores
    • Bars
    • Medical
    • Activities
    • Automotive
    • Theatre
    • Hotels
  • Spotlight
  • Full Issues
  • Nightlife
  • A Night Out

Celebrate Astronomy Day 2017 in the Tri-Cities

Have you ever seen Jupiter and its moons? Or a distant galaxy far, far away? How about safely seeing the Sun in a telescope? Maybe you have a question about planets orbiting other stars.  Or have an interest in space exploration of our Solar System. And if you’ve caught the astronomy bug, how about handling and looking through different telescopes—kicking the tires so-to-speak—to help you determine what kind you might want to purchase? 

Well, ask an amateur astronomer this Saturday. And remember, there are no silly questions in astronomy!

There are about a half-million amateur astronomers who want to share those celestial thrills with you and your friends this weekend as it is Astronomy Day around America.

Saturday April 29th you can see these heavenly objects and more, thanks to the volunteer amateur astronomers at Bays Mountain and Bristol astronomy clubs.

Both groups of star-struck stargazers will have events all day to share the mysteries and beauty of our Universe.  If weather cooperates, you can look through a telescope and safely see the Sun during the day.  Then at night, you can explore the crescent Moon, see cloud bands on Jupiter and the faint fuzzy glow of billions of stars in a distant galaxy.

Astronomy Day is a perfect time to learn a little about the spacey things that are all around us and connect with our ancestors who like you, might casually look up and wonder what you’re gazing upon.

After all, the stars and their arbitrary patterns we see in tonight’s skies are the exact same ones that all humans have looked up and seen.

That’s right.  Though moving at thousands of miles an hour in different directions, the stars are so far away that they have not changed their positions in hundreds of thousands of years.  So tonight when you are looking at the asterism of Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, or the constellation Leo the Lion, they are exactly the same stars that were seen by painter Vincent Van Gogh, physicist Isaac Newton or a caveman.

Uniquely, no one owns the original when you look up to the sky.  Jupiter is yours to ponder, photograph or sketch in its original form, and is easy to see in our eastern skies of Spring 2017. It’s not like you have to fly to the Louvre Museum in Paris to see the original Mona Lisa painting.

That is just one of the many fascinating things about astronomy that makes Joe and Jane America look up at the sky.

When there is a bright “star” lingering on the horizon—like the planet Venus is doing in our Spring 2017 morning skies—or you think you saw the International Space Station fly overhead—who  ya gonna call?  Why your friend, the amateur astronomer.

Most everyone knows someone who has a passion for stargazing.  And they are the ones whom you turn to for an explanation about the sometimes puzzling objects seen in the day and night sky.

I know that I am asked almost monthly by someone who wants me to shed some light on the spacey things seen at night or in the news.  Sometimes I’m even asked on Facebook “What is this all about, Mark?”

Which is another paradox about being an amateur astronomer—how can someone know so much about a subject and still be called an amateur?

milky-way-1655504_1920

Well, there are no degrees for stargazing, and those few professional astronomers (less than 10,000 world-wide) are too busy working with files of data acquired from the major telescope observatories on top of mountains around the world.

In fact, amateur astronomers are relied upon by professionals to help with some of the mundane research they don’t have time to perform.  Thus amateurs with special telescope and digital imagery are looking for comets, exploding stars in distant galaxies and asteroids near Earth that might hit us someday.

Most of the amateur astronomers you’ll encounter during Astronomy Day are just willing to turn you on to the amazing Universe we all live in.

Seeing an adult’s face react with child-like amazement at their first look at the Moon or Saturn’s rings never gets old for amateur astronomers.  Nor do the questions about the North Star, Black Holes or even if there are UFOs.

When a youngster gets their first look at the Orion Nebula or Andromeda Galaxy and ends up becoming obsessed to the point of a science project on astronomy, well, that is truly priceless.

Amateur astronomy might be part of the human psyche from ancient times as nearly everyone has a curiosity to look up and wonder what exactly the stars are made of, how far away they are and if other beings are looking back at us.

Our favorite star, the Sun, is just an average one among the billions in our favorite galaxy, the Milky Way.  Just one hundred years ago it was professional astronomer Edwin Hubble who discovered that our Milky Way is not the entire Universe and that other galaxies lay beyond ours.  Thanks to his namesake, the Hubble Space Telescope, we have discovered a Universe filled with billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars.

It is amazing to think about.  Yet, the humble amateur astronomer can help you sort it all out.

Amateur astronomy is a great hobby with a membership that includes people passionate about many things in nature, including our ecosystem, weather and the animal kingdom.

There are many facets to amateur astronomy and not everyone owns a telescope to enjoy the passion.  Binoculars are the best way to start out, but some just enjoy using their naked eyes to trace the ancient constellations of mythology.

Many are armchair astronomers who enjoy the many books and Internet websites that share the newest knowledge and conjecture about the cosmos including the Big Bang of creation, theories of multiple dimensions and hypothesis about the exoplanets being discovered around nearby stars.

Maybe you’re an artist and enjoy putting on canvas artwork of our Solar System bodies, the Universe or humans conquering Mars.

And some, like me, enjoy writing about our starry skies and all it contains—a true gift and passion of mine for more than 50 years.

Amateur astronomy literally has something for everybody with an inquiring mind.  You can participate at the local astronomy clubs and stargazing events frequently scheduled by stargazers.

Go out and visit a science museum this weekend and you’ll satisfy that inquisitive spirit.  You won’t be disappointed.

Apr 25, 2017Stargazer
Share this:
Opening Day for Storytelling Season @ The International Storytelling CenterWaste Basket
You Might Also Like
 
Allied: Brad Pitt is Back
 
Bristol’s Biggest Block Party: Live music, food trucks, fireworks, and more
Stargazer
Stargazer

By Mark Marquette
marqq@earthlink.net

MarQ has been passionate about sharing the beauty of the starry skies since a teenager growing up in Ohio. And for the past 20 years has enjoyed keeping the loyal Loafer readers looking up!

April 25, 2017 Archived, Stargazer72
Recent
Virginia Creeper Fest: The Award-Winning Festival Returns
April 17, 2018
A Quiet Place
April 17, 2018
Spoken Word Open Mic
April 17, 2018
Popular
Abby The Spoon Lady tells her stories of riding the rails and busking
25,909 views
Josh “Hoppy” Hopkins: The Interview
7,709 views
4th of July Celebration: Rogersville City Park
2,438 views
Spotlight
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 The PF Flyers in Kingsport, TN at Jericho Temple
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 Richard Hood, Smoky Mtn. Bluegrass in Johnson City, TN at Yee Haw Brewing Company
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 Shooter Band in Kingsport, TN at CJ’s Sports Bar
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 Blue Reign in Bristol, VA at Quaker Steak & Lube
  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 Matt Smile, Wyldheart, Ashland Craft in Bristol at Patton- Crosswhite VFW Post 6975

Subscribe: RSS iCal

The Loafer on FB
The Loafer
Archives
Instagram
Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.
1
About

Dedicated to local arts and entertainment around the Tri-Cities region since 1986.

Most Viewed
Abby The Spoon Lady tells her stories of riding the rails and busking
25,909 views
Josh “Hoppy” Hopkins: The Interview
7,709 views
4th of July Celebration: Rogersville City Park
2,438 views
Archives
Thanks for signing up!
Subscribe to our mailing list. Stay up to date with all the happenings!

By submitting this form, you are granting The Loafer permission to email you. You may unsubscribe via the link found at the bottom of every email. (See our Email Privacy Policy for details.) Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.

2016 The Loafer | Published by Pulse Publishing LLC. | P.O. Box 3238, Johnson City, TN 37602 | P: 423-283-4324 F: 423-283-4369 | 217 E. Springbrook Dr. #4, Johnson City, TN 37601

All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any loss of expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement, including claims or suits for defamation, libel, right of privacy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement.

Another Stellar website design and development.