GAM Outreach Events in Southern Maine, USA

As a member of Astronomical Society of Northern New England, I did outreach events at Shapleigh Elementary School during 3 separate days. On April 2 she worked with a third grade on showing them some of the beautiful things they can see in the night sky, explaining what constellations are, and telling them the myth about Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda. In the afternoon of that day she did two presentations about supernovae and the life cycle of stars for two fifth grades.

On April 5 Joan explained lunar and solar eclipses to two second grades and a third grade. They made eclipses outdoors using the real sun and yard sticks with beads for the moon and Earth. The children had lots of fun making these eclipses.

On April 7th Joan visited the two fifth grade classes again and did a presentation with activities about the Kepler Mission and how scientists and the Kepler spacecraft are finding planets around other stars. They did a demonstration about the radial velocity method and transit method and an activity about the habitable zone around different mass stars. Included here are some pictures from the demonstration and from the habitable zone activity, both of which are lots of fun for kids.

Report by Joan Chamberlin
Astronomical Society of Northern New England