Stargazing at Bear Mountain Inn

On Saturday, January 15, nine high school students, mostly from Mamaroneck High School, attended a stargazing event hosted by the Rockland Astronomy Club. The event, located near the Bear Mountain Inn, centered on viewing Saturn because of its close proximity to the Earth at the time. Members of the club guided a few mostly homemade telescopes through which the visitors could view Saturn and its rings. The members were extremely helpful, knowledgeable on the subject, and good at toning down knowledge to a general audience’s level. Inclement weather the week before forced rescheduling of the event, but there was still a decent turnout for a freezing January night. The light from New York City and light from a nearby ice skating rink decreased the amount of visible stars but did not detract from the view of Saturn. “You have to be at least one hundred miles from any city to be able to see a good sky,” one member of the club said.

Most attendees liked the view presented by the telescopes, and the homemade telescopes were impressive. Made from giant tubes used for street lamps and store-bought lenses, the telescopes were about a foot in diameter and taller than the people were and capable of showing a sphere with an obvious ring around it.

During a discussion about an astronomy trip next year, however, most students agreed that traveling further away from the City would be preferable. Also, this author would like to have seen each of the telescopes trained on different parts of the night sky.

Kenneth Vanderpool
Mamaroneck High School