Students Invited to a Star Party at McCall Middle School

science teachers have teamed up with Rob Naeye, Editor and Chief of Sky & Telescope Magazine, Alan Mac Roberts editor of Sky & Telescope and contributor to the Boston Globe and Tony Flanders, Host of PBS’s SkyWeek to host a Star Party on on April 2 or April 3 if there are too many clouds. At dusk, students, teachers and their knowledgeable guests will gather around several telescopes to gaze upon the night sky. 

The science teachers expressed an interest in providing an astronomy workshop for the students, according to Joel Toner, a Winchester parent and manager of several publications at New Tack Media. “We worked together to put together a ‘star party’ for the students. Several of the editors of Sky & Telescope, where I work have volunteered to bring their telescope and help the student have firsthand viewing experience,” Toner said.

 “Sky & Telescope Magazine, which is based out of Cambridge, does a lot of community outreach,” Toner said. “We’ll be using their home observing scopes ranging in size and ability. Each telescope will be trained on different sights and one of the editors will talk about what students will see.”

The goal, barring any bad weather, is to see several infamous sights of in our solar system such as Jupiter, which will be visible in the twilight. The observers will need to be ready right away for sight seeing of Jupiter but they ought to be able to see the Moon, Venus, Mars and Saturn if people stay long enough for it to rise around 8:45 p.m.

“I remember when I first looked through a telescope and saw Saturn, I was blown away,” Toner said. “If this is successful, it will become an annual event.”

The event is for students and their families.