News and Events
Open House Nights at Williams Observatory - First Monday of Every Month. Every month during the fall and spring semesters, everyone and anyone is invited to drop by the observatory for a tour of the sky. Depending on the weather and astronomical conditions, telescopes will be setup and astronomers and astronomy students will be available to answer questions, show interesting heavenly objects, or just chat about science and astronomy. The Observatory opens 30 minutes after dusk for approximately two hours. Upcoming Open Houses in 2009: October 5; November 2; December 7 At 7:30 pm on the 4th Thursday the Cleveland County Astronomical Society meets at the Williams Observatory. For meeting information and details, contact president Don Brooks Click Here or call: 864-839-9424. Also check out the CCAS yahoo group. Venus-Jupiter Moon Observing Williams - December 1st, 2008. Over the past couple of weeks, I've gotten several good questions about those two bright "stars" currently visible low in the Southwest sky during the evening twilight hours. If haven't noticed them yet you should, although they aren't stars at all--these two are Venus and Jupiter beaming side by side, visible even in the most light polluted areas. Venus is glittering brilliantly with Jupiter chasing right behind. Better yet, start watching these two regularly and you'll quickly notice that they are converging in a head-long rush--by almost a full degree (two full moon-widths) each night. As the gap decreases they will be joined by the slender crescent moon rising up from the horizon. By Monday night December 1st the three will be so tightly packed you can cover them up with your thumb at arms length. They will form a near perfect isosceles triangle, the two planets at opposing vertices. You can catch this rare treat with your camera or grab a pair of binoculars for a front row seat. Try to pick out the four visible moons of Jupiter that Galileo discovered, the clearly visible gibbous phase of Venus, or the faintly lit and ghostly image of the full moon inside the bright horns of the crescent. This is called "the de Vinci glow" or Earth shine. De Vinci was the first to explain it: Sunlight reflects off the Earth casting a sheen of light across the dark lunar terrain. The Williams Observatory on the campus of Gardner-Webb University will be hosting an open house on Monday night, December 1st starting at dusk. Come out and view this beautiful sight and hang out with astronomers to talk about the heavens and hear how the phases of the moon progress each month and why. Total Lunar Eclipse Party at Williams - February 20th, 2008. The full moon of February 2008 will be ideal for us on the east coast. The partial eclipse begins at 8:43 pm EST during prime time. The total eclipse starts at 10:00 pm sharp and lasts a good 52 minutes. Normally, we see the moon because it reflects sunlight from its surface. During the evening of February 20th, things will be different. Because of the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon between the times of 8:43 and 12:09 am, we will be seeing the moon in various stages of being shadowed. See this for more technical details. 2008 Shapley Lecture Series Speaker Named The 2008 Shapley Lecture Serieds speaker is Dr. Stephen P. Maran. Dr Maran is an astronomer and author with long experience in the Space Program. The author or editor of ten books and of over 100 popular articles on astronomy and space exploration, and many more scientific publications, he retired from NASA on October 1, 2004 after more than 35 years with the agency. He continues as the Press Officer for the American Astronomical Society, a position held since 1985. The Dallas Morning News says that “Dr. Maran takes up where Carl Sagan left off, telling the story of space to anybody who’s interested. Except that Dr. Maran is funnier.” The Washington Post describes him as “a rumpled astronomer with Einstein hair and a tie blazing with bright suns,” and adds that Maran “is a phenomenon about as rare as cold steam, a scientist who gets a big kick out of talking to the rest of us. “ The Post also noted, in April 2000, “You might have seen him on NBC’s “Today” show last August, giving Katie Couric the play-by-play on an in-progress eclipse of the sun. Or (if you’re well off) you might have run into him aboard some cruise ship, explaining the mechanics of a solar eclipse to passengers on the way to landfall at a Malaysian snake temple or bound for the sheep show in Rotorua, New Zealand.” 2007 Shapley Lecture Series Speaker Named The 2007 Shapley Lecture Series speaker is Dr. Larry Marschall, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Gettysburg College. A public lecture will be "The Hunt for Killer Asteroids" will be given Monday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Blanton Auditorium. In the past few years astronomers have discovered over a quarter of a million previously unknown minor planets circling our sun. Most of them orbit far out in the solar system, but a small percentage cross the orbit of the earth, and pose a real and present danger to life on earth. This talk will describe why there's such a great interest nowadays about these asteroids, and will demonstrate how even an amateur astronomer with modest backyard equipment can discover new planets, and perhaps, even, save the world. Dr. Larry Marschall is the W. K. T. Sahm Professor of Physics at Gettysburg College, where he has taught courses in astronomy, physics, and science writing since 1971. His areas of research include observational studies of binary stars, very young stars, supernovas, and recently, asteroids. He is also known among astronomers for his work in astronomy education, both in promoting the use of electronic cameras for undergraduate research at small observatories, and in directing Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy) which develops innovative computer exercises in astronomy. Besides his teaching and research, Dr. Marschall is an active science popularizer. He writes a regular column on science books of note for Natural History magazine and was a regular contributing editor to the award-winning popular magazine The Sciences for 17 years. He was editor of a quarterly magazine for amateur astronomers, CCD Astronomy, and is a contributing editor of Smithsonian Air and Space. Total Lunar Eclipse Party at Williams - March 3rd, 2007. The full moon of March 2007 will be special, it rises at sunset but will be rising in the shadow of the Earth. Normally, we see the moon because it reflects sunlight from its surface. During the early evening of March 3rd, things will be different. Because of the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon between the times of sunset and 9:25 pm, we will be seeing the moon in various stages of being shadowed. See this for more technical details. GWU has hired Dr. Don Olive as Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Craven E. Williams Observatory. He will be teaching a wide variety of physics courses in addition to directing the research and public outreach program of the observatory. Don comes from the postion of Assistant Professor and Department Chair, Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee. His interest in astronomy stems from teaching undergraduate physics courses and labs. His previous positions included Laboratory Graduate Research Fellow, Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In Don's own words: "I've been teaching at liberal arts colleges for 12 years coming from a background at Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) as a medium energy experimental nuclear physicist. After filling in as a favor for my former college professor while he was on sabbatical, I absolutely fell in love with teaching." "Working with college kids in that 'coming of age' time in their lives, is rewarding beyond words. I went back to the lab and immediately started looking for a teaching position." "I spent a summer out at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) doing research on variable stars, characterizing their light curves and determining their orbital properties. We published a paper on the subject." "I've also worked with the Astronomy Department at Gettysburg College as well as with CART, the Consortium for Astronomy Research and Teaching, a group of schools in the Appalachia region. Finally, I'm interested in radio astronomy and have been involved at Green Bank and the VLA on a number of occasions." "My ideas for the Williams Observatory really fall into four categories.
CCAS Meetings - 4th Thursday of Every Month
Past News and Events Below
Summer Science Camp students from Thomas Jefferson Clasical Accademy Visited Williams Observatory -- July 23, 2009
New Observatory Director Named
