A great way to get beginners interested in astronomy and stargazing is to set up a telescope in a public location and attract passersby. Some observers have taken to street corners, others to central parks, but in Geneva, New York, one amateur astronomer and telescope maker has a novel idea: pair an ultra-light scope with a cargo bicycle and set up spontaneous star parties across his city.
Last year, Doug Reilly began organizing regular observing events in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, but it soon became apparent that it often clouded over. He recognized that in the future “star parties had to be much more spontaneous to take advantage of openings in the weather,” he says. For spontaneity, Reilly thought a bicycle would be best: He could ride it onto park grounds, the headlights are much dimmer than a car, and it's a sustainable source of transportation.
The next step is for Reilly to build an ultra-light telescope that he can carry on a bicycle with room to bring the gear he needs for observing, signs to inform passersby about an event, and his 9-year-old daughter (who helps him run events). To accomplish this, Reilly has raised more than $5,000 through the crowd-funding website Kickstarter.com. He calls his project “people-powered stargazing.”
If you’re interested in helping Reilly, check out his blog, which has a link to the fundraising website.
If you saw a guy riding a bike with a telescope, wouldn’t you be intrigued? I know I would be.