“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
— William Arthur Ward
Transit of Venus at Victory Park, Pasadena
I’ll settle for superior, then. One of the things I love doing as both an amateur and professional astronomer is showing the public what’s in the sky. There’s nothing like showing someone Saturn or Jupiter or the Moon for the first time. I get to discover vicariously through others.
Carnegie has invested money into purchasing several telescopes, including one that can safely view the sun. We’ve also recently purchased a portable planetarium! We hold star parties at several Pasadena elementary and Middle schools throughout the year. If you’re interested in having astronomers visit your school, classroom, scout troupe, or whatever, send me an email.
Myself, Tom Meneghini, and Nik Arkimovich posing in front of the Hooker 100-inch telescopes.
More recently, I’ve joined the team of Mount Wilson Observatory volunteers as a telescope operator for the historic 60-inch and 100-inch (Hooker) telescopes. As a long-time amateur telescope enthusiast who later became a professional astronomer and cosmologist, words cannot describe how amazing it is I get to operate the two telescopes that have made the biggest impacts on our understanding of the universe! Want to have fun with these telescopes too? There are many opportunities, both free events and booked observing sessions. Visit mtwilson.edu to see what’s going on.