Traveling Talks
Shows that I have presented outside of Montgomery College's Planetarium:
- Splendors of the Universe: Eighty slides of the universe, starting
with the sun and the planets, then moving to star-forming regions within our
Galaxy, to galaxies outside of the Milky Way (our Galaxy), and finally to
clusters of galaxies. Sixty of the slides are the most beautiful, correct-color
photographs of astronomical objects that have ever been taken. All of these
pictures are presented with relevant explanations as to their meaning and
significance, with questions solicited from the audience as the talk progresses.
- Creation of the Elements: an explanation of how nucleosynthesis
in stars created the elements in the universe out of hydrogen and helium which
were created during the big bang. The iron in your blood was created in a
supernova explosion.
- The Whisper of Creation: how the initial explosion creating
the universe can be listened to in microwave frequencies. This program is
suitable for all school age groups and has been delivered in Vacation Bible
School as well as other school groups. The level can be adjusted for the
audience.
- Spectra of Stars, Analysis of Starlight: how the spectra and
the color of stars reveal their properties. We shall look at the discrete
emission spectra of hydrogen, helium, and neon gas discharge tubes by using
hand-held diffraction gratings. We shall discuss the elemental composition
of the universe, learn why hot stars are bluer and cool stars redder, and
look at the absorption spectra of stars to determine their properties.
- Astrolabe Past, Present, and Future: An astrolabe was the most
important astronomical instrument before the telescope was invented, and
the most important astronomical calculator before the digital computer was
invented. Geoffrey Chaucer of Canterbury Tales fame wrote the earliest
work of science education in 1387, The Treatise of the Astrolabe,
for his 10-year-old son Lewis. A Star Finder/plainsphere is a partially functioning
astrolabe. A real astrolabe does what a plainsphere does and much more. Is
it history or science? Astrolabes.org
a URL that I own and is rated by Britannica.com
as the best source of information on Astrolabes on the web.
- Is Most of the Universe Missing? What evidence do astronomers
have that 90% of the universe is dark? This traveling talk requires that
the audience be familiar with physics and algebra at the high school level.
This is an ideal talk for high school physics classes after they have learned
about circular motion with a radial acceleration of a = v^2/R and understand
Newton's law of universal gravitation F=GMm/R^2. This is the only traveling
talk that requires the audience to understand equations.
- Light Pollution: How Seeing the Stars Will Save You Money:
We can not see the Milky Way from the Washington Metro area anymore, but
this spectacle could return. In fact, it can be done in such a way as to
save millions of dollars-for towns, county, and state government-while putting
more light on the ground where we humans need to see at night and in the spectral
band (color) at which humans have our peak visual acuity. IDA, International Dark Sky Association.
- Solar Eclipses Solar Eclipse in general and the eclipse of
11 July 1991 and the eclipse of 26 February 1998 in particular are
the subject of this talk and slide presentation.
- Chesapeake Bay Crater 35.5 ± 0.6
million years ago, when Washington, DC and Richmond VA were on the coast,
an object hit the earth on the continental shelf in the Atlantic ocean, N
37° 17' W 76° 1', causing a crater 85 km in diameter.
After sea level fell, this crater would help form the Chesapeake Bay.
The impact site is now called the lower Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
The Chesapeake Bay
Bolide: Modern consequences of an Ancient Cataclysm.
- Ancient
Sky Watchers of Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, and
Honduras, the
Maya. The Maya had a better solar year determination
(tracking of the winter solstice) than
the Europeans did in 1582AD before 900AD, how did they do this?
Equipment needed
A slide projector (preferably of the carrousel type) and an overhead transparency
projector. If your group does not have this equipment I can bring it from
the College. All of these traveling talks can also be presented within the
planetarium even more effectively to your group if you can visit me.
Please call Dr. Harold Williams at [240] 567-1463 (office)
Send e-mail to
Harold Williams at Harold.Williams@montgomerycollege.edu
Directions
to Montgomery College's Planetarium.
Montgomery
College's Planetarium home page.
web page by Dr. Harold Williams last modified 10:56PM September 26, 2005.