E-Comet Newsletter of the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association |
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Friends – happy spring!
The robins have returned, peepers are singing, and our daffodils are beginning to bloom. At the MMA, April is all about the night sky!
Join us for our Look Up nights at Loines Observatory on April 6th and 8th at 8pm – pick up your free star charts and t-shirt and learn about constellations and our telescopes. On April 16th, come and meet author Meg Thacher, a former MMA REU Astronomy Intern and Professor at Smith College, and learn from her new book Sky Gazing: a guide to the Moon, Sun, planets, stars, eclipses, constellations. Meg will be a special guest at our Natural Science Museum – open from 10-1pm that day. You can even get a signed copy of her book! On April 22nd and 23rd – Daffy Weekend – the Observatory will be open again to participate in the Nantucket Star Count and for stargazing.
We hope you are enjoying both our star report and podcast, and we encourage you to tune in. Find them both on our website.
Be well,
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Joanna Roche
Executive Director
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MMA Teams Up with Nantucket Lights on "Nantucket Star Count" – A Citizen Science Initiative
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What is Nantucket Star Count?
We think that dark and starry skies are a special part of Nantucket. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see. Artificial light at night, though, can adversely affect our ability to enjoy truly dark skies as well our health, safety and general quality of life and the welfare of wildlife, including plants and insects. We need your help in measuring what effect light is having on our night skies.
We are asking residents of Nantucket to become "citizen scientists" and participate in the Globe at Night data collection project for at least one night between April 22 and April 30. The data reported will help map where our skies are the darkest and where light pollution is a problem.
How to Participate:
You won’t need a telescope – just your eyes, a smart phone or tablet, and a willingness to help. You'll need to be able to find the constellation Leo. If you don't already know how to find it, we suggest downloading a night sky app to your device (there are many free ones to choose from) to help you find it when you're ready to make your observations.
Choose a clear night between Friday April 22 and Saturday April 30. Go outside more than an hour after sunset (9-11 pm). The moon should not be up. Go somewhere where you can see the sky to the south. Find the constellation Leo. If you don't know where it is, use the night sky app you downloaded earlier to find it.
Compare what you see in the sky to the star charts on the Globe at Night data reporting web app. Report your observations using the web app.
How to Submit your Observations:
Go to the Globe at Night data reporting web app. Allow the web app to use your current location as detected by your device. This will enable the app to automatically enter the latitude and longitude of your location. (If you don't want to allow the app to do that, enter your street address, including town and state, and click on "Map it!"). Switch to “Nighttime version" (see link just beneath the Observation Date and Time fields). Note anything about your location that might affect your ability to see the stars. Let your eyes become used to the dark for at least 10 minutes. Choose the star chart with the "Magnitude" that most closely matches what you see overhead when you're looking toward constellation Leo. That is, what is the faintest star you can see in the sky and find in the charts? Chose the drawing that looks most like the amount of cloud cover at the time of your observation. Note anything about the sky conditions that might be helpful. Click on the “SUBMIT DATA” button.
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Stargazer Gala - Under the Sea |
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The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association’s annual fundraising event, The Stargazer Gala, is a not-to-be-missed event hosted at a private home overlooking Nantucket Sound. Party-goers will enjoy breathtaking views, dancing to The Sultans, delicious food by Island Kitchen, games, stargazing with our professional astronomers, and more!
Save the date for Thursday, August 4th! If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact MMA Director of Advancement, Logan Gomes.
Tickets will go on sale in May. In the meantime, enjoy this gallery from last summer's sold-out event!
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Nantucket Science Festival Thank You |
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A heartfelt thank you to our community of supporters and partners for what was a truly incredible 8th annual Nantucket Science Festival! Thank you to the hundreds of participants who joined us and to the nonprofits and student presenters who shared in the excitement of science education. Lastly, a very special thank you to the Nantucket Community School for their continued partnership on this annual community event.
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Winter Science Speaker Series |
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This month, we welcome our final two Winter Science Speaker Series presenters. Featuring intern alumni who join us to discuss their fascinating research and the projects they have been involved with since their time at the MMA, our April Winter Science Speaker Series includes talks focused on astronomy and natural history collections. The speaker series is scheduled for alternating Wednesdays from 7–8PM EST via Zoom, and is made possible with thanks to our Lead Sponsor, Bank of America and Supporting Sponsors: Thirty Meter Telescope, Cisco Brewers, The Osceola Foundation, and the White Elephant.
On Wednesday, April 6th, MMA Natural Science Collections Manager, Julia Blyth, will give a talk entitled, “Exploring the Natural History Collections at the MMA.” A former MMA Natural Science Intern from 2010 and 2011, Blyth will discuss will discuss the importance and use of specimens, explore the history of the biological collections at the MMA, and dive into how some kinds of specimens are prepared.
Blyth has been working in museums since 2007, getting her start as a student curator at the Ohio Wesleyan University Zoology Museum as an undergraduate. In addition to maintaining the MMA’s biological collections, she currently files mosses and lichens for the New England Botanical Society in the Farlow Herbarium at Harvard University. She lives in western Massachusetts, where she also works for a permaculture firm promoting native and edible perennial.
Then on April 20th, former MMA REU Astronomy Intern, Meg Lysaght Thacher, will join us for a talk entitled, "Sky Gazing: A Guide to Enjoying Astronomy with Children." In this talk, Meg will take you through her circuitous journey from college instructor to author, with practical advice for anyone who wants to communicate complex topics to children, whether in person or through writing. She’ll also read from her book, Sky Gazing. She’ll provide plenty of advice about observing the sky with kids, the best first telescope (hint: it's a pair of binoculars), and what's coming up in the late spring sky.
Thacher was a Maria Mitchell Association Astronomy Intern in the summer of 1986, when students added to the observatory plate collection and studied variable stars. Her very first publication came out of the internship: “Updated elements for IY Cygni,” in the winter 1986 Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). After graduating from Carleton College, she went on to use her photographic plate skills as an intern at the AAVSO, then got a master’s degree from Iowa State University. She is currently the senior laboratory instructor for Smith College’s astronomy department, the academic director for Smith’s Summer Science & Engineering Program, and a children’s writer. She has written 30 articles for kids’ nonfiction magazines and three books. Her book Sky Gazing: a guide to the Moon, Sun, planets, stars, eclipses, constellations received a starred review in School Library Journal and is the winner of a Nautilus Silver Award and the 2022 AAAS/Subaru prize for excellence in children’s science books (hands-on category).
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April Look Up Program and Stargazing Dates |
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The Maria Mitchell Association's Look Up Program continues this month! The Look Up Program provides the opportunity for every student and teacher in the Nantucket school system, public and private, to visit Loines Observatory with their families and learn from our professional astronomers. We are thrilled to offer this program completely free of charge!
This month, there will be a Look Up Program on Wednesday, April 6th and Friday, April 8th from 8–9PM. No registration is required to attend this program. All participants receive a free star chart and special edition Look Up Program t-shirt designed by Malcolm Brooks. This outdoor program is weather dependent; please visit our website for updates regarding possible Look Up Program cancellations due to rain or snow.
We will also be offering two special Open Nights for stargazing during Daffodil Weekend. Join us on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 from 8-9PM for constellation tours and to participate in the Nantucket Star Count – a collaboration with Nantucket Lights.
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Our Natural Science Museum is open on Saturdays from 10–1PM. April's theme is Earth Month. Learn about environmental issues through themed trivia, exhibits, books, and more!
Admission is $5 per person and FREE for Members! Included with admission is the 10–11AM Animal Feeding program with museum staff. No registration is required.
Next door, the MMA's Research Center is also hosting Open Hours on Saturdays from 10:30AM–12PM, where you can learn about our collections from MMA Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews.
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Snowy Owl Quest - April 2nd and April 16th from 2-4:00PM
$10 Members | $15 Non-Members
Join the MMA’s Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews, for our final two Snowy Owls Quests of the year. We will visit sites in search of a snowy owl. While a snowy owl sighting is not guaranteed, you will learn about their behaviors and ecology, as well as get to see other species from the Nantucket winter bird community.
This program meets at the MMA Research Center at 2 Vestal Street. Pre-registration and transportation are required. Binoculars are available for loan while supplies last. Limited to 10 participants. Please dress for the weather. The Snowy Owl Quest is meant for adults, but children 8 and up are welcome to register with an adult guardian.
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Beach Biology Field Trips - Saturdays from 2-3:30PM
$10 Members | $25 Non-Members
Join our Aquarium staff to learn about the fascinating biology, ecology, and geology that make Nantucket's beaches so unique. We will discover shells and bones of over 15 species of marine animals and are likely to observe live mole crabs, sand fleas, shore birds, beach insects, and seals!
This program meets at the Madaket Beach Parking Lot at 2:00PM. Participants must have their own transportation. At least one adult must sign up and be present with children.
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“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews
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Keep Calm and Bird On
By Ginger Andrews
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The arrivals and departures only increase as spring progresses. We continue to watch recently arrived American Oystercatchers, Ospreys and Piping Plover. But it is still worth getting in those last looks at the winter sea ducks: Black, White-Winged and Surf Scoters, not to mention Bufflehead, Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks. Long-tailed Ducks—some of us who are older remember them as "Oldsquaws”—are particularly of interest as their numbers have varied so much over time. The huge flocks of the mid-1980’s and early 2000’s have not been seen for the last few years. And as a pelagic species, spending much time out of sight of land, it is difficult for researchers to get an accurate sense of how many there are.
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Winter Wellness Collaboration
The MMA is thrilled to participate in the Nantucket Land Council's new program –Winter Wellness Walks. This month, MMA Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, will be leading two special edition Beach Biology Walks that are free and open to all. Join Jack on Sunday, April 10th from 1-2:30pm or 2:30-4pm. Register and view more details here. Let's get outdoors and enjoy Nantucket's natural environment together.
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Did you know that you can watch all of our Winter Science Speaker Series lectures on our YouTube channel?!
Watch Mark Losavio's presentation, "Your National Marine Sanctuaries" and Emmy Gagne talk, "Increasing Scientific Capacity Through Workshopping: Delivering Educational Material to International Participants" using the link below.
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Listen to the latest episode of "Looking Skyward," a podcast with MMA Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, on WCAI. In this episode, Dr. Jorgenson discusses the anticipated collision of two large black holes many light years from Earth.
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And don't miss our weekly Star Report with MMA Astronomy Research Fellow Celia Mulcahey. Learn about what is currently visible in Nantucket's night sky. Celia will highlight constellations, planets, and more!
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Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by the MMA's Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.
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The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island. |
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Support the Maria Mitchell Association: |
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