During each Quarter, we participate in outreach programs, to teach children and adults about the fascinating world of astronomy. The following table lists the events we have hosted or have volunteered to help:

Quarterly Events

Fall Quarter

Winter Quarter

Spring Quarter

Summer Quarter

Nature of Night

Bubble Planetarium Shows

EHS Star Party

KCHM Star Party

Leonid Meteor Shower Party

EYH Bubble Planetarium Shows

Earth Day Celebration

Perseid Meteor Shower Party

MMS Star Party

 

Star Party

CWUAC Reunion Camping Trip

LCROSS Viewing Event

 

Girl Scout Astronomy Badge Program

Table Mountain Star Party

 

 

KEEN's Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe

KCHM Bubble Planetarium Show



(Some links on this page will take you to websites that are *not* associated with CWU organizations.)

Descriptions of the events we host and the organizations with which we participate:

Bubble Planetarium Show:

An indoor, inflatable, nighttime-viewing "classroom".  We teach something about the stars and constellations in general, precession, "constellation" versus "asterism", connect-the-dots drawings of the constellations/asterisms, and mythology stories from several ancient cultures, possibly including Greek/Roman, African/Egyptian, Native American, and Chinese.

 

Solar Party:

An outdoor daytime event during which we can safely view the sun using CWU's 8-inch Celestron telescope with a Solar Filter attached to it.  The Solar Filter removes 99.9% of the Sun's light.  We can sometimes see Sun Spots on the surface of the Sun while using the Solar Filter.  We may also have a SunSpotter (small wooden triangular “telescope”) available to see if Sun Spots are visible.  We’ll have flyers with Sun Facts, and Sun activities to teach some of those Sun Facts.

 

Star Party:

An outdoor nighttime event during which we observe the sky from the roof of CWU's Lind Hall.  We generally have 1-3 telescopes available for viewing different celestial objects, along with 6 pairs of binoculars.  Each Astronomy Club member chooses one or two objects to teach others how to find them and interesting information about the objects.  We have a list of fun objects to view during each season, some easy to find and some a bit more challenging.

 

Meteor Shower Party:

An outdoor nighttime event during which we watch in awe as meteors strut their stuff while burning up in our atmosphere.  We sometimes have contests to see who can count the most number of meteors.  We also have telescopes and binoculars available for viewing other celestial objects.  These events are generally late at night (start time is 11:00 PM or later).

 

Nature of Night:

A daytime (10 AM - 3 PM) event for grade-school children to learn about the sights, sounds, and critters of the night.  This event was previously hosted by KEEN, but in 2008, they handed it over to CWU's CESME (Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education).  In 2008, activities were added to allow Cub Scouts, Webelo Scouts, Brownie Girl Scouts, and Junior Girl Scouts to earn their astronomy-related badges.

The ever-popular Bubble Planetarium is a big attraction. Other booths, activities, and classroom sessions include Samantha the blind owl, decorating star cookies, tactile boxes, learning to focus binoculars, learning about planets and dwarf planets, learning about the Moon phases, learning why pirates wore eye patches, learning about bats and snakes, learning to use SkyAndTelescope.com's Interactive Sky Chart, learning about early/recent/current space missions, and learning about NASA. The list is so long that I don't remember them all!

 

KEEN:

Kittitas Environmental Education Network (http://www.kittitasee.net).

 

KEEN's Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe:

A daytime (8 AM - 4 PM) event for families to learn about the history, geology, previous inhabitants, and current inhabitants of the Shrub-Steppe environment at Helen McCabe Park & Umtanum Recreation Area, in the Yakima River Canyon.  The CWU Astronomy Club hosts a Solar Party during the event.  (See Solar Party above for a description.)

 

Kittitas County Historical Museum:

The Museum (http://www.kchm.org/) will host events during the summer for members and their families to learn about many topics, including the history of our area.  The CWU Astronomy Club has hosted Bubble Planetarium Shows and Star Parties for the Museum members.

 

EYH:

A daytime event for 5th-9th grade girls to learn about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) fields.  The girls participate in 4 “classes” during the day.  Topics include physics, computer science, medical fields, public safety, among many others.  Most of the classes are taught by women in those fields, to show girls that we *can* be smart and enjoy life, too!  The CWU Astronomy Club has hosted Bubble Planetarium Shows for this event.  See http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/ for information regarding the main organization.  See http://eyh.psctlt.org/ for information regarding EYH events in Washington State.  Email Denee Scribner (scribned@cwu.edu) for more information regarding the event held each March at Central Washington University.

 

Earth Day Celebration:

A daytime event celebrating Earth!  CWU Astronomy Club hosted Bubble Planetarium Shows for this event.