Published: January 23, 2009 12:24 am      

For learning and fun, try FSU science Sunday

During the colder months, our Sunday attendance drops so I would like to reacquaint our readers about the opportunities at our Planetarium (Tawes Hall) and Science Discovery Center (Compton Building) each Sunday. All of our activities are free to the general public, so all you have to do is come.

We don’t have tickets or require reservations, but it helps greatly if you are familiar with the FSU campus or have a map. You can get a free Planetarium/Science Center bookmark by calling (301) 687-7799 and stating your name and mailing address. This bookmark has a small map, showing Tawes Hall, Compton Center and convenient free parking nearby.

Our Planetarium programs today are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Please try to arrive a few minutes early as it is difficult to admit late comers once the program begins. Our planetarium programs are live, allowing for audience questions and comments. Our planetarium presentations typically last 45 minutes. Each program begins with an easy to follow introduction to the night sky. Then we cover the best sky sights seen in the next few months (the moon, planets, best star groups and brightest stars).

Our program today is “Polar Skies,” where our planetarium projector shows the unusual views you would have of the stars at these two opposite points on the Earth’s surface. As we leave our Tri-State area, you will see the northern sky climbing and the southern sky dropping out of view. At the North Pole, only two bodies rise and set during the year (the sun and moon).

The stars move parallel to the horizon, moving to the right through the long polar night (lasts from late October through late February). At the poles, twilight lasts about a month (late September through late October and mid-February though mid-March).

Sunrise takes several days; we first see the top edge of the sun and then it spirals around the horizon and finally the bottom edge of the sun breaks free. Moonrise and moonset are also extended events.

At the North Pole, the North Star is nearly overhead. As one looks upward, all the other bodies appear to move counterclockwise around the North Star.

The South Pole sky features a number of bright objects not seen form this area. Near the top of the sky are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, companion galaxies to our Milky Way. Also high in the sky is the Southern Cross, which resembles a small kite.

Close by the Southern Cross is Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our sun at a distance of four light years. In the South Pole sky, the stars appear to move to the left, parallel to the horizon and to circle the top of the sky in a clockwise sense. Both of the pole sky views are shown using our planetarium projector.

In February, our Sunday program is “Equatorial Skies” where each day of the year, daylight lasts about 12 hours and five minutes. Twilight at the equator lasts only a half hour, the quickest twilight of any place in the world. All sky objects at the equator rise and set vertically, being in view half of the time.

Just as in January, our programs all include a beginner’s introduction to the sky and time for questions from the audience during the program.

After our planetarium program, all of our visitors are invited to tour Compton’s Science Discovery Center across the street from Tawes Hall. From the observation deck just inside the entrance, you will see a large African Hyena on display and a Bobcat attacking a Mule or Black Tailed Deer.

The taxidermy of the Cavallero Collection is of the highest caliber. The animals look as if they are starring at you. There are about 100 animals on display; all the animals were donated to Frostburg Science Center by Dr. Joseph Cavallaro, who is both a medical doctor and an avid big game hunter.

Dr. Cavallaro was raised in Westernport, graduated from Bruce High School and later attended the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore. Cavallaro first went to Africa in the early 1970s and returned there many times.

There are also specimens from Europe, Asia, North America and South America. You are encouraged to bring a digital camera to the Science Discovery Center so you can photograph your children or friends close by the animals.

Both the Planetarium and Science Discovery Center can host school classes Tuesday through Thursday; a combined tour of both would last about 90 minutes. If you have some particular focus (moon, planets, star groups) for your class, the presentation can be adapted. For further information, call (301) 687-7799 and leave your name and phone number and leave a message There is no charge for school classes.

Readers are invited to comment or ask questions. Contract Bob Doyle through the above number or by email at rdoyle@frostburg.edu .