By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
With an eye to the sky the Lowe-Volk Park Astronomy Club looks to explore the cosmos while mixing in education and fun.
The Astronomy Club meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center at 7 p.m. during the winter months and at 9 p.m. during the summer months. Hosted by Dan Everly, the club is looking to do more community outreach.
“We have actually been coming out and star gazing as a service to the park for about eight years now, but we thought we would get formal and try to do more outreach,” Everly said.
Everly explained that the meetings of the Lowe-Volk Park Astronomy Club discuss galaxies, supernovas, constellations, and the Greek, Roman, and Native American myths of the constellations. But what happens at the meetings is largely weather dependent.
“If the weather is lousy which is an average Ohio thing we come in and do presentations on meteorites or whatever is up in the sky, and watch NASA videos and discuss Astronomy. If the weather is nice we get to stay outside we look at galaxies and comets and supernovas, and all kind of good stuff,” Everly said.
Everly noted that during this past summer Saturn was visible for viewing, and currently Piladeas
Everly hopes that the astronomy club can do more outreach into the schools, with local astronomers, as well as have families spend time at the meetings looking to the skies.
“I would like to get into the schools more. We have a planetarium that I can actually take to the schools. But we would like to get into contact with all the local astronomers that don’t belong to a club and attend out here,” Everly explained. “We also would love to have families out here with their kids and bring their telescope that has been sitting in the closet for five years that nobody can figure out how to work, and we would love to tweak them up and let the kids look and find something with it. Because it is always a big thrill when they find their first object.”
Everly’s interest in astronomy spans decades, saying that there are fascinating astronomical sights within the area.
“I have been interested in it for over 40 years easy. It is just fascinating what you can see around here. A lot of people don’t realize that even in this part of Ohio that we can see the Northern Lights,” Everly said. “We have a telephone chain that whenever the event is going on we will call each other and get a chance to go out. Everyone thinks you have to go to the Arctic to see them, but you don’t. It is always a big thrill, people need to see the Northern Lights.”
One of Everly’s biggest thrills as an astronomer was seeing a newly discovered supernova hours after it had been discovered.
“I have seen everything. It is unreal, but probably in my top five is we got to witness a supernova six hours after it was discovered by a guy in France. It was 35 million light years away, and we got to witness it. It was gorgeous beyond belief.”
Everly explained that the sky contains a variety of sights. He also likens astronomy to chasing elusive game.
“Almost every time you look up to the sky you see something new. And that’s what’s fun is we will study and when we get together we tell each other what we have learned the last couple weeks, and then we will go out and hunt for these objects. It is a thrill it is like tracking down elusive game and finding it.”
The next meeting is at 7 p.m., Nov. 28, at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center.