Fantastic Sky Watching
by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel

There is always something going on in Montauk, both day and night and these past five months there has been one more delightful activity to join. The Montauk Observatory Group has been hosting lectures and “star parties” all summer long and the offerings have been wonderful.  Lectures by prominent speakers, specializing in astronomy, were held in the Montauk Elementary school, off Second House Road.  The lectures were followed, at darkness, by star viewing at the Theodore Roosevelt County Park, heading East on Route 27 towards the Montauk Lighthouse. (From the school to the County Park, the trip is less than ten minutes.) When the skies are clear, the viewing rewards are fabulous!

Over the Labor Day weekend, the guest speaker was Mr. David Corey, Director of the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum. His opening comment to the over fifty attendees were “I am not an astronomer, nor a mathematician. I am a seaman”.  The topic of the evening Celestial Navigation was his forte and his many years of sailing around the globe was relived with the audience.  Mr. Corey was an engrossing storyteller as he entwined the history of nautical instruments with their connection to the heavens.  Antique sextants from Germany and England were on display and Mr. Corey explained the use of these rare and historic instruments and their value.  It was easy for guests to feel the love Corey has for the sea, sailing and the night sky, which at times, “pre GPS”, were the guides his merchant marine crew depended upon. Guests that attended that night ranged from boat owners, those interested in astronomy and those that wanted to know more about this lecture series. When his presentation was finished there were books, maps and old time photographs that rounded out the display that guests were able to view up close after the lecture.

After the hour presentation it was time to head up to Roosevelt Park for the star party and to look into the huge Meade Telescope there.  It was a crisp, clear evening, absolutely perfect for looking into the night skies.  Besides the Meade telescope, some members of the Montauk Observatory group had brought their own telescopes along, so about eight instruments lined the cleared patio area of the park.  Each telescope facing a different direction made it possible to scan the skies and view the moon, Jupiter and a host of star clusters surrounding them.  Peering through the Meade, one could see bumps and “blisters” on the moon, which is how powerful this instrument was!  Our lively group of over twenty five attendees at this star gazing event chatted, commented and genuinely was in awe of the sight before us.  This was the first time I had even thought of coming to an astronomy lecture and at the end discovered, there was literally “a whole new world that opened up”!

Check out the Montauk Observatory website and keep informed about other events and lectures coming up throughout the year and next season.  They have a wonderful children’s program designed especially for them and housed in huge, silver “planetarium dome”.  It is a wonderful way to introduce adults and children to the wonders of the night sky and to the mysteries of the heavens! For more information about the Montauk Observatory  visit: www.montaukobservatory.com For more ways to discover your universe visit http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov