GRAVETTE — Patrons at Gravette Public Library who have an interest in astronomy have a new way to pursue that interest. The library has just acquired a new Orion StarBlast telescope and it will be available for checkout by mid-May, according to Karen Benson, library supervisor. Benson picked up the telescope last Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville and the library is already receiving reservation requests.
Gravette is one of eight libraries in Benton and Washington counties which received telescopes from Supporting STEM and Space, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to get more people interested in science, technology, engineering and math. Other libraries receiving the telescopes are Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove and West Fork. Bentonville Public Library received its telescope in February and it has become so popular someone has donated money to purchase a second one.
The Orion StarBlast telescopes cost about $360, said Katherine Auld, founder of Supporting STEM and Space. She said the models donated by the organization have been modified slightly to make them more user-friendly for amateur astronomers. Auld and Van Masterson, members of both Supporting STEM and Space and the Sugar Creek Astronomical Society in Bella Vista, came to Gravette last week to show Benson and library staff members how to use the telescope.
A user policy was approved at a meeting of the library advisory board on Tuesday and the telescope will soon be available for checkout. It comes with a user manual and constellation chart. Patrons are welcome to reserve the telescope by calling the library, 479-787-6955, or by emailing [email protected]. They must be at least 18 years old (a government-issued photo identification is required) and in good standing with the library.
Since learning that the local library was to receive a telescope, Benson said she has planned a series of events focusing on astronomy. Auld, who is president of the Sugar Creek Astronomical Society, will be at the library Thursday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. to give a lecture on NASA exploration of the sun and on the solar eclipse.
Other events Benson has announced include a community viewing of the "All American" solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, and a "Moon Over Main Street" event, hosted by the library, on Friday, Nov. 17, with telescopes set up along Main Street for public viewing.
The month of December will feature a "Moon Over My Town" photography event. The public is invited to take photos of the moon in its various phases throughout December and submit them to the library in print or via email. The photos may be made using cell phones or cameras, and the event is open to both amateur and professional photographers. Some photographs will be selected for display at the library during the month of January, 2018, Benson said.
More information about these events will become available on the library's website at www.gravettelibrary.org.
Community on 05/03/2017