If it is true that our earliest inhabitants named Virginia’s
great valley, Shenandoah, or “daughter of the stars,” then our natives
have been looking skyward for a long time. Recently, when astronomers announced
the discovery that nearby stars may have planets orbiting them, we began to wonder
about the formal and informal stargazers in our own backyard.
As with many other Old Dominion firsts, formal stargazing in Virginia may have begun with Thomas
Jefferson. The intrepid man of science was working on plans for an
observatory a year after he founded the University
of Virginia in 1819. In 1823, he converted an unoccupied
building on his new university campus into a building
for astronomical observations. Although he prepared
architectural plans for a true observatory on a nearby
mountain and construction actually began, the first
authentic observatory on the UVa campus dates from
1885. Dedicated on April 13, Thomas Jefferson’s
birthday, it was housed in what was then the largest
refracting telescope in an educational institution.
It had a 26¼-inch lens made by the finest glass
work and lens crafting firm at the time.
The Leander McCormick Observatory – named for
benefactor and UVA alum McCormick – still operates
today. Twice a month, visitors can view celestial objects
through the historic refractor as well as two smaller
telescopes.
David Maness, director of astronomy at the Virginia
Living Museum in Newport News, believes it is impossible
to know how many observatories are spread across the
Commonwealth today. In addition to UVa, which has a
modern observatory on Fan Mountain with a number of
state-of-the-art telescopes, William and Mary, Randolph-Macon
and Tidewater Community College are among college and
universities that operate teaching observatories. Many
high schools throughout the state have observatories,
as well.
Then there are amateur astronomy groups, such as the
Langley Skywatchers who operate an observatory on the
Langley NASA grounds in Hampton where the original
Mercury Seven astronauts trained. In fact, there are
at least nine amateur sky-gazing groups spread across
the state from the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society
in Fincastle to the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers in
Virginia Beach. Many of their members operate backyard
observatories.
Such groups have been the movers and shakers behind
the “dark sky” movement – the effort
to reduce light pollution at night. Light pollution
refers to the effect of artificial lights from public
buildings, light poles, lighted billboards, etc. on
the night sky. Such groups encourage more environmental
friendly lighting designs on public buildings or the
turning off of lights during certain night hours.
Several studies have found that light pollution affects
more that star-gazing. It may also affect animal and
plant behavior, reports Odyssey magazine (“A
Light Pollution Study Near You,” March 2005).
For example, birds blinded by lights in high-rises
have become confused and flown into windows.
In Virginia, the Washington Post recently
reported that several of Virginia’s counties,
Albemarle, Fauquier, Loudoun and Warren, have either
proposed or implemented light-pollution restrictions.
(“Let There Be Light – But Not Too Much,” January
8, 2005).
Some amateur astronomers, though, may take dark sky
tactics to extremes. A member of the Roanoke group
suggests that other members may want to change their
car dome light to red. Then, opening car doors would
not disturb those peering through their scopes at the
group’s Star Parties at nearby Cahas Mountain.
But, for those who prefer their star-gazing in comfort,
we have the observatory’s cousin, the planetarium.
There are at least five full-fledged varieties, including
the Virginia Living Museum’s planetarium in Newport
News, as well as the Science Museum of Western Virginia’s
planetarium in Roanoke. We suspect, just as with amateur
observatories, there are many more rookie planetariums
in the state as well.
Jefferson, one of the Old Dominion’s earliest
stargazers, would be pleased.
NEXT: Virginia’s Epidemics
March 28, 2005
Nice & Curious
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