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Geneva, IL —
Michelle Thaller remembers going to a star party for astronomers on a date when she was in high school.
Now as a NASA astrophysicist, she was flown to Chicago to host a star party in Geneva on Friday at American Science & Surplus, 33W361 Roosevelt Road.
Star parties are outdoor events in which astronomers of all levels of expertise set up telescopes and locate objects in the sky.
Thaller is the assistant director for science communication at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and has appeared frequently on the History Channel’s “The Universe” program.
“We should get out of our labs more and just talk to people,” Thaller said.
Thaller provided a tour of the cosmos and talked about the latest developments in space exploration. She said she believes extraterrestrial life will be discovered within the next couple of decades.
“That’s just because NASA got a lot better at looking for it,” Thaller said.
She said new evidence suggests a strong possibility of life on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
“It’s very, very preliminary,” Thaller said.
Thaller said the future of space exploration is very exciting, even with the space shuttle planned to be retired later this year. Rather than manned missions, she said rovers will be key to exploring planets and moons in the future.
“We can do it with robots for one percent of the cost,” Thaller said.
Still, the space shuttle’s retirement will be bittersweet for her. She said she particularly will miss the shuttle since it was one of the reasons she decided to pursue astrophysics.
She said international cooperation will be crucial to space exploration, and emphasized the importance of reaching out to the public, such as at Friday’s star party.
“Across the board in the country, we need more curiosity,” Thaller said.
The star party drew a large crowd, despite Friday’s storm knocking out power at the shop and nearly raining the event out. St. Charles resident Lori McElhinney was among the group that came to the event with plenty of curiosity.
“We try and come out to (star parties) when they have them,” McElhinney said. “I’ve been interested in astronomy since I was a kid. There’s no end to what’s out there. It’s just amazing.”
Participants can bring their own telescopes to the star parties or use ones provided by the shop. Store owner Philip Cable said the events can attract as many as 120 people.
Michelle Thaller remembers going to a star party for astronomers on a date when she was in high school.
Now as a NASA astrophysicist, she was flown to Chicago to host a star party in Geneva on Friday at American Science & Surplus, 33W361 Roosevelt Road.
Star parties are outdoor events in which astronomers of all levels of expertise set up telescopes and locate objects in the sky.
Thaller is the assistant director for science communication at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and has appeared frequently on the History Channel’s “The Universe” program.
“We should get out of our labs more and just talk to people,” Thaller said.
Thaller provided a tour of the cosmos and talked about the latest developments in space exploration. She said she believes extraterrestrial life will be discovered within the next couple of decades.
“That’s just because NASA got a lot better at looking for it,” Thaller said.
She said new evidence suggests a strong possibility of life on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
“It’s very, very preliminary,” Thaller said.
Thaller said the future of space exploration is very exciting, even with the space shuttle planned to be retired later this year. Rather than manned missions, she said rovers will be key to exploring planets and moons in the future.
“We can do it with robots for one percent of the cost,” Thaller said.
Still, the space shuttle’s retirement will be bittersweet for her. She said she particularly will miss the shuttle since it was one of the reasons she decided to pursue astrophysics.
She said international cooperation will be crucial to space exploration, and emphasized the importance of reaching out to the public, such as at Friday’s star party.
“Across the board in the country, we need more curiosity,” Thaller said.
The star party drew a large crowd, despite Friday’s storm knocking out power at the shop and nearly raining the event out. St. Charles resident Lori McElhinney was among the group that came to the event with plenty of curiosity.
“We try and come out to (star parties) when they have them,” McElhinney said. “I’ve been interested in astronomy since I was a kid. There’s no end to what’s out there. It’s just amazing.”
Participants can bring their own telescopes to the star parties or use ones provided by the shop. Store owner Philip Cable said the events can attract as many as 120 people.
“It kind of depends on how clear it is,” Cable said.
Astronomer Paul Chapman teaches participants how to set up their telescopes for about an hour before the event. Chapman’s instructions include polar alignment, which aligns telescopes with Polaris, or the North Star, to use as a reference point for locating other celestial bodies.
“A lot of time, people will buy telescopes, but (set up and alignment) is a little bit of a hurdle for them to get over,” Cable said.
Star parties are also hosted at the shop’s locations in Chicago and Milwaukee, but Chapman said the Geneva area has less light pollution.
“The skies out here are still quite clear,” Chapman said. “As areas build up, planners are more conscious of light pollution.”
American Science & Surplus shops host several star parties a year.
“Astronomy, I think, is much more enjoyable when it’s shared,” Chapman said.
If you go
WHAT Upcoming star party
WHEN Oct. 22; workshop begins at 6 p.m.
WHERE American Science & Surplus, 33W361 Roosevelt Road, east of Kirk Road on Route 38
MORE INFO (630) 232-2882; www.sciplus.com
