While traditional parties can’t be attended in the COVID pandemic, what can be, are virtual star parties. Hosted by the Bell Museum, virtual star parties are meant to celebrate the night sky through documentaries on conservation, sharing tips to examine the solar system, student showcases, and live telescope observations.
Strategically designed to help viewers forge a connection to the night sky, even on a cloudy night, the Bell Museum’s star party was interactive, engaging, and scintillating. The party started out with Saving the Dark, an inspiring documentary by Sriram Murali. The documentary focused on the dangerous effects of light pollution, not just for intrinsic values of human enjoyment, but for animal safety, people’s sleep patterns, and human survival. Numerous experts explained how light pollution is a detriment to bird and sea turtle safety, and provided examples and resources on how people can combat this issue. They explained that fortunately, light pollution is one of the only types of pollution that is easy to solve. Simple ways for individuals to combat their role in light pollution is switching to LED lights, turning exterior light off when not using them, and, for buildings near the beach, investing in sea turtle-friendly lights.
Next in the star party was a presentation on sketching called “Using Sketching to See Deeper,” run by Sarah Kommand, the Bell Museum Planetarium Programs Coordinator, and Jerry Jones, the Astronomical League Coordinator for the Minnesota Astronomical Society. They continually emphasized that having artistic ability is not a necessity to sketch the night sky. The goal was only to use sketching as a strategy to observe the sky more closely and with detail that might be initially seen. There were sketching worksheets available and the leaders clearly instructed viewers on how to use online programs to see different constellations, such as Auriga and Perseus.
Next on the star party agenda was student presentations by Meridith Wieber, a fourth-year astrophysics and physics major, and Andrew Surine, a second-year astrophysics and entomology major. The students provided in-depth showcases on the astronomy work they’ve completed, such as an internship with NASA and a project on how to develop insects as astronaut food called the Martian Entomophagy Project. The showcases were visually engaging, as well as being accessible to anyone.
The grand finale of the star party was supposed to be a live showing of the telescope from the Bell Museum’s observation deck, but because of the cloudy weather, the University of Minnesota Planetarium team gave a presentation on the life cycles of stars instead. Although disappointing to not be able to see the night sky live from a telescope, this presentation was an interesting alternative that detailed how stars have very different life cycles based on their mass, which is determined by the amount of matter in their Nebula.
Although the November star parties concluded on Nov. 14, more opportunities to engage with the night sky through virtual presentations hosted by the Bell Museum will be available in December. There is currently a virtual star party scheduled for Dec. 18 from 8-9 pm, where astronomy experts will guide viewers through the night sky on their live-streamed telescope. Free registration will open soon from Bell Museum’s website.