The science of astronomy allows everyone to witness historical firsts. Here are some personal firsts:
1958 The Ring
“Have you ever seen a smoker puff a smoke ring?” said the backyard astronomer who introduced me to the field.
“Sure, Mom can do that,” I answered.
“Well that’s what you have to look for.”
My fist view of that tiny puff of smoke in the constellation Lyra got me hooked on astronomy. Although it was only a personal first, other unrepeatable firsts in astronomy followed, like the first satellite launched into orbit shortly thereafter. I watched it make its way across the murky New York City sky from the roof of the apartment building.
All links that follow each first can help you understand their scientific magnitude, but they cannot provide you with the experience of seeing such things with your eyes.
1990-1994 Magellan
Astronomy clubs like the VCAS engage qualified scientists to speak at their monthly meetings. During the time of Magellan’s Venus mapping, the spacecraft lost contact with Earth. The media lamented yet another expensive loss.
Our guest speaker from JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), with knowledge of the craft’s design asked us not to worry. “A dust speck on the camera lens can cause a temporary shut-down,” He said, then explained that after twenty-four hours, the craft’s camera would begin a coning process to search for its guide star. He paused, looked down at his watch, and announced, “In five minutes Magellan will send signals back to earth.” It did.
1993 M-81 Supernova
The day a student from Spain announced his discovery of a supernova in M-81 phones rang, emails posted, and the club scheduled a star party. We members of the Ventura County Astronomical Society knew that its brightness would soon fade. I joined friends to pore over star charts and gaze through the telescopes. It might not seem earthshaking to see a bright star where there shouldn’t be one, but I stared at that star again and again because I knew once it faded away, I’d have to have access to Hubble Telescope to see its leftover remnant.
July 16, 1994 Comet Schumacher-Levy crashes into Jupiter
The awesome capability of the human eye is depth perception. I’m not talking about the three-D aspect of vision produced by looking at something from two different angles with both eyes. I’m talking about the hole I saw on Jupiter when Schumacher-Levy hit the planet. No photograph, CCD image, or Hubble shot can compare. The living experience of gazing into the depths of a punctured planet will always remain engraved on my mind.
1996 Comet Hyakutake
Bright and beautiful, it was visible to the unaided eye. Did you see it? I did.
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