The Battle Point Astronomical Association at the observatory in Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island is preparing the Ritchie telescope for some big celestial events this spring and summer.
If you’ve been to Battle Point Park you’ve probably noticed the white dome that sits on top of a tall square building near the sundial. What you might not know is that it houses a telescope with a 27.5-inch diameter mirror, making it the largest publicly accessible telescope in the Northwest.
The association offers a unique opportunity to learn astronomy through monthly meetings, summer camps, star parties and planetarium shows. You can also learn how to use the Ritchie telescope with “hands-on” training or you can check out a telescope from the BI Public Library.
During the past two years, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the association could not offer in-person classes, so it shifted to online Zoom presentations.
Association president Frank Petrie, a retired civil engineer, said: “It’s been a challenge.” Other than conducting maintenance to keep things together, “we’ve not been able to do any astronomy public outreach.” Despite that, club membership has grown through the online lectures.
“It’s surprising, even in COVID, our membership has nearly doubled,” Petrie said.
Petrie is fine-tuning the polar alignment of the telescope in order to attach an astronomical video camera for photography and live streaming. It was through that process that the club learned the telescope’s alignment wasn’t perfect, and they are making small adjustments to improve the imaging.
Another issue the club faces is upgrading is the DSL internet connection. “The parks department is working on connecting us to their broadband system. Once that’s in place…we should be able to do live streaming in real-time as things are happening in the sky.”
One of the activities this summer is a major skywatching event that will occur in June as the planets come into alignment.
“You’ll get a sense of how the solar system is arranged and all the planets orbit in a plane. They’re not randomly scattered across the sky. They’re all in a line, and you can get a sense of the three-dimensional aspect of the solar system when you view the planets that way,” Petrie said.
Upcoming events
March 25, the Kids Museum will host the outdoor Fam Jam where the association will be on location with solar telescopes to show attendees how to safely view sunspots.
In May, a total eclipse of the moon will last about 3 ½ hours as the earth’s shadow moves across the face of the moon.
Sometime in June and July, the association will partner with NASA and host events when the James Webb Space Telescope begins sending space images back to earth. They hope to livestream video about the Webb telescope on a big screen in the observatory.
Learn more about association summer camps and other activities at https://bpastro.org.
Nancy Treder/Bainbridge Island Review The Battle Point Astronomical Association Equatorial sundial at Battle Point Park.
The Edward E. Ritchie Observatory located at Battle Point Park.
