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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Adler works the Pritzker School Annual Science Fair

23 April 2012

Joe, Lori Ackatz (Science Fair Chair) and Scott

This was my 5th or sixth year working the annual Pritzker School Science Fair as a Adler Planetarium Representative - sharing solar views with the students and parents of the school.

Pritzker always feeds it's presenters and I take a moment to enjoy a pasta dish with meat sauce...

..before setting up the humble 90mm refractor.

Using a Seymour aperture solar filter, I was providing white light views of the solar disk, displaying nice solar spots and granulation...

Soon, fellow Adler Telescope Facilitator, Scott, joined me, bringing the Adler's H-Alpha PST scope...

And with two views of the Sun's, we had it solidly covered...

We were fortunate to have some great sunspot and prominence activity this afternoon, with one of the biggest limb flare I have ever witnessed...

Taking some quite shots in between waves of students, the imaging isn't great, but still captures what we were able to share with the school...

From time to time, I would take the aperture filter off and allow the students to peer at the Sun with just the filter...

...and I also offered some solar projection views as well...

And so, we continued to share solar views and answer questions about sunspots, relative sizes of the Sun/Earth and general astronomy...

I bounced between a 56mm 2" eyepiece and a 26mm one for our guests - even even barlowed views for our very interested viewers.

By 6:30 pm, we we were wrapping up and another successful Pritzker Science Fair completed...

Scott and Joe - Solar men of the day.

Onward to the 2013 fair.

[Paulie pchris00]

That was a really nice prominence! Looks like the same one Bill and I saw.

That looks like a nice eyepiece to be using for solar projection.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Paulie,

The 56mm 2" soup can, coupled with the 90mm refractor provided a wide field and plenty of space around the solar disk just hanging there - good for imaging. But I preferred the 26mm 2", which filled the FOV nicely and brought in the sunspot activity well.

But, when I allowed curious students to peer through the Seymour filter at the Sun, I guarded the unfiltered scope, blocking it. At one point, I placed my hand by the eyepiece, and within moments, felt the burning sear of magnified Sun.

Ouch!

[headdunce]

You're one heck of a nice guy Joe, always making time for the community.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Jim,

I do it for science!

...and the free eats.