Re: [ATM] Astonomy in Schools

[Mark Holm <mdholm@telerama.com>]

You  can try a friendly invitation to the uninterested persons to come 
to a star party.  Of course, select your star party to give an optimum 
experience.  Saturn and Jupiter are always good for the uninitiated, but 
you will want to have something a bit less commonly known, like a good 
globular cluster, and a nice galaxy.  You can then describe how globular 
clusters are arranged around galaxies and perhaps mention that the 
orbits of globulars can be used as probes of the galaxy's gravitational 
field.  That ought to appeal to the latent didact in most educators.  
Pick a night neither too hot nor too cold, and with as few as possible 
biting bugs out.  (Some parts of the U.S. have really vicious mosquitoes 
till  midnight or so, and even all night in the warmest parts of the year.)

A personal invitation, delivered in person is usually the most 
effective.  You might as well be up front about your motive.  Maybe make 
your invitation in a venue separated from work (school).  Like throw a 
party and invite the target(s) over for some good grilled food and cold 
beer, then pop the star party invite on them after they have a full 
stomach and a hint of alcohol induced good nature.  Invite one or two of 
your more socially adept amateur astronomer buddies too.  (Course you 
might need to be sure the targets are not teetotaling Methodists first.)

Mark Holm
mdholm@telerama.com

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