Did you guys get a chance to see Venus cross in front of the sun on Tuesday? No? Awww...too bad. You're going to have to wait another 105 years to catch it again. We were able to see it live, in person on campus by Stoffer Science Hall and Bennet Computer Center. It was fascinating. The Physics and Astronomy department had an open house with a couple of serious telescopes out tracking Venus' path. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Smith, lecturer and astronomy outreach coordinator, for setting up this event.
They had a great crowd right at the beginning of the open house.
Dr. Brian Thomas, associate Physics Professor at Washburn, handed out official NASA certificates for the kids (or anyone really) who witnessed the once in a lifetime event.
(And it took everything I have in me not to make a Dr. Sheldon Cooper reference. Bazinga!)
Dr. Thomas was great with the youngsters. Wish he was around when I took physics. Perhaps I would have fared a little better... :\
See the large white circle? That's the sun. Now see the circle at the 3:00 position? That's Venus!
A few mini-Bods checking out the Sun and Venus in their interplanetary tango.
This telescope had a special filter on it so that you could look directly at the sun and Venus.
So. Cool.
Professors Steve Black and Dr. Karen Camarda manned this telescope that projected the view onto a cork board so that the littles could easily see the event. Isn't that incredible? That professors who are used to working with adults took the time to think about the children in the community and made it so they, too, could experience it? Makes me even more proud to be an Ichabod.
http://www.washburn.edu/index.html
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