News Archives 2013

December 22, 2013: The APO received a generour donation of a Starlab inflateable planetarium from Stan Lopata. It packs down to several cases, and included the projector, planets, lesson manuals, and other goodies. The APO looks forward to using the planetarium for educational programs.

November 20, 2013: This summer, the APO held a Family Game Night at the Wild Center. Participants were asked to create a haiku to be launched on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN). A DVD containing the names of the poets and their submissions was attached to the MAVEN spacecraft which was successfully launched on Monday, November 18th. Contributors received the following message from NASA:
- Dear Going to Mars Participant,
  - Thank you again for sharing a bit of yourselves in anticipation of MAVEN's upcoming launch to Mars! As you can see in the attached image your art, haiku, and names submissions have been saved to the special DVD and attached to the MAVEN spacecraft in preparation for launch!
  - MAVEN's launch window opens on Monday, November 18th, 2013 at 1:28 pm Eastern Standard Time. We hope you'll join us virtually! On Monday, November 18th, NASA TV coverage of the launch will begin at 11 am. and conclude after the MAVEN spacecraft has seperated from the Atlas V, which occurs about 52 minutes after launch. Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels. GO MAVEN! Best Wishes- The Going to Mars Campaign Team
November 10, 2013: The sky was cloudy, but students in the final week of the after school program still had fun identifying the different telescopes in our collection, and operating the roof of the Observatory! Students also received certificates for completingthe program. More photos from this class can be found on Flickr.

October 23, 2013: Week 4 of the APO after school program had the students learning about space rocks and navigating the sky. More photos from this class can be found on Flickr.
October 20, 2013: Week 3 of the APO after school program had the students learning about the sun and the stars.
October 14, 2013: The education committee has been very busy fufilling the mission of the APO, namely education outreach, with a variety of presentations, lectures, and programs.

October 13, 2013: Week 2 of the APO after school program had the students learning about the solar system.

October 3, 2013: A coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun hit the Earth's magnetic field on October 2^nd, causing the aurora borealis to be seen from much of the country. APO Advisory Board Member Tim Connolly captured this photo of the northern lights from his home in Saranac, NY.
October 2, 2013: The APO after school program is underway, and once again it's a big hit! Students meet once a week to study astronomy, and work on cool projects.

September 27, 2013: Al Nagler, founder of Televue Optics, paid a visit to the roll off roof observatory last night for an evening of star gazing. He brought some of his eyepieces along, which amazed the observers who had a chance to look through them. Last year, Al donated a telescope to the APO in memore of his sister Trudy Deutsch, a long-time resident of Tupper Lake.

August 30, 2013: The APO was very pleased to host a visit from Congressman Bill Owens to the new roll off roof observatory on Thursday, August 29th. Marc Staves gave a detailed description of each of the mounted telescopes including their function, general use, and the donors who gifted each to the APO. Gordie Duval explained and demonstrated our MIMIO teaching system and several members of the Wild Center staff described future projects that could be worked on jointly. Following a brief tour of the control room, Congressman Owens viewed the active surface of the Sun through our PST (Personal Solar Telescope).

July 23, 2013: Erik Brogger, Brooklyn, NY, donated a vintage 8" Criterion Dynascope to the APO. It was used during the public observing session on July 19th.

June 24, 2013: Tim Connolly, a friend of the APO has sent us a photo of comet lemmon. Thanks, Tim!