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Striking Sparks

Congratulations to (from left to right):

• Quincy Zlotnick

• Michael Masters

• Noah Dove

• Elliott Dellorco

• Frank Demma

• Maxwell Hyde

Year's Event 2008

Striking Sparks program concluded on Friday, February 8 at Apple Blossom School with the awarding of six Dobsonian telescopes to the winners of the essay contest. We had a good turnout of teachers, sponsors, Young Astronomers, parents and SCAS members for the event.After the telescopes were awarded we had some fantastic viewing with the Sparks Telescopes from the dark site near the school.

We were rewarded with the winners’ enjoyment of views of Saturn, Andromeda Galaxy, Orion Nebula, Mars and more. We would also like to express our appreciation to Gary Jordan and Paul Judge of Apple Blossom School for their ongoing support of the Young Astronomers as advisers and making the facility available for meetings.

A special thank you for Len Nelson who has been working with the Young Astronomers throughout the year and preparing for the awards.

Special thanks to our Sponsors for this Year:

• Keith (former SCAS President) and Nicolette Payea

• The Astronomical Society of Northern California

• Michael D. Kran In Memory of Kingsley Wightman (former director of Chabot Observatory)

• Arrow Electric Service, Inc. - Matt and Norma Bunyard (parents of last year’s winner Sara Bunyard)

• The generous Frank Hejtmanek Fund

• Hilda Mansfield in Memory of Ralph Mansfield (a long-time SCAS member and contributor).

• We would also like to recognize Orion Telescopes of Cupertino for providing the telescope purchasing arrangements and to Sam Sweiss of Scope City for supplying the planespheres, pen lights and lens cleaning kits for each winner.

• Larry McCune, Striking Sparks Coordinator

Sparks Telescope Program

Each year the Sonoma County Astronomical Society (SCAS) sponsors the “Striking Sparks” Telescope Awards Program. The purpose of the program is to promote science education and interest in astronomy. The program’s name comes from an occurrence related by one of our members: A man and his son built a telescope and this struck a “spark” of interest that contributed to the son’s ultimately graduating with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.

Our program’s goal is to strike other sparks of interest in Sonoma County tudents. This is the 24th year of the program and over 200 telescopes have been awarded to Sonoma County students. For the 2007-2008 school year we will be awarding the contest winners easy to use, new 6-inch reflecting Dobsonian mount telescopes to students that have been nominated by their teachers or by SCAS members. Applicants must attend one or more SCAS Young Astronomers meetings or the Robert Ferguson Observatory and write an essay about their interest in astronomy.

There is an opportunity for you or your organization to sponsor a telescope and participate in this worthwhile program. The cost to sponsor a “Striking Sparks” telescope is $200. Contact Larry McCune, Striking Sparks Coordinator, at: llmccune@comcast.net

Page last updated Mar 10, 2008