Here is the blurb that will be running in various forms:
Shenandoah Night Skies Programs:
Overview and Speaker Background
The free Shenandoah National Park Night
Skies programs have been conducted for park guests yearly since 2000 at Big
Meadows on Skyline Drive. In 2000 and early 2001, the programs were led by
Bob Gent, current president of the Astronomical League and
spokesperson for the International Dark Sky Association, headquartered in
Arizona. From the summer of 2001 through 2006, the programs were offered by
local amateur astronomers Alex Lim and Mike Lewis. For 2007,
local amateur astronomers Jim Richberg, Tom Kennedy, and
Gary Schmalenberg will offer an expanded Spring-Summer program that
includes looking at the evening sun through three specialized telescopes as
well as observing the night sky through a variety of instruments. The three
observers are happy to give advice on all facets of amateur astronomy, from
identifying bright stars to demonstrating a variety of different types of
telescopes and binoculars.
Richberg, Kennedy, and Schmalenberg
present their programs under the stars at Big Meadows amidst telescopes of
small and large aperture. They begin with a talk about light pollution – an
encroaching side effect of urban sprawl which is largely unknown to the
general public. The audience learns why curbing light pollution is
important to more than just professional and amateur astronomers and
stargazers. The nation wastes $2 billion in energy costs annually due to
poorly shielded or unshielded outdoor lighting. That is roughly equivalent
to the amount of energy generated by six million tons of coal, and this
wasted electricity contributes to air pollution. The artificial lighting of
the night sky has robbed our children of views of the Milky Way and even
interferes with bird and animal migration and nesting. Furthermore, recent
medical studies have shown a possible link between light pollution (constant
artificial light exposure) and cancer in humans. The astronomers talk about
National Park efforts to heighten light pollution awareness and to limit its
effects within park boundaries. The audience learns that every person can
play a positive role in the fight to control light pollution by installing
energy saving full cut-off outdoor light fixtures and asking their local
utility company to install such fixtures over street lighting in their
neighborhood.
Following the light pollution talk,
Richberg, Kennedy, and Schmalenberg will give the audience a tour of
prominent constellations and stellar sights, then invite the audience to
view the heavens through various sizes and types of telescope including one
of the largest amateur telescopes on the East Coast. Depending on the time
of year, celestial objects viewed can vary from the moon to the planets,
double stars, star clusters, gas nebulae, and distant galaxies. On
occasion, program attendees have even been treated to displays of the Aurora
Borealis (Northern Lights) under the dark skies of Big Meadows. Passing
satellites and meteors are a common sight. Come experience the splendors of
the night sky with these experienced observers and their equipment!
-----------------------Presenter
biographies----------------------
Jim Richberg
Jim Richberg began his 35 year love of
astronomy in the 1960s as a boy camping at Big Meadows and gazing in wonder
at the Milky Way against the velvet blackness of the night sky. He
purchased his first telescope in high school, later taught college astronomy
and ran a university observatory, and led a group to see Halley’s Comet in
1986 from the pristine dark skies of Joshua Tree National Park, After a
hiatus from stargazing to start a family and a career, Mr. Richberg resumed
observing in 2000, and now makes much of his own equipment. He has made
telescopes from scratch, including grinding their mirrors by hand and making
the eyepieces. He currently has some 15 telescopes, including specialized
solar instruments and one telescope larger than that owned by many
universities. He has a web site dedicated to telescope making and observing
(www.jimrichberg.com/astronomy).
When he is not making or using telescopes, he spends his days as a Senior
Executive in the Federal Government.
Tom Kennedy
Tom Kennedy began his astronomy journey in
a much different location, The Bronx. The bright lights of the Bronx
didn’t keep him from observing in his backyard, and attending astronomy
classes at the Hayden Planetarium. Grinding his own telescope mirror in 7th
grade and shooting photos through his home built telescope of the moon and
developing them in his basement dark room. His trips to the “country” in
western New Jersey were a great memory, where he got to observe his first
views of dark skies and the Aurora Borealis. His studies in college were in
Meteorology, but he continued his interest in astronomy, helping to start
the astronomy club at his University in the Bronx. His advanced degree led
him into Photogrammetry and imagery science. Raising his family also led
him away from astronomy for over 15 years. He returned to this wonderful
hobby in 2003, and immediately began applying his photography and imaging
interests to astronomy. Tom continues to advance his interests in
astrophotography and many of his astrophotos can be seen on his website at
http://www.tomkennedy.org/Astronomy.htm. He is currently a senior
scientist with the federal government, and program manager for postdoctoral
research.
Gary Schmalenberg
Gary Schmalenberg began his
astronomy passion after winning a telescope in a sales contest in the late
70s. He is retired and spends much of his time traveling in his camper and
volunteering at state and federal parks. He is also a member of the
Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) and Treasure Coast Astronomy
Society in Fort Pierce,
Florida. What he enjoys most is showing people objects that
can be seen with an inexpensive telescope and telling stories about
constellations mythology
