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Why I am a FOTO

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And You Can Be, Too

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California

Continuing this week’s series about astronomy-related gift ideas, why not consider joining the Friends of the Observatory? I’m a Friend of the Observatory — Griffith Observatory, that is. If you haven’t heard of Griffith, it’s a public observatory in Los Angeles, California that serves up astronomy exhibits and information six days a week. You can wander its exhibits free of charge any day except Monday (and a few holidays when they’re closed), and for a few bucks, you can see their planetarium show. It’s a marvelous place and I highly recommend that if you live in L.A. (or travel there), you check it out. It will amaze you, delight you, and give you a wonderful sense of where you are in the cosmos.

I am a Friend of the Observatory because I support their outreach activities. In the 75+ years since the institution first opened, literally millions and millions of people have looked through the observatory’s telescopes and learned about the universe from the exhibits and planetarium shows.

A few years ago, Griffith renovated and expanded the building and recreated all their exhibits while adding new ones. I had the honor of being their exhibit writer, and when all was said and done, I ended up writing the equivalent of an astronomy book in approachable language for more than 150 exhibit panels. (You can read more about those exhibits here.) It was a fascinating and highly fulfilling project for all of us who were involved.

I am also a Friend of the Observatory because astronomy is one of the sciences that nurtures an interest in all sciences. It connects things together in a cosmic way. And Griffith Observatory helps people understand that connection. Even though I don’t live in L.A. and don’t get to Griffith all that often, I support its mission with my mind, heart, and soul. And, I joined FOTO so that my membership dues could help them continue to make connections to the cosmos for everyone.

A couple of days ago I had some gift suggestions for the holidays. If you’re still trying to find an interesting gift for that special someone, consider a FOTO membership. You’ll be supporting astronomy outreach in one of the world’s largest and most diverse cities. And who knows — maybe your membership will help fund a program that helps a little girl or boy decide to become a scientist.

griffith observatory, Observatories

Front Seats on the Cosmos

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Observatories

Well, another little travel break took me out to Gemini Observatory in Hawai’i for a few days of meetings. Then, back to California, where I finally had a chance to show my folks around the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

I like to work with observatories; have been doing it now for a few years. Most of the work I do is in public outreach, helping the astronomers get the message out about the work they do in their domes. Gemini has been a steady client since 2004, and Griffith hired me to write their exhibits in 2005-2006.

The work is endlessly fascinating. Just as an example, there’s a press release out from Gemini Observatory about an odd little star that has a surprisingly active magnetic field. You can read more about it here. I started working on that press release in early autumn this year. The first step was to interview the scientist who headed the research team studying the star. We talked by phone a couple of times, and I did some background reading so that I could weave in some ideas about how stellar magnetic fields are generated. That way, we could make the case for why this star is so unusual.

The next step was to send the first draft of the press release to the folks at Gemini for their review, as well as to the scientist. It went through the review process, and the folks at Gemini then commissioned some space art to illustrate the star.

When I was in Hawai’i, I finished my part of the work, and from there it went to final review before today’s publication date. That’s a pretty typical creation/review process, and while I don’t always write the press releases, I do get in on the review and editing process at some point. Along the way, I get to add to my store of astronomy knowledge, which is a constantly changing treasury.

Writing exhibits is quite a bit different; they reach out to a hugely wider audience than a press release, and each panel in an exhibit tells a story of its own. I was quite happy to show my folks and mother-in-law around Griffith, and was curious to see what they’d take away from what they saw. To my great delight, they got exactly what I’d hoped they’d get out of the visit, asking the questions we’d hoped to spur with our work. Plus, it was hugely satisfying to show off what amounts to the equivalent of a giant book spread out across tens of thousands of square feet of exhibit space!

TheSpacewriter, her folks, and Albert Einstein, at Griffith Observatory.