Gifted Atlanta

I just got word from Fernbank Science Center that they’re having a celebration tomorrow (Saturday, June 30), that being the last day that visitors can access Fernbank Forest via the science center. (Without getting into too much background, effective July 1 the forest is becoming a privately held entity that will be separate from the science center and likely will charge an admission fee.)

Free planetarium shows and other activities are planned from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission, as always, is free.

Here’s something to bring a little science to your Independence Day celebration: This Friday at 7 p.m., Tellus Museum in Cartersville will host a lecture about the chemistry of fireworks. The lecture will be presented by Bob Gossman, who is a senior program manager for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and a former high-school chemistry and physics teacher. The lecture is included in the cost of admission to the museum. The galleries will be open until 9 p.m.

Parents of astronomy enthusiasts, take note: I just received word from the SPACE Club at Georgia Perimeter College that they’ll be hosting a special open house in the observatory on the Dunwoody Campus this Thursday evening. Here is the information as I received it from observatory supervisor David Penly:

SPACE Club invites you to the Dunwoody Observatory this Thursday, June 21, 7:30 to 10:00 pm to celebrate the summer solstice (a day late) and take a look at the Moon and the planet Mercury, which will be in conjunction that evening.

We’ll set up our telescopes before sunset to take a look at the Sun, which has been surprisingly active lately.  We can also see Mercury and the Moon in the daytime sky with our telescopes.  Later, as the sky gets darker we may be able to spot Mercury with our naked eyes.  Since it is always close to the Sun and never up when the sky is dark, it is hard to spot Mercury in the sky, though it is a fairly bright object.  On Thursday however, the proximity of the Moon will help us locate it.

After sunset at 8:51 pm we can also take a look at Saturn and Mars – a regular parade of solar system objects.  So stop by after classes or work and help us celebrate the balmy evenings of summer.  Refreshments will be served.  As always, viewing will be contingent on open skies, but good conversation will not:  bar pouring rain, the observatory will be open.

From the creative minds at Tellus Museum in Cartersville:

There will be an extra “tick” to the clock on June 30 as scientists add a leap second, and Tellus Science Museum is celebrating with a special contest for kids. One lucky child will get to be “Director for a Second,” giving our hardworking executive director a well-earned vacation.

Leap seconds are introduced periodically to keep up with Earth’s slowing down as it spins around its axis. A tiny effect, only 2 milliseconds have been added to the day in the last 188 years. Since the building of the great pyramid of Giza, 4500 years ago, the day has only grown 1/14 of a second longer. 

On Friday, June 29 at noon, Tellus Executive Director Jose Santamaria will take a one second vacation. The winning child will win a free entry into the museum for their family, a planetarium show, a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum, and a special gift bag.

 The contest runs through Thursday, June 21, and is open to children under 14. Entries can be e-mailed to TellusMuseum@gmail.com and must contain the child’s name, the parent’s name, phone number and e-mail address, along with what the child will do with their extra second.