By Marisa Dawson, Photos courtesy of Bennington Public Library
Young explorers and their families got a chance to look beyond Earth and into the cosmos Wednesday morning as the Omaha Astronomical Society visited the Bennington Public Library as part of the library’s Summer Reading Program.
The program aligned with this year’s summer reading theme, “Unearth a Story,” and gave attendees a unique opportunity to learn about astronomy from an expert while experiencing the sun through specialized solar telescopes.
According to Youth Services Librarian Johnna Ware, one of the most memorable parts of the visit was the chance to safely observe the sun in ways most people never have.
“The highlight this year was their solar viewers,” Ware said. “Mike Modrcin from OAS (Omaha Astronomical Society) brought two different solar telescopes for us to experience. The first one allowed us to safely view the sun including the solar storms on the surface that look like spots! The second solar telescope showed us a different light spectrum, allowing us to see several solar prominences (areas of solar flare energy radiating off the sun) flaring off the top of the sun.”
The event began with an educational presentation from Modrcin, who introduced attendees to fascinating concepts about space and astronomy. Participants learned about celestial objects both near and far, and watched a video comparing the sizes of objects throughout the universe.
“Beyond the informational talk, Mike also showed a fantastic video about the relative size of different objects in space,” Ware said. “We saw things like our moon and planets but also super massive black holes and even distant galaxies, comparing their size to Earth’s. After the presentation we headed outside to check out the sun through two solar telescopes.”
Ware said the Omaha Astronomical Society was a natural fit for the library’s summer theme because of the sense of wonder and discovery that space exploration inspires.
“Space is a fascinating area for people of all ages to explore,” she said. “While we have books and telescopes for our patrons to use any time, bringing in an expert to talk about the cool mysteries of outer space brings the knowledge alive in a totally different way! Talking about distant stars and galaxies is story telling in its own way.”
After the presentation, attendees moved outdoors for a hands-on experience viewing the sun through the solar telescopes. For many children, it was their first time using a telescope.
“Some of the best reactions are young kids learning how to look through a telescope for the first time!” Ware said. “And their parents always love helping them learn a new skill. With the red light solar viewer, many older participants were awed to see the various solar prominences so vividly!”
In addition to sparking curiosity about astronomy, the library hopes programs like this help community members discover resources available right here in Bennington, including the library’s telescope checkout program.
“We always hope that programs like these help people in our community have experiences that they might not otherwise have access to,” Ware said. “We also love being able to highlight our Library Telescope checkout program in case anyone doesn’t know about it. Finally, we hope people enjoy learning about outer space and come back to see us again in the future.”
The Omaha Astronomical Society program was the latest in a series of Wednesday morning Summer Reading Program events hosted by the Bennington Public Library, bringing educational and interactive experiences to local children and families throughout the summer. The fun continues this Wednesday, June 24 with Bennington Fire & Rescue. Make sure to stop by at 10:30am for another special presentation by our local fire/EMS crew!
