Post by patrickm on Oct 10, 2011 20:19:22 GMT -6
Gang,
This whole thing has me thinking, again, about why we do public astronomy, and more specifically, about why I do public astronomy. These are MY feelings about how and why *I* sometimes like to do public astronomy. I cannot say how anybody else should feel about participating, and if so, how they should choose to participate. So please take this for what it is. I do know that my How is informed by my Why. As Joe was kind enough to point out to me early on, there are different types of astronomy sessions, and they all serve different purposes.
Public Astronomy Star Parties
*Educate the public, instilling a sense of wonder in the Universe.
*Get children interested in astronomy and science. Hopefully produce a small spark, or enlarge an existing one, that may have bigger, but unknown future consequences.
*Provide additional outside resources for education (e.g. CA forums, Chicago Astronomical Society, Cloudy Nights, books, Twitter, television)
*Enjoy the company of fellow astronomers.
*Learn more about astronomy and telescope usage.
*Repay others for the immense help I have received at public gatherings and online.
*A sense of well-being from sharing my knowledge with others.
*Promote future star parties and other astronomical gatherings both within CA and without (e.g.. CAS, CalAS, NU, UC, Triton).
*Hope that by education, we may get more favorable dark sky legislation.[/blockquote]
Public Astronomy (for me, Horner Park, Sunken Gardens Park)
Solo Astronomy
*Spend time exploring the cosmos and learning about astronomy through trial and error.
*Spend longer times with objects and observe differences in appearance under differing conditions and equipment.
*Work on astrophotography
*Find at least one unstudied object each night to explore.
[/blockquote]
For me, the Whys then dictate the Hows. I will have different sets of interactions and limitations depending upon my intention for the evening. If I am at a public star party, I will do my very best to answer or find an answer for every question even if that answer has to come later. I will do my best to provide everyone who wants one views through my telescope with explanations of what they are seeing and why it is significant and groovy to the very best of my meager but growing ability. While doing public astronomy, like in a park or some other publicly accessible place, if I am joined by anyone, I will shift my attention to a more public mode, but depending upon what I was working on, and after I show them a few big targets, that may include them following along with me on some more wonky views that were on my list at the beginning of the evening. For a dedicated solo astronomy night, I will likely set up in an area away from much of the general public and then all bets are off. I may explain that I am working on some things, share a few views and ask them to stay, or give them my information and ask that they join me at a future time.
For me, CA Star Parties fall squarely under the first section. Again, these are MY arbitrary divisions, but it is my hope that by explaining how I see things, you can understand how my behaviors, or at least my intentions, are hopefully consistently informed by those desires, at least as much as I am able. I think it is important to state, again, that I do not think or suppose that anybody else in the Universe would or should necessarily share either my motivations and intentions or the actions based upon them. *These are mine, all mine.*
For a CA Star Party, it would be my intention that everyone who wanted a view through my telescope or a question answered would have that to the best of my ability to provide it to them either then or later if I am not able. Note that on my list of importance, showing anybody who wanted it a view through my scope would trump anything else on the list, including promoting future gatherings. To me, the person who is here right now is more important than a future person that may or may not exist. If the police ask me to leave, then I have only the CPD to answer to, so at that point, all bets are off. Assuming I have the energy, until that point, I will do my very best to accomodate.
On the teacher...
By my memory, Joe decided to call it kinda early, around 10:15 I THINK. Regardless, I do know that he said something along the lines of it was early, but that things had slowed down. I had not yet started to break down my gear, and in fact, I shared views with four other people about 10 mins later even as I had started breaking down. Anyway, Joe wanted the big group shot, and as he was orchestrating that over about 5 mins, moving refractors, etc., a couple walked up. I showed them Jupiter. They were jazzed. Then I was asked by Joe to join the shot. He was a distance away and had to raise his voice for me to hear him. They said, "He wants us to leave." I told the couple that I would slew to the Moon for them, since it was Observe the Moon Night and that it was OK. The couple told me that they were in a bit of a rush, but the woman told me she was a teacher and had just started working on their Moon segment with her class. I was already slewing to the Moon and swapping eyepieces for the couple when that happened. I asked Joe to wait just a second, as I was getting them set up, and then said to just take it without me. I told the teacher that showing them the Moon was much more important to me than being in another photo. (Truth be told, I don't really like getting my picture taken all that much.) Joe suggested that it wait until the shot was taken. When he did that, they started walking off and said what they said.
So, here we were. Again, FOR ME, I was not yet breaking down. Had not even started. That was not the issue. I dig why Joe likes to take pics. Documentation is cool and helps promote future outings.
But FOR ME, it feels more important to deal with an interested person who is here, NOW, than to send them away for a photo that will look cool and maybe lure a theoretical person who may show up in the future. Even more important to me, is that she was a teacher. My great great grandfather was a teacher. My grandmother was a teacher. My cousin is a teacher. My best friend in Texas is a teacher. Both of his parents are teachers. A dear friend here in Chicago is a teacher. Teachers rock. Teachers are under appreciated and under compensated by our society. If a teacher asks me for anything that I can provide, I will do my best to do that.
I posted elsewhere about the DARK SKIES BRIGHT KIDS program.
astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=StarParty&action=display&thread=3061
Had my brain been working right, my next question to her should have been whether I could help her class in some way, either a presentation during class or a set up with scope after class. Heck, we can see the Moon in the daytime. I would have offered the opportunity for other CA members to join me. I still have it in my head to try out some version of the DSBK model at some point, at a school either near home or near work when I can block out the time and also find a sympathetic school setting for it. It's on the board for springtime.
This is all to say that my priority at that moment was the teacher and her husband. They had dueling priorities, but I only had one. If the group could not wait for me to show them the Moon, and that's totally fine if it's the case, then I would say that they should proceed with their agenda knowing that mine rests with the person at my scope. I do my best to remember that my agenda and my priorities rarely match up with anyone else.
So, here we have Joe, because of distance, not understanding me and why I was doing what I was doing, and the couple mistakenly thinking that Joe was yelling at them when he of course wasn't. But my feelings are that I did not feel that what I was trying to do with that couple was as respected as it could have been. By the couple's reaction, by leaving and what was said, I can assume that they did not feel super welcomed. At a public star party, I will ALWAYS come down on the side of showing somebody something through my telescope vs. just about anything else I can think of short of a bathroom break. It is easily the most powerful tool we have. Talking about astronomy will never move someone as much as a glance at the Moon. A picture of the Moon will never capture the imagination that a first hand view with your own eyeball always does. In short, think we had differing priorities right there that were exacerbated a little bit by timing and proximity.
I also know that Joe, Maria, and Tom were awesome enough to stick around with me while I got packed up and were kind enough to help get my gear to the car. This was super cool of all of them. I could see that by me not breaking down faster that you all ended up staying later. _It was not expressed_, but if my failure to break down sooner or faster somehow caused you to stay longer than you wanted to, or that you felt put out by having to stay later, I can say that I am fine with anybody and everybody leaving me to finish packing up on my own. I regularly hump all my gear up the hill at Horner or a couple of blocks away to Waters School by myself. I feel much safer and visible at Adler. Heck, CPD were everywhere! I am a big boy. So IF it is ever that case that you need to split before I am ready, a likely scenario, please just say good night and go. I would never hold it against anybody to wait around for me. I can be very slow and muddled. I ALWAYS appreciate the help, but I NEVER expect it.
Again, I state my priorities knowing full well that others do not share them, and if they did, they would not rank them in the same manner. We all have different hopes and different priorities based upon them. I hope that is all taken in the same vein as it is stated, with respect for the wishes, desires, and different attitudes of others and with space (and Space) for all. I ain't PO'd, but it was a mild frustration which I am hoping can be avoided in the future by just talking and sharing.
I also really enjoyed thinking about why I do astronomy, and public astronomy, and then writing this. It was a good exercise for my brain and fingers.
There. I've said my piece in 2000 words or less. ]
Whew.
This whole thing has me thinking, again, about why we do public astronomy, and more specifically, about why I do public astronomy. These are MY feelings about how and why *I* sometimes like to do public astronomy. I cannot say how anybody else should feel about participating, and if so, how they should choose to participate. So please take this for what it is. I do know that my How is informed by my Why. As Joe was kind enough to point out to me early on, there are different types of astronomy sessions, and they all serve different purposes.
Public Astronomy Star Parties
Why(In order of importance for me)
*Educate the public, instilling a sense of wonder in the Universe.
*Get children interested in astronomy and science. Hopefully produce a small spark, or enlarge an existing one, that may have bigger, but unknown future consequences.
*Provide additional outside resources for education (e.g. CA forums, Chicago Astronomical Society, Cloudy Nights, books, Twitter, television)
*Enjoy the company of fellow astronomers.
*Learn more about astronomy and telescope usage.
*Repay others for the immense help I have received at public gatherings and online.
*A sense of well-being from sharing my knowledge with others.
*Promote future star parties and other astronomical gatherings both within CA and without (e.g.. CAS, CalAS, NU, UC, Triton).
*Hope that by education, we may get more favorable dark sky legislation.[/blockquote]
Public Astronomy (for me, Horner Park, Sunken Gardens Park)
Why
*Spend time exploring the cosmos and learning about astronomy through trial and error.
*Work on astrophotography
*Find at least one unstudied object each night to explore.
If others join, I shift to:
*Educate the public, instilling a sense of wonder in the Universe.
*Get children interested in astronomy and science. Hopefully produce a small spark, or enlarge an existing one, that may have bigger, but unknown future consequences.
*A sense of well-being from sharing my knowledge with others.
*Promote future star parties and other astronomical gatherings both within CA and without (e.g. CAS, CalAS, NU, UC, Triton).
Solo Astronomy
Why
*Spend time exploring the cosmos and learning about astronomy through trial and error.
*Spend longer times with objects and observe differences in appearance under differing conditions and equipment.
*Work on astrophotography
*Find at least one unstudied object each night to explore.
[/blockquote]
For me, the Whys then dictate the Hows. I will have different sets of interactions and limitations depending upon my intention for the evening. If I am at a public star party, I will do my very best to answer or find an answer for every question even if that answer has to come later. I will do my best to provide everyone who wants one views through my telescope with explanations of what they are seeing and why it is significant and groovy to the very best of my meager but growing ability. While doing public astronomy, like in a park or some other publicly accessible place, if I am joined by anyone, I will shift my attention to a more public mode, but depending upon what I was working on, and after I show them a few big targets, that may include them following along with me on some more wonky views that were on my list at the beginning of the evening. For a dedicated solo astronomy night, I will likely set up in an area away from much of the general public and then all bets are off. I may explain that I am working on some things, share a few views and ask them to stay, or give them my information and ask that they join me at a future time.
For me, CA Star Parties fall squarely under the first section. Again, these are MY arbitrary divisions, but it is my hope that by explaining how I see things, you can understand how my behaviors, or at least my intentions, are hopefully consistently informed by those desires, at least as much as I am able. I think it is important to state, again, that I do not think or suppose that anybody else in the Universe would or should necessarily share either my motivations and intentions or the actions based upon them. *These are mine, all mine.*
For a CA Star Party, it would be my intention that everyone who wanted a view through my telescope or a question answered would have that to the best of my ability to provide it to them either then or later if I am not able. Note that on my list of importance, showing anybody who wanted it a view through my scope would trump anything else on the list, including promoting future gatherings. To me, the person who is here right now is more important than a future person that may or may not exist. If the police ask me to leave, then I have only the CPD to answer to, so at that point, all bets are off. Assuming I have the energy, until that point, I will do my very best to accomodate.
On the teacher...
By my memory, Joe decided to call it kinda early, around 10:15 I THINK. Regardless, I do know that he said something along the lines of it was early, but that things had slowed down. I had not yet started to break down my gear, and in fact, I shared views with four other people about 10 mins later even as I had started breaking down. Anyway, Joe wanted the big group shot, and as he was orchestrating that over about 5 mins, moving refractors, etc., a couple walked up. I showed them Jupiter. They were jazzed. Then I was asked by Joe to join the shot. He was a distance away and had to raise his voice for me to hear him. They said, "He wants us to leave." I told the couple that I would slew to the Moon for them, since it was Observe the Moon Night and that it was OK. The couple told me that they were in a bit of a rush, but the woman told me she was a teacher and had just started working on their Moon segment with her class. I was already slewing to the Moon and swapping eyepieces for the couple when that happened. I asked Joe to wait just a second, as I was getting them set up, and then said to just take it without me. I told the teacher that showing them the Moon was much more important to me than being in another photo. (Truth be told, I don't really like getting my picture taken all that much.) Joe suggested that it wait until the shot was taken. When he did that, they started walking off and said what they said.
So, here we were. Again, FOR ME, I was not yet breaking down. Had not even started. That was not the issue. I dig why Joe likes to take pics. Documentation is cool and helps promote future outings.
But FOR ME, it feels more important to deal with an interested person who is here, NOW, than to send them away for a photo that will look cool and maybe lure a theoretical person who may show up in the future. Even more important to me, is that she was a teacher. My great great grandfather was a teacher. My grandmother was a teacher. My cousin is a teacher. My best friend in Texas is a teacher. Both of his parents are teachers. A dear friend here in Chicago is a teacher. Teachers rock. Teachers are under appreciated and under compensated by our society. If a teacher asks me for anything that I can provide, I will do my best to do that.
I posted elsewhere about the DARK SKIES BRIGHT KIDS program.
astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=StarParty&action=display&thread=3061
Had my brain been working right, my next question to her should have been whether I could help her class in some way, either a presentation during class or a set up with scope after class. Heck, we can see the Moon in the daytime. I would have offered the opportunity for other CA members to join me. I still have it in my head to try out some version of the DSBK model at some point, at a school either near home or near work when I can block out the time and also find a sympathetic school setting for it. It's on the board for springtime.
This is all to say that my priority at that moment was the teacher and her husband. They had dueling priorities, but I only had one. If the group could not wait for me to show them the Moon, and that's totally fine if it's the case, then I would say that they should proceed with their agenda knowing that mine rests with the person at my scope. I do my best to remember that my agenda and my priorities rarely match up with anyone else.
So, here we have Joe, because of distance, not understanding me and why I was doing what I was doing, and the couple mistakenly thinking that Joe was yelling at them when he of course wasn't. But my feelings are that I did not feel that what I was trying to do with that couple was as respected as it could have been. By the couple's reaction, by leaving and what was said, I can assume that they did not feel super welcomed. At a public star party, I will ALWAYS come down on the side of showing somebody something through my telescope vs. just about anything else I can think of short of a bathroom break. It is easily the most powerful tool we have. Talking about astronomy will never move someone as much as a glance at the Moon. A picture of the Moon will never capture the imagination that a first hand view with your own eyeball always does. In short, think we had differing priorities right there that were exacerbated a little bit by timing and proximity.
I also know that Joe, Maria, and Tom were awesome enough to stick around with me while I got packed up and were kind enough to help get my gear to the car. This was super cool of all of them. I could see that by me not breaking down faster that you all ended up staying later. _It was not expressed_, but if my failure to break down sooner or faster somehow caused you to stay longer than you wanted to, or that you felt put out by having to stay later, I can say that I am fine with anybody and everybody leaving me to finish packing up on my own. I regularly hump all my gear up the hill at Horner or a couple of blocks away to Waters School by myself. I feel much safer and visible at Adler. Heck, CPD were everywhere! I am a big boy. So IF it is ever that case that you need to split before I am ready, a likely scenario, please just say good night and go. I would never hold it against anybody to wait around for me. I can be very slow and muddled. I ALWAYS appreciate the help, but I NEVER expect it.
Again, I state my priorities knowing full well that others do not share them, and if they did, they would not rank them in the same manner. We all have different hopes and different priorities based upon them. I hope that is all taken in the same vein as it is stated, with respect for the wishes, desires, and different attitudes of others and with space (and Space) for all. I ain't PO'd, but it was a mild frustration which I am hoping can be avoided in the future by just talking and sharing.
I also really enjoyed thinking about why I do astronomy, and public astronomy, and then writing this. It was a good exercise for my brain and fingers.
There. I've said my piece in 2000 words or less. ]
Whew.
