The domed Kirkwood Observatory roof creaked to life and rotated until the first quarter moon was visible through a slit in the roof. The sky was clear and cool. Andrew Hayslip, a senior in astronomy, pointed the two-ton brass telescope toward the sky.
The line on the top floor of the observatory Saturday night consisted of faculty, students and Bloomington residents who had gathered to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night.
“So why don’t we host this event on the full moon?” Caty Pilachowski said.
She went on to explain there are more defining shadows visible on a quarter moon due to the direction of the sunlight.
Visitor Brian Woodman climbed the wooden steps to lift his young son Kiran to look through the telescope. Freshmen Charlie Wilcox and Jack Ritter, having postponed dinner plans to attend, waited for their turns.
The goal of International Observe the Moon Night is to encourage appreciation and understanding of the moon and spread awareness of lunar discoveries. It is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Hayslip proposed and took charge of the entire IU event.
“This is by far the coolest thing I’ve gotten to do,” he said.
He gestured to his shirt, which featured an astronaut offering a girl a bunch of planet-shaped balloons. The astronaut handing off the knowledge of astronomy and science to another person is a good analogy for astronomy outreach, he said.
Hayslip is an active member of the Astronomy Club and a teaching assistant for A107: The Art of Astronomy, a Themester course.
He said the class has been popular and it will also be offered again this spring and then as an online class.
The Astronomy Club has open houses at the observatory every Wednesday at 8 p.m. from spring break to Thanksgiving break.
All astronomy majors are eventually taught how to use the telescope with the idea that if a person can operate a telescope from 1901, modern telescopes will be no issue, Hayslip said.
Every piece of the telescope is original.
Kirkwood Observatory recently celebrated its 115th anniversary, and the first floor features early 1900s news clippings and photographs from the IU Archives. Inside a display case are excerpts of writings by observatory namesake Daniel Kirkwood, famed astronomer and former IU professor of mathematics.
Kirkwood discovered the succession of gaps in asteroid orbits between Mars and Jupiter that bear his name. He also lends his name to nearby Kirkwood Avenue.
“This observatory is a part of the community,” Pilachowski said. “When there is any kind of an astronomical event of note, we try to have an opportunity for the public to participate.”
