Basildon Street Science Fair tomorrow

[JOC]

Just to let folks know:-

It is Basildon Street Science Fair tomorrow and I am attending as a STEM Ambassador - hopefully with a telescope to look at the sun if it makes an appearance (see my thread in the solar observation pages).  If anyone is local and wants to come along and say "Hi" please do so.  Lots of science going on please bring lots of children - grown-up "children" always welcome!

http://www.basildonstreetscience.co.uk/

 

[The Admiral]

37 minutes ago, JOC said:

I am attending as a STEM Ambassador

Well done you! A worthy activity I am sure, this country needs more science and engineering based people.

I hope the weather looks kindly on the event, the forecast looks as though there might be some breaks in the clouds.

Ian

[JOC]

Have you any idea how difficult it makes things to plan to show all-comers their nearest star and then find it spends all day! (Literally all day!) behind the clouds.  Bah Humbug!!

Still luckily a telescope in its own right provided an attraction and I can now say that countless more members of the general public have now looked down a telescope than ever had before (I wish I had kept count) - even it was only to look at the most interesting object I could find in a shopping precinct - a television aerial!!!  Still it seemed sufficiently interesting that the image was the wrong way up - cue lots of discussions as to why.   I showed loads of folks how to make a pinhole camera (for when the sun comes out), the line that cued laughter each time was "It doesn't have to be a Rice Crispies box - a cornflakes box will also work!".   I showed pictures of what the sun would have looked like.  My son did the match the names to the planets exercise and handed out lots of reward sweets.   Despite the lack of sun it felt a very successful day.