FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: February 24, 2003
Contact: Charles Schweighauser, 206-6721
UIS schedules Sunday Star Parties for people with disabilities
Featured objects for viewing will be Jupiter, the largest planet, and Saturn, the ringed planet. The April 13 party will also focus on the moon.
These Star Parties are conducted by Charles Schweighauser, UIS professor of astronomy and physics. However the Sunday parties use a telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky.
The modified eight-inch Schmidt Cassegrain
telescope employs a traditional optical design but with a fixed eyepiece that
brings the image to the viewer. This eyepiece can be moved backward and forward
in its tube as much as seven inches without refocusing, and can accommodate
anyone from a large person in a high wheelchair to a child in the lowest,
smallest wheelchair. A laptop computer runs the telescope, eliminating the need
for a large keyboard and monitor that can emit too much distracting light on
the dark observation deck.
To make a reservation for a Sunday Night Star Party, or for more information, contact Schweighauser at 206-6721, no later than Friday, March 7.
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