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Share your own activities, experiences, and thoughts about astronomy with the rest of the worldwide AWB community.

Member Reports from Dr. J. Wayne Wooten

May 21

AWB and Ciencia Puerto Rico Spyglasses featured in July Sky & Telescope, pages 74-5

Draco Productions made 100 STEM spyglasses for elementary schools in Puerto Rico. Mike Simmons and Greetchen Diaz coordinated the distribution and spanish language instructions for the 20x30 erect image scopes. Jerry Oltion of Sky and Telescope loved the fact that a good basic scope could be made for under $25, and that the construction could be used as an educational project on optics for school classes and Astronomy and Earth Day activities for whole families. For more information on how to build these spyglasses, link to: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10156000093404302&type=3 Read More...

Nov 15
2019

Mercury Transit from Pensacola

We had clear skies for most of the event at the Pensacola State Planetarium. About 60 guests turned out. Our report on Facebook is at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10156972406084302&type=3 Read More...

Jul 14
2019

Space Explorers Camp builds STEM Spyglasses for Ciencia Puerto Rico

On July 11, 2019, the Space Explorers Camp at the Pensacola Mess Hall built 12 more STEM spyglasses for students in the elementary schools of Puerto Rico. These 12 make it 100 spyglasses supplied through Astronomers without Borders to Ciencia PR. The 20x30 refractors come with solar filters for sun spotting, an achromatic lens and 10mm terrestiral objective, and the plans for them are at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10156000093404302&type=3 We also dedicate a 1973 vintage Celestron C-8 to the Mess Hall for use with their astronomy nights, thanks to a grant from the Pensacola State College and the Escambia Amateur Astronomers. It was... Read More...

Jul 14
2019

Space Explorers Camp builds STEM Spyglasses for Ciencia Puerto Rico

On July 11, 2019, the Space Explorers Camp at the Pensacola Mess Hall built 12 more STEM spyglasses for students in the elementary schools of Puerto Rico. These 12 make it 100 spyglasses supplied through Astronomers without Borders to Ciencia PR. The 20x30 refractors come with solar filters for sun spotting, an achromatic lens and 10mm terrestiral objective, and the plans for them are at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10156000093404302&type=3 We also dedicate a 1973 vintage Celestron C-8 to the Mess Hall for use with their astronomy nights, thanks to a grant from the Pensacola State College and the Escambia Amateur Astronomers. It was... Read More...

Apr 21
2019

20 More STEM Spyglasses for Ciencia Puerto Rico built at Earth Day Pensacola for AWB

The Escambia Amateur Astronomers and Draco Productions celebrated Earth Day Pensacola 2019 by settting up solar telescopes, handing out star charts and gaze schedules, displaying our meteorite collection, and hosting a student workshop where families built 20 more of the STEM spyglasses for Ciencia Puerto Rico. This shipment will make 85 of these 20X 31mm terrestrial scopes with 1" Draco Baader solar filters available to the elementary science classrooms in Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. Here is the link to our gallery, with great solar shots. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10156470885224302&type=3 Read More...

Apr 01
2019

Building STEM spyglasses for AWB and Ciencia PR at the Gulf Coast Science Festival on March 30, 2019

Our optics workshop could not have been better! We built 30 spyglasses with Astronomers Without Borders to send to Ciencia Puerto Rico next week in only two hours 15 minutes, then used the rest of the time to let kids decorate them creatively. All who built or decorated filled in the donor form for the STEM teachers and students of Puerto Rico got a tektite specimen from our sponsor, Draco Productions. Many thanks to Sheryl Williams, Buddy Welker, Nicole and Chloe Gunter, Jacque Falzone, Marc Gordon, Ed Magowan, Lauren Rogers, and Chris Coats from the EAAA, and of course SaraBeth... Read More...

Apr 01
2019

Building STEM spyglasses for AWB and Ciencia PR at the Gulf Coast Science Festival on March 30, 2019

Our optics workshop could not have been better! We built 30 spyglasses with Astronomers Without Borders to send to Ciencia Puerto Rico next week in only two hours 15 minutes, then used the rest of the time to let kids decorate them creatively. All who built or decorated filled in the donor form for the STEM teachers and students of Puerto Rico got a tektite specimen from our sponsor, Draco Productions. Many thanks to Sheryl Williams, Buddy Welker, Nicole and Chloe Gunter, Jacque Falzone, Marc Gordon, Ed Magowan, Lauren Rogers, and Chris Coats from the EAAA, and of course SaraBeth... Read More...

Nov 17
2018

When Worlds Erupt: Volcanism in the solar system

In 1995, Merry Edenton-Wooten, former Executive Secretary of the Astronomical League, used oils to create the artwork for a new and prophetic planetarium program, "When Worlds Erupt". Later NASA, ESA, and JAXA missions proved many of her artistic insights correct, as noted by Cassini imaging director Carolyn Porco of JPL and Dr. Tony Phillips of SpaceWeather. Her paintings are now on loan to the Space and Science Theater Planetarium at Pensacola State College. Here is a .pdf paper on her work and subsequent discoveries. https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/When%20Worlds%20Erupt_2017.pdf?token=AWwcA3J8coCZ5JTMhAJcRCH9GjWJlAw84bXQ0yT7hkaPs2l72dfDAYC-aYZKY0qtiM3nJpUHXyEEn_Rye61EGbobIZwwxBxDNQQyyduWMc7ZuqLBG8kWysbcyi6o8cn_sBAov2gjlWQLKZChwhcLIOuV Read More...

Nov 15
2018

Building STEM spyglasses for Puerto Rico and Ciencia PR

While working with my astronomy students at Pensacola State College, the Escambia Amateur Astronomers built and distributed over 100 Galileoscopes, equipped with Baader solar filters from our sponsor, Draco Productions, in preparation for the eclipse in August 2017. Alas, these are no longer available, so I began looking around for a comparable scope kit for beginners. Back in 2009, the AL Reflector featured an article I wrote on using surplus optics to replicate Galileo's first scopes, at this link: https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Galileo%20to%20Messier%20kit.pdf?token=AWz42YflUr1rOV2IXY4R4RHV072hYEOcLI2EQL09XovtIbvWFmtU8ToNpgQejoOoNjGU5PKE8UKOvd60qksBUFH2MYo8akPB8EkBk6wmNfq8l4hzCoSOQ2lntr1tlFbUQRFeBcjeIKgKI2A218NTl6ar I went to Surplus Shed for cheap achromats, and WalMart for inexpensive roof binocs to make a "spyglass" style terrestrail... Read More...

Nov 15
2018

Building STEM spyglasses for Puerto Rico and Ciencia PR

While working with my astronomy students at Pensacola State College, the Escambia Amateur Astronomers built and distributed over 100 Galileoscopes, equipped with Baader solar filters from our sponsor, Draco Productions, in preparation for the eclipse in August 2017. Alas, these are no longer available, so I began looking around for a comparable scope kit for beginners. Back in 2009, the AL Reflector featured an article I wrote on using surplus optics to replicate Galileo's first scopes, at this link: https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Galileo%20to%20Messier%20kit.pdf?token=AWz8f7xiVHjP-lVff5D3p-NDCQq0SBa49C-J_9LOFhg2in9YulTSV85GhOaWmS4bWpUdzJy-fKQwfWvVpbEeLB-D7_DFtM4nZdkqMaME2psu_K53OUquCSzdDrBYu8AtbUyFfGOub8b97QrA_YqQw78X I went to Surplus Shed for cheap achromats, and WalMart for inexpensive roof binocs to make a "spyglass" style terrestrail... Read More...