An outreach event by Hamilton RASC.
by Abigail Hughes
On September 22 I ventured to Milton Public Library for an Afternoon of Astronomy. Approximately 15 people attended with the majority being under the age of 12. With some math, some history, and a whole lot of astronomy I rambled on for about an hour and a half.
The presentation started by covering some basic history of astronomy and the fundamental changes made over the past 4000 years. With use of a simple demonstration, a tennis ball attached to a string, I was able to demonstrate Kepler’s second law of planetary motions as well as how gravity affects the different planets. After, we explored our own solar system and all the classifications of objects to be found inside ranging from our home planet, to the Sun, out to Oort cloud and most everything between. With the participation of the younger audience members, I demonstrated the properly proportioned distance between the Earth and the Moon using a basketball and a tennis ball. I finished the presentation by discussing different types of galaxies in the Universe, the number of galaxies, and finally the scale of the universe itself.
Overall, I hope that the entire audience was able to leave the presentation haven learned something new about astronomy.
