An upcoming event will allow people to gaze through telescopes at the sky from Monroe Lake and learn about astronomy.
"Welcome to the Universe!" takes place 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Paynetown State Recreation Area by Monroe Lake. The free event will feature telescope viewings by the lake’s swimming beach and indoor astronomy-related activities, including a demonstration showing the curvature of space and various crafts featuring phases of the moon and constellations.
These activities will define concepts related to astronomy and make them easier for people to understand, Monroe Lake interpretive naturalist Jill Vance said.
“If you’ve never looked through a telescope before and never had the chance to see planets and galaxies, it’s a really neat experience,” Vance said. “It really gives you a sense of where we fit in the larger scheme of the universe.”
Many of the activities, like portable constellation viewers and crafts involving moon phases, are take-home projects people can use in their own backyards, she said.
The event is on the same day as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s appearance 7 p.m. Wednesday at the IU Auditorium. Tyson is a renowned science communicator and the director of the Hayden Planetarium.
The event is not affiliated with the IU Auditorium, but Vance said she hopes people will attend the event as a free alternative or follow-up activity to Tyson’s talk, even though Monroe Lake is not as close to campus.
The ticket price of Tyson’s appearance at the IU Auditorium, which ranges from $58.50 to $128.50, might exclude people who have an interest in astronomy, she said.
“We can hopefully reach people that Tyson won’t be able to reach because of the price barrier,” Vance said.
People can show up at any point during the event’s two hour interval, so there will be time for people to come to Monroe Lake after attending Tyson’s talk, she said.
Although she has encountered cloudy weather at astronomy-related events in the past, Vance said there are clear skies in the forecast, so she expects it will be ideal weather for stargazing. Even if the sky is too cloudy to use the telescopes, the indoor activities will go on regardless of the weather.
Jean-François Gout, who is a research associate in molecular evolution at IU, will bring two telescopes to the event. Astronomy is one of his hobbies, he said, and he uses his telescopes for photography.
He said he is looking forward to seeing people’s reactions to the telescopes.
“We will try to make people more curious and ask questions,” Gout said. “The best thing is to hear someone say ‘wow’ while they are looking through the telescopes”
He said he also wants to prolong the learning experience for people who come to the event after seeing Tyson.
Vance said this would be an exciting opportunity for people who have never used a telescope before.
“The first time you see Saturn through a scope, and you actually see the rings yourself, it’s really neat,” she said. “It looks almost like someone stuck a sticker of Saturn on the other end of the telescope.”
