STARGAZER #506 for May 30, 2009

Astronomy in the Classroom

Many respected experts point to an alarming trend among our youth which is
likely to have dire consequences for our society. They're not referring to
drugs, sex and the usual litany of things we hear and read about. Rather,
their concern is a declining interest and proficiency in science and
mathematics.

They warn that if this trend isn't reversed, and soon, we could quickly
find ourselves in the backwater of knowledge-building and technological
development--important components of the foundation of our societal and
economic
well-being. So what, you may wonder, does this have to do with amateur
astronomy and stargazing?

As members of the Central Texas Astronomical Society, I and others conduct
dozens of free classes, programs and star parties for schools each year.
Part of our motivation, of course, is a desire to share our passion for the
night sky with anyone willing listen. For many of us, the stargazing spark
was ignited long ago by an interested adult; maybe we can pass that spark
along to the next generation.

But we have another motive which relates to the issue mentioned above.
Astronomy is an excellent vehicle for getting kids' attention. We show images
of beautiful and exotic objects in the cosmos. We talk about black holes,
space-travel and other mind-bending topics. We even conjecture about life
beyond Earth and discuss the many things we still don't know.

And after we get them wondering about things, we suggest that just maybe
some of them will go into careers where they can help find answers to some
of the intriguing questions and make discoveries to further our knowledge
about the world, and indeed, the cosmos around us. Someone has to, so why not
some of them?

Our aim is not to encourage youngsters to become professional astronomers.
We don't even expect that a high percentage of them will pursue careers in
science or math.

But maybe we can increase the number who will at least consider science or
math. And hopefully those who don't will become more enlightened citizens
with greater respect and appreciation for science and math, and who will
support it more vigorously.

If you're a teacher (or parent) perhaps you'd like to have an amateur
astronomer speak to your students. Contact me and maybe we can come up with
some ideas to make it happen.

Mars Hoax. Each year since Mars' August 2003 close approach to Earth, the
same emails have circulated, misleading folks into believing it's about to
happen again this August. Sorry, but it isn't.

Next Two Weeks. Avg. sunrise: 6:23 a.m.; avg. sunset: 8:31 p.m. (exact for
Waco, TX)
* Tonight's 1st quarter Moon is below Saturn.
* The June 7 full Moon is called Flower Moon, Rose Moon, and Strawberry
Moon.

June 6 Occultation. The evening of June 6, the nearly full Moon occults
(passes in front of and temporarily hides) the star Antares. The star passes
behind the bottom left of the Moon about 8:50 p.m. in the twilight when the
Moon is still low in the east, and emerges from the Moon's upper right
about 10:05 p.m. Antares is a bright star, but due to the Moon's glare, you'll
want to use at least binoculars to see the star.

Naked-eye Planets. Evening: Saturn is high in the southwest. Morning:
Jupiter is the brightest object in the southeast with "morning star" Venus low
in the east and much fainter Mars to Venus' lower left just before dawn;
Mercury is emerging low in the east at dawn.

=======================================================

Stargazer appears every other week in the Waco Tribune-Herald and other
newspapers. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives in Waco. Write
him at 918 N. 30th St., Waco, TX 76707, call or fax at (254) 753-6920, or
e-mail at paulderrickwaco@....

Copyright 2009 by Paul Derrick. Permission is granted for free electronic
distribution as long as these paragraphs are included. Please obtain
permission from the author for publication in any other form. To be added to
(or removed from) the free e-mail distribution list, send your e-mail
address (and name) to _paulderrickwaco@..._ (mailto:paulderrickwaco@...)
.

* * See the Stargazer Web site at http://www.stargazerpaul.com. * *



____________________________________
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.
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