2008 Woodie Awards
Stars and song inspire community
Thomas Iu
Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: News
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A gathering of nearly 100 people, joined by Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan, gave a send off to a unique astronomical occurrence Oct. 28, atop the new science building.
Astronomy staff invited the community to the first "Jazz Under the Stars," an event to enjoy the night sky through the new rooftop observatory, while listening to the tunes of KCSM jazz radio.
The evening's highlight was the one-time visit of the comet SWAN, which is now on its flight out of visibility.
"People really got a chance to see a really unique event," said Dean Drumheller, astronomy lab technician.
Drumheller organized the viewing, which ran 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"The first major public event where the public was invited to enjoy the facility," said Drumheller.
"It went really really well," said Darryl Stanford, astronomy professor.
"It was really fun," said Michelle Frenkel, a 43-year-old astronomy student. "Brought my mother along and she had a great time as well," Frenkel said.
"Overwhelming," said Ron Krawetz, a 62-year-old CSM graduate. "It reinforced my view that the universe is bigger than I imagined," Krawetz said.
For many attendees, it was their first experience using an observatory, said Drumheller.
Krawetz was amazed to learn how great the distance is to stars. He saw at a speck that looked like a star to him and learned it was actually a galaxy.
Krawetz began to ponder astronomical questions after his experience, like how the moon's apparent size could change so much over a single night.
"I may take an astronomy class because of it," said Krawetz.
The crowd was large enough that some wanted more viewing instruments.
"Lot of people," said Drumheller. "We had about seven scopes," Drumheller said.
"Perhaps a few more binoculars could be circulated," said Frenkel. "And the music turned up a few notches," Frenkel said.
Frenkel appreciated the meld of stargazing and music.
"Nice serene combination," said Frenkel.
Astronomy staff invited the community to the first "Jazz Under the Stars," an event to enjoy the night sky through the new rooftop observatory, while listening to the tunes of KCSM jazz radio.
The evening's highlight was the one-time visit of the comet SWAN, which is now on its flight out of visibility.
"People really got a chance to see a really unique event," said Dean Drumheller, astronomy lab technician.
Drumheller organized the viewing, which ran 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"The first major public event where the public was invited to enjoy the facility," said Drumheller.
"It went really really well," said Darryl Stanford, astronomy professor.
"It was really fun," said Michelle Frenkel, a 43-year-old astronomy student. "Brought my mother along and she had a great time as well," Frenkel said.
"Overwhelming," said Ron Krawetz, a 62-year-old CSM graduate. "It reinforced my view that the universe is bigger than I imagined," Krawetz said.
For many attendees, it was their first experience using an observatory, said Drumheller.
Krawetz was amazed to learn how great the distance is to stars. He saw at a speck that looked like a star to him and learned it was actually a galaxy.
Krawetz began to ponder astronomical questions after his experience, like how the moon's apparent size could change so much over a single night.
"I may take an astronomy class because of it," said Krawetz.
The crowd was large enough that some wanted more viewing instruments.
"Lot of people," said Drumheller. "We had about seven scopes," Drumheller said.
"Perhaps a few more binoculars could be circulated," said Frenkel. "And the music turned up a few notches," Frenkel said.
Frenkel appreciated the meld of stargazing and music.
"Nice serene combination," said Frenkel.
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