AstroFest to present four nights of stargazing, space exploration – The Daily Collegian Online

From simulated gooey alien planet surfaces to open telescope viewings on the Davey Lab roof, Penn State's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics will offer an interactive perspective on the science of astronomy when it hosts the 18th Annual AstroFest.

AstroFest came to life 18 years ago when Nahks Tr'Ehnl was still a Penn State student double majoring in art and astronomy. Tr'Ehnl said he and a few other classmates were in town for the summer and decided to incorporate a festival of astronomy at the same time as the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

"Several members of the astronomy club just happened to be here in town for the summer and thought it would be nice to have an open house," Tr'Ehnl said. "I wanted to tie in both art and astronomy. Then, things just started to pick up from there."

Between Wednesday, July 12 and Saturday, July 15, the fifth floor of Davey Lab will be open from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. to the community for free. Participants will have the opportunity to stargaze the night sky after 10 p.m. on the roof of Davey Lab and, if the weather permits, viewers should get the opportunity to see Jupiter, Saturn, the Ring Nebula and Globular Cluster M13, among others.

Festivalgoers can also watch cosmic rays pass through a cloud chamber, participate in their own bottle rocket launchings, and play an astronomy video game featured in Penn State's Astro 001 course.

Tr'Ehnl, who was also the co-creator of the video game, said the video game could help people understand astronomy better.

"As a subject, astronomy is mainly visual, as far as observational astronomy goes," Tr'Ehnl said. "Videogames are produced in a 3-dimensional format which helps demonstrate spatial relations between stars and planets to offer viewers a different perspective."

According to AstroFest co-founder Jane Charlton, who is also a professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the festival will host 14 different astronomy-related presentations which will each last 30 minutes long. Presentation topics will vary from the solar eclipse, expected on Aug. 21, to black holes.

"People come all four nights and don't repeat a single thing," Charlton said. "We always have new demonstrations every year because of new volunteers, and that's what keeps me going."

Other activities featured during the four-night activities will include astronomy origami, also known as "astrogami, planetarium shows, finding habitable zone planets and an astronomy idol competition.

"I want it to be a mini Disney world of astronomy," Charlton said. "Showing people outside of the Penn State community about astronomy is important, and most of them always seem to be have a good time."

Tr'Ehnl said that people go to AstroFest during the busy week because they are curious as to what's going on in the science community.

"[AstroFest] is a very important way for people to see what astronomers do and feel a connection to it, TrEhnl said. That this is what funding for science comes from, what results come from NASA and why we as taxpayers are impacted by it. All these things that you may hear on the news and TV are a chance to get hands-on with it and get to ask direct questions to the people who do the science."

Chris Palma, another professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said the department hosts AstroFest every year because they want people to get excited about astronomy.

"Astronomy is a popular science, Palma said. Its all on TV, which is why we all feel an obligation to help run programs like AstroFest. If I want people to get anything out of AstroFest, I just want them to have a good time."