Neighborhood Outreach: Saturn, Sweat, and Serendipity

This past Wednesday night finally delivered what we’d been waiting months for: clear skies over my neighborhood. After a string of cancellations, it was my first successful neighborhood star party since joining the club. I had discovered the club through this outreach, and actually attended two before officially becoming a member. So it was exciting to be on the other side of the table for this one.

Before the Crowd

I arrived a bit early and found a healthy mix of familiar faces and newcomers setting up their gear. Paul, Don, Gary, Veronica, and Kyle were all there, plus a couple new faces. One of the less familiar faces was Jamye, whom I’d seen around but hadn’t officially met. She had a sleek iPad-controlled scope and a ton of experience in astronomy outreach.

We chatted for a while, and I learned a few things I’m still chewing on—like how even the age of the Earth might not be as straightforward as we think. Jamye was explaining how, depending on your frame of reference in time and space, the Earth could be seen as thousands of years old… or billions.
In other words: it’s not either/or, but could possibly be both! Like what??

Obviously, I didn’t fully follow the logic; it was one of those moments where your brain just quietly short-circuits. This was too much information to process at neighborhood outreach, but I’m definitely gonna look into that further.

Sticky Conditions, Stellar Turnout

I was not at all prepared for the humidity. Even as a Florida native, it still manages to catch me off guard. I had dressed for the mosquitoes, not the steam room. So I was drenched head to toe within five minutes and just had to make my peace with that. And the mosquitos still found every possible inch of exposed skin.

But it was worth it. A lot of folks showed up. I got to show my niece and great-nephew Saturn’s rings for the first time, along with a few distant galaxies. In fact, my niece texted me after and said my great-nephew wants to be a part of the club! But he’s 9. He says things. We’ll see if it sticks.

A Dobsonian Surprise

But here’s a bonus: I got a lead on a telescope! Jamye offered to lend me her Dobsonian scope for a while, to test it out and purchase if I like. That was both unexpected and extremely helpful. I’ve been in the club six months now, and was hankering for some equipment but wasn’t sure where to start. Jamye offered to deliver the scope to me and help me set it up and operate it for the first time. That’s exactly what I needed! Sometimes things just work out if you keep showing up.

All in all, a sweltering yet magical night under the stars.