Guest Author - Lea Terry

In 1973, Doug Berger decided to make astronomy more accessible to the general public. Berger, who was president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California, decided that instead of encouraging people to travel to observatories to view the stars, he would bring the stars to them - by placing telescopes where the people already were, whether it was a park or a street corner. This marked the beginning of Astronomy Day, which is celebrated on a date between mid April and mid May on a Saturday near or before the 1st quarter Moon.

The theme for Astronomy Day is "bringing astronomy to the people," and groups around the country, and even the world, organize activities to encourage the public to take a closer look at the starry skies. Observatories, museums and astronomy clubs hold events that make it easier for the aspiring or amateur astronomer to view everything from stars to nebulae.

As always, for Astronomy Day I like to round up a list of astronomy facts I think are especially nifty:

Halloween has astronomical origins, dating back to the Celts, who lived in pre-Christian Britain. Halloween is a “cross-quarter day,” which marked the beginning of the seasons for the Celts. The Celts called Halloween “Samhain,” or “summer’s end” and it was also their New Year’s Eve. The Celts believed that at this time, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was its thinnest, and that the departed, especially those who had died within the previous year, might return to their former homes for a visit.

The "dog days of summer" were named after Sirius, the “dog star,” which rises and sets with the Sun from late July to about the middle of August. The term goes back to ancient Egypt, where Sirius played a pivotal role in daily Egyptian life.

In 1705, Isaac Newton became the first scientist to be knighted.

The three main kinds of telescope are: refractors, reflectors and cassegrains.

Though Edmund Halley achieved fame and recognition early in life, he also suffered profound personal and professional disappointment. For instance, his father disappeared in 1684, and was found dead five weeks later. Halley had to oversee his father’s estate, and his time was consumed by legal, property and family issues.