Capital Sidewalk Astro-Marathon This Weekend

A former Carter Observatory astronomer is combining IYA (International Year of Astronomy) with RFL (Relay for Life) this weekend at Wellington’s Frank Kitts Park.

From mid-day Saturday March 28th for some 20 hours non-stop, Graham Wolf will be both raising astronomy awareness, and donations for the Wellington Cancer Society.

IYA celebrates world-wide, the 400th anniversary of that immortal moment in 1609, when Italian scientist Galileo first turned a primative home-made telescope on the heavens, and changed the world of Astronomy forever. RFL celebrates the world-wide fight against cancer and also honours those who have had cancer and survived.

Lower Hutt based Graham Wolf (a three times cancer survivor) is combining these two events in a sidewalk “astro - marathon”, where a modern reflector telescope will be provided outdoors for public night sky viewing, at the RFL venue (Frank Kitts Park).
He’ll also be there to answer your astronomy questions, check, tune-up, and (if possible) even repair your own faulty ‘scope, for a modest donation to the Wellington Cancer Society. You’ll also be shown some easy ways to “astro-navigate” with the naked eye.

Weather permitting, expect close-up views of the Moon, (hopefully) the new Chinese Comet Lulin, and a host of other celestial objects of your particular choice. Galileo’s favourite:- Jupiter… rising low in the east just before dawn, will also be shown in the telescope.

During daylight, Graham will demonstrate sunspots (safely) by eyepiece projection. If he’s not too busy at night, you just might get to briefly “drive” the telescope yourself:- supervised.

Says Graham ( a former teenage protogee of TV Astronomer Peter Read in the 1960’s):- “The Carter Observatory ‘scope is twice the optical aperture of mine, but is 3m longer, several tonnes heavier, and firmly bolted down. Mine is very portable and produces similar or greater magnifications if required… that certainly gives me the edge”. Graham reckons that despite the CBD suffering from streetlight glare, some basic “sidewalk” astronomy is still possible. He’ll prove it, this weekend.
Graham pioneered sidewalk astronomy in the late 1960’s at Dunedin’s Octagon , before doing numerous similar events throughout New Zealand in later decades. During his time at the Carter Observatory he provided numerous public lecturers and helped rebuild the Wellington Planetarium on it’s current site.

With the Carter Observatory closed indefinitely for renovations, Graham will be (metaphysically) moving the observatory down to the waterfront this weekend.

This weekend, Graham comes out of astro-retirement to honour two heroes:- Galileo and Peter Read.

From a 24 March 2009 Press Release from Graham Wolf