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Grant pays for Scout observatory program
Special to the Avalanche
McDONALD OBSERVATORY - A 415,000 grant from Harry E. Bovay Jr. of Houston, Lowell Lebermann of Austin and Virginia Lebermann of Marfa will help Texas Boy Scouts learn the wonders of the night sky at McDonald Observatory starting next week.
The grant allows a college student to live and work at the observatory during the summer to help with the Scout program, among other duties. The Frank N. Bash Visitors Center has hired Austin Gatlin, an undergraduate majoring in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin.
On Thursdays in June and July, the observatory will welcome as many as 250 Scouts weekly for eight "Scout Nights." Most of these youths will come from the Buffalo Trails Scout Ranch, about 10 miles northeast of McDonald Observatory. The Scouts complete a combination of activities toward their astronomy merit badge. They also receive a souvenir McDonald Observatory Scout Night patch designed by Tim Jones, art director. Production of the souvenir patches was funded by the Bovay/Lebermann grant.
At McDonald, Scouts will observe the night sky through telescopes. Summer wonders include Saturn, Jupiter, the moon, star clusters, nebulae and various galaxies. In addition to touring exhibits, Scouts will participate a hands-on activity called "Modeling the Night Sky." In it, they represent the planets in our solar system and constellations, learning how objects move in the sky and why different planets and constellations are visible at certain times of year only.
If your Boy Scout troop will be in West Texas during June or July, you may attend Scout Nights at McDonald Observatory. For more information, contact Mark Cash at 432-426-3864 or cash@astro.as.utexas.edu.
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