Best Halloween Idea Ever!
It’s the crazy irony of modern Astronomy: While we’re seeing more and more amazing pictures from space telescopes, we have less and less connection with the night sky in our daily lives. Since we’re surrounded by constant outdoor lighting, the constellations are no longer familiar patterns, but have become something we learn about in books or on the Internet.
Astronomers have been making an effort to rebuild the connection — especially for kids — that these gorgeous astronomy pictures you see on the Internet are just more detailed images of things that you can see yourself with your own eyes. During the “100 Hours of Astronomy” (which I wrote about here), my kids and I got to see Saturn through a telescope for the first time! And, let me tell you, it’s an exciting experience to look at a dot of light in the sky, learn that it’s actually Saturn, and then see with your own eyes (through a telescope) that it really has rings, just like the pictures! Ditto for seeing the details of the moon (which we also saw that day), and seeing the moons and surface stripes of Jupiter (which we saw at a recent public observing at Princeton University)!!
But what about kids and parents who aren’t aware of such opportunities? Who might be inspired by seeing the planets through a telescope, but just haven’t thought of it? Well, that’s where Halloween comes in!!
Richard Wade of Friendly Atheist had a great idea!
He happens to have some fairly serious telescopes, and realized that Halloween was the perfect opportunity to share them with the neighborhood! It’s autumn (when the weather’s still warm, but it gets dark early), and kids teens and parents are out in a celebratory mood, ready to socialize with all the neighbors! It couldn’t be more perfect!
His wizard costume is part of his effort to make this telescope-viewing blend into the rest of the holiday celebration, but really I think it’s just because it’s fun to have an excuse to dress up as a wizard. And he reports that the kids, parents, and even teens really enjoy the opportunity! And don’t worry — he also passes out treats. The view of Jupiter is in addition to Halloween treats, not instead of (unlike the anti-Halloweeners who pass out Bible tracts). 
What a fun idea! It makes me wish I had a telescope (well, and a yard…) so I could do the same! I hope the idea catches on, and other serious Astronomy hobbyists who have real telescopes will start doing this too!!
