Maria Mitchell Association Monthly e-Comet Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2023

ALL FACILITIES WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY

Dear Friends –

Summer is leaving us soon, and most of our interns have headed back to school. I’d like to give the interns and our volunteers this season a big thank you! We depend on your interest and curiosity to keep us humming along and you are most appreciated. 

We are grateful to all our team who led campers on nature expeditions, helped families feed the dogfish, went snorkeling and collecting marine life, counted horseshoe crabs, counted green crabs, captured bugs, fed reptiles, and shared the stories of the galaxy and pointed out the Milky Way and Saturn on many starry nights. Nature is truly our blackboard, as Maria Mitchell once said. 

September is Climate Change Awareness Month, and we urge you to reflect, learn, and participate in some supporting activity. There are opportunities to be curious with all our island partners as we come together and offer many programming options on climate change. My favorite is the Coastal Resilience Walk created by Acklimate where you can walk along the waterfront and take in the past and understand the present and future impact on Nantucket. This is a critical issue facing our island and it is important that we learn and understand our role in adaptation and retreat. 

Stay tuned for news on scalloping outings for that first week of October and for details on the partial eclipse on Saturday, October 14. 

As the island quiets, and we all breathe that September sigh, the back to school and work schedules, the cooler air, please take a moment and soak up the nature of Nantucket. 

Be well,

Joanna Roche

Executive Director

jroche@mariamitchell.org

Join us for tours on the following days, and view our calendar for upcoming programs and events.

SUMMER HOURS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 9

Research Center

11am - 1pm, Saturdays

Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, and Aquarium

10am - 4pm, M-F | 10am - 1pm, Sat

Mitchell House

10am - 4pm Friday, Sept. 1 and 10am - 1pm, Saturday, Sept. 2

Fridays Only after Sept. 2

Loines Observatory

Open Nights, 8pm - 9pm Wednesday | 9pm - 9:45pm Friday, Sept. 8 Only

*All facilities are closed on Sundays

NEW MMA FALL HOURS

STARTING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 11

Research Center

11am - 1pm, Saturdays

The Hinchman House Natural Science Museum

10am - 4pm, Thursday - Sunday

The MMA Aquarium

10am - 4pm, Thursday - Sunday

Mitchell House

Fridays Only, 10am - 1pm (Sept.15, and 29; Closed Sept. 22)

Loines Observatory

8pm - 10pm Wednesdays

Climate Change Awareness Month

Celebrate Climate Change Awareness Month by learning about the importance of biodiversity and Nantucket's unique marine ecosystems.

Each September, environmental organizations around the nation come together in recognition of Climate Change Awareness Month, with a goal to raise awareness about environmental issues that need our attention, including human overpopulation, global warming, pollution, and conservation.

Nantucket Climate Change Summit

Hosted by the Linda Loring Nature Foundation and Nantucket Conservation Foundation.

Wednesday, September 6, 4:30 - 7pm at the Great Harbor Yacht Club

Free and Open to the Public. Read more here.

September 16: World Ozone Day

September 21: Zero Emissions Day and International Day of Peace

September 22: World Car Free Day

September 24: World Rivers Day

The Nantucket Coastal Conference was held on June 12, 2023 at the Nantucket Atheneum. This year's conference, themed "Climate Adaptation," featured a keynote presentation by Dr. Sarah Das, a WHOI physical oceanographer entitled "Sea Level Rise from Global to Local: The Decisive Decade for Coastal Communities." The conference panelists highlighted science on the island of Nantucket, nature-based solutions, and climate action planning. Watch here.

Charity Grace Mofsen

September 15 - October 13

33 Washington Street

The Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is thrilled to welcome back Charity Grace Mofsen as an Artist-in-Residence from September 15 – October 13.

Charity Grace Mofsen captures the island of Nantucket in all its glory – in light and at night. She believes “there is always Light, if you have eyes to see it.” She finds joy sharing her love of Nantucket with the hope that others will also cherish the island’s natural beauty.

Viewing of Charity Grace Mofsen's work is free to the public.

View gallery hours on our calendar.

Dr. Rich Blundell

Join us Wednesday, September 13

In-person at 33 Washington Street,

and via Zoom

At 6pm EST as we welcome Dr. Rich Blundell as our featured presenter for the September Science Speaker Series.

"Why Science Matters – Finding New Meaning in Life the Universe & Everything"

What can the most ancient light of the universe tell us about how to live in the modern world? How can the stunning images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope shift our conceptions of life here on Earth? How can the cellular phospholipid bilayer help humans find consensus across the current political divide? How does the shape of a 400,000 year-old stone tool also shape the appeal of a Shakespearean sonnet? 

In this talk, Dr. Rich Blundell, will explore new ways in which science can matter in our times by telling scientific stories that highlight the latest insights from across the scientific disciplines of physics, astronomy, biology, ecology, and anthropology. Dr. Blundell will also integrate insights from his own work in the field of oikalogical research (ecological research that includes culture) over the past two seasons as the Scientist-in-Residence at the Maria Mitchell Association.

This presentation is complimentary and held in-person at 33 Washington Street and via Zoom, please pre-register for Zoom.

Bird On!

By Ginger Andrews

In September, shorebird migration is still under way. And as the season progresses, the more likely we are to find rarities. Migrating and dispersing birds are exploring new territory. So, here at the ocean edge, they may pause and take a little time to rest and feed up. Some of them are in the process of molting into winter plumage, which can be confusing. But careful observation, detail by detail, is a rewarding way to build confidence as you add up the clues to identification.

And, if at all possible, take pictures. Images viewed in tranquility can be blown up to show what the eye sometimes misses in the field. And they are important documentation for science. To quote the late Vern Laux, “If there’s no photograph, it didn’t happen.”

It’s a long way from the Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay to the Pantal or Tirra del Fuego. So a brief, near-by—relatively speaking— east coast pit stop is a crucial necessity. With some shorebirds threatened or endangered, our Nantucket observations make an important contribution to understanding, and ultimately protecting, these resources.

Photo by Ginger Andrews

Maria Mitchell and the Daring Daughters of Nantucket Island

Friday, September 8

2pm - 4pm

Historic Mitchell House, 1 Vestal Street

Join the curator of the Mitchell House for a walking tour concerning the lives of Maria Mitchell and Nantucket’s famous and infamous women, as well as the lesser known women of our island. Learn why whaling, Quakerism, and the isolation of an island afforded these women opportunities that women elsewhere in America at the time were not afforded.

Cost per participant: $15, discounted for MMA Members.

Pre-registration required.

Four Centuries Domestic Tour

Saturday, September 9

10am - 12pm

Oldest House, 16 Sunset Hill Lane

A unique and extremely popular collaborative walking tour with the Maria Mitchell Association's Deputy Director & Curator of the Historic Mitchell House, the Preservation Trust, and the Nantucket Historical Association that looks at the changes in domestic life over four centuries and how it shaped homes, buildings, neighborhoods, and land use. Tour includes brief visits inside each building visited.

Cost per participant: $10

Drop-in registration at 16 Sunset Hill Lane. Tour ends at Hadwen House, Main Street.

Nantucket Bird Walk

Saturdays

7:45 - 10:30am

MMA Research Center, 2 Vestal Street

Explore Nantucket’s birdy landscapes and hidden nooks with MMA's field ornithologist, Ginger Andrews. With so many varied habitats so close together, the Island is a great place to look and listen for birds. Our location out at sea makes for a fascinating mix of migratory species and year-round residents. Dry humor—always useful in a foggy environment—natural and human history, unexpected rarities, and other stories fill out the picture.

Children 8 and up are welcome with an adult guardian.

Pre-registration is recommended as programs do fill up but walk-ins are welcome subject to availability.

Big History

Thursdays

8:15 - 9:45pm

Loines Observatory, 59 Milk St Ext.

Join MMA's Scientist-In-Residence, Dr. Rich Blundell and Telescope Engineer Gary Walker, for a weekly Big History Storytelling at Loines Observatory. "Big History", an academic discipline which examines history from the Big Bang to the present, has been pursued since the Renaissance. During this 90-minute visual lecture incorporating large scale videos and the Loines Observatory telescopes, Dr. Blundell will tell the fascinating story of the cosmos and our place in it. Gary Walker will supplement this offering with images from the James Webb Space Telescope and images of similar cosmic objects, captured at the Loines Observatory.

This program is designed to be interesting for inquisitive adults. In the case of inclement weather, this program will be canceled.

Pre-registration is required for this event. Free to the public.

OPEN NIGHTS:

Stargazing at Loines Observatory

Wednesdays

8pm - 10pm (Two Sessions)

FAMILY STARGAZING at Loines Observatory

Ends Friday, September 8

9pm - 10pm

Join our professional astronomers for an impressive tour of Nantucket’s night sky. Each Monday and Wednesday, the MMA will host two sessions of Open Night Stargazing at 8pm - 9pm and 9pm - 10pm.

MMA staff will guide you in viewing astronomical objects through our historic 8-inch Alvan Clark refractor and our modern 24-inch research telescope. Get a chance to view the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and even other galaxies! Learn about the cutting-edge research being conducted by Maria Mitchell Association's Observatory astronomers and interns and get all your astronomy questions answered!

This program is geared toward teens and adults, but children are welcome to register with an adult guardian.

Pre-registration is recommended as programs do fill up but walk-ins are welcome subject to availability.

Ticket cost includes a visit to the Hinchman Natural Science Museum, the MMA Aquarium, and the Historic Mitchell House.

NIGHT SKY SEPTEMBER ALMANAC

by Nick Graber,

MMA Astronomy Program Assistant

Our view of the night sky is constantly changing as the Earth makes its way around the Sun. Each month gives us a chance to observe some new things, so check out our highlights below for September 2023! The summer has flown by, and ever since June’s Summer Solstice, the days have been getting shorter and the nights longer. For stargazers, this is great news – we don’t have to stay up as late to see the night sky!

At the beginning of September, the day will still be a bit longer than the night, stretching a little over thirteen hours from sunrise to sunset. But, on September 23, we will mark an Equinox, which is the midpoint between Solstices. In the northern hemisphere, this will be the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of autumn. On the Equinox, we will experience an almost perfect twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night, with the Sun rising at 6:30 AM and setting at 6:30 PM. The Sun will also be nicely aligned in the sky: it will rise from due east and set due west.

As the Earth makes its way around the sun, different constellations will be visible in the night sky. September is the best time to view the constellations Cygnus the swan, Capricornus the sea-goat, and Delphinus the dolphin. If you can spot the Summer Triangle, made by the bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb, then you’ve already found one of these constellations. Deneb, which means “tail” in Arabic, is the tail of Cygnus. The rest of Cygnus—also called the Northern Cross—faces in towards the Triangle, as if you were watching it fly from below. Capricornus is fainter, a warped triangle-like shape located towards the southern horizon. It has its own “tail” star, called Deneb Algedi, that marks the rear end of the fish-tailed sea-goat. The faintest and smallest of these constellations is also the most whimsical: Delphinus the dolphin, which can be found slightly northeast of Altair. It’s hard to see except on the darkest of nights, but once you’ve spotted its delightful curve of stars, it will become an instant favorite.

Gas giant planets Jupiter and Saturn will also be gracing our evening skies this month. Saturn has been rising just after sunset – currently around 7 PM – and as we get further into the month, it will continue to rise earlier and earlier. By mid-month, it will rise around 6 PM (just before sunset), which means it will be nice and high in the sky by the time it gets truly dark out. Jupiter, for its part, starts off the month rising around 10 PM, but will quickly follow Saturn towards earlier rise times, and end September rising at 8 PM. Look to the east to see these two bright points of light.

Looking Skyward:

"A New Look at the Moon"

In this edition of "Looking Skyward", mission controllers react to the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3. Inset is a graphic of the spacecraft on moon from the Indian Space Research Organization's broadcast of the landing.

Listen here!

Maria Mitchell's Attic

Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.



Read here!

Stop by the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum and Aquarium Gift Shop and check out our one of a kind gifts.

There is something for everyone, and great Nantucket apparel and accessories for the 2023 season!

24k gold plated star ring and earrings at

the MMA Aquarium Gift Shop

Local Campers Visiting the MMA This Summer!

The Nantucket Community School ACKventure Camp and

Small Friends Quahog Class visit to the MMA Aquarium!

Our Amazing 2023 Interns in Action!

Photo of some of the MMA's interns at our Annual 2023 Stargazer Gala in July.

Photo by Bill Hoenk, Nantucket About Town

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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