Observatory opens with ‘Mars night’ despite fog

Marcus Moir did all he could to yank his children away from the television screen and get them behind the massive telescope at the observatory on Kirkwood on Wednesday night. His efforts failed, but that did not stop Moir from gazing into the sky at Mars himself.

Moir strained to see the elusive planet disappearing behind the thick clouds rapidly blanketing the night sky.

“We’re losing it,” one of the tower volunteers shouted.

The season opening of the Kirkwood Observatory was cut short Wednesday night because of a foggy sky, but IU students and local community members caught a glimpse of Mars anyway.

The planet is positioned particularly well in the sky right now for viewing, graduate student volunteer Tala Monroe said.

“Mars Night” marked the first in a series of Wednesdays when the public is invited to stargaze with the help of astronomy graduate students. The public nights will go on until Thanksgiving break of next semester and range in time depending on the sunset.
The goal of the astronomy department is to reach out to the community, said astronomy department Outreach Coordinator Jessica Windschitl.

“Astronomy is science for everyone,” Monroe said. “This is a way for us to share our science with the public.”

An amateur astronomer, Moir comes to the observatory to pursue his interests outside his profession.

More than 100 years old, the outdated observatory is no longer used for research purposes, so community use is its main function. IU astronomy research mainly takes place at the WIYN Tower in Tucson, Arizona.

Wednesday night at the Kirkwood observatory was also geared toward younger audiences with 3-D images of Mars plastered along the tower walls and a mini Mars rover replica that is controlled through a computer monitor.

About 20 students and Bloomington residents came to the event before the session prematurely ended. Sometimes the public nights see more than 100 visitors, Monroe said.

Monroe has been volunteering at the observatory for a few years now. She is in her seventh year of graduate studies in the astronomy department.

“As professional astronomers in training, we spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer,” Monroe said. “This allows us to reconnect with the night sky.”