Astronomy's appeal: More than just an eclipse, Northeast Ohio astronomers say

Feb. 26—"Space and culture are inextricably linked."

That assessment, shared by astronomy educators Ray Garner III and Gary Kader, encompasses "everything," too, from entertainment and education.

And with a total solar eclipse forthcoming on April 8, professionals in the field — spuriously believed to exist outside of the "science mainstream" — will put the event front and center, as was the case in August of 2017.

While community events put the finishing touches on welcoming thousands of visitors to Northeast Ohio, in particular, the sustained captivation with astronomy is something that continues to be primal.

Baldwin Wallace University — The Burrell Memorial Observatory

"Humans have been fascinated by the night sky ever since we could look up," Kader said, walking the grounds of Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, where he serves as director of the Burrell Memorial Observatory, open twice every semester. "Of course, the biggest question is, 'Are we alone?' "

Dedicated in 1940, the observatory, located on the northernmost point of the campus, stands in honor of Katherine Ward Burrell's husband, Edward, an NEO designer and engineer who constructed some of the world's largest telescopes.

The facility, Kader noted, is special in its own right, housing a 13 3/8-inch Warner and Swasey refracting telescope — the second largest refractor in Ohio, second to the University of Cincinnati's 16-inch diameter — in addition to a display room and classrooms.

"The telescope is used in astronomy instruction by the department of physics," he said, adding open houses are also scheduled periodically throughout the year. "During the summer and fall of 2003, the two outside observing wings, the observing dome and the round first-floor classroom were refurbished to suit current uses, and several of the collections and displays have been relocated around campus."

Below the floor level of the dome, on the roofs of the observatory's two wings, sit large areas for group naked-eye observing. On the first floor, the circular room contains many exhibits and transparencies, in addition to special cabinets that hold a number of replicas of ancient-time recording apparatus and a collection of old watches and clocks, and other displays.

"We use the telescope for students enrolled in the Observational Astronomy Laboratory class, one of the most popular labs on campus, and we have several research and/or design projects that have served as student capstone projects," Kader said. "We have been hosting lectures since 2008, and I also conduct tours for groups such as scout troops and photography clubs.

"The Burrell is essentially the same as when it opened, which makes it very classic, right out of central casting."

For the eclipse, BW plans to host an observing party at the Strosacker Student Union.

According to Kader, there are several opportunities for amateurs to contribute to astronomical research, including:

—Measuring double star orbits — "About half the stars in the night sky are actually double stars, and measuring their orbits is essential in determining their masses."

—Observing variable stars — "There are times in a star's life when it varies in luminosity....measuring these variations contributes to our understanding of stellar evolution."

—Timing occultations (hidden from view or lost to observer notice) — "From time to time an asteroid will pass in front of a star. Accurately, timing these events allows us to determine its orbit and size."

Additionally, Kader said, there are two amateur astronomy groups in Cleveland, both of which meet on the BW campus: The Cuyahoga Astronomical Association and The Cleveland Astronomical Society.

There is also the Black River Astronomical Society in Lorain and the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society.

A shared passion

Since Garner graduated from Case Western Reserve University, he's taken on his current role as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University.

The journey, he noted, has been interesting, yet fulfilling.

Born in Las Vegas and raised outside of Atlanta, Garner applied to Case for undergrad studies, but was put on a waitlist, and ended up attending Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he earned a degree in physics.

When it came time to apply for graduate school, he thought back on Case.

"I had visited the campus before and loved the city vibe of it," Garner said. "I also knew that they had good astronomers there who were doing work that I wanted to get in on. It had one of the best astronomy departments in the country, and I wanted to be a part of that. What drew me to the field of astronomy is a different story."

Growing up, Garner said he thought he'd pursue this father's path and become a high school calculus teacher, so he took advanced math classes and extra math electives, even becoming an officer on his school's math team.

But, as his studies continued, he began to realize the subject contained subfields he "hated," like number theory, probability and abstract algebra.

"Thankfully, at about the same time, I was taking physics and saw how physics used calculus, so I was pretty determined," Garner said. "When it came time to apply (to grad schools), I thought about what area of physics I wanted to study, namely, the really small (quantum/particle physics) stuff or the really big (astronomy) stuff. Turns out, particle physics has even more complex math, so I went toward the path of least resistance, astronomy, and I haven't looked back.

"Sadly the pandemic cut down on the opportunities to host groups of people at (Case's on-campus) Warner and Swasey Observatory," he added. "But, during my time, we mostly hosted night observations for our sophomore-level classes and the Women in Physics and Astronomy Club hosted star parties as well a few times."

The university's astronomy department's courseload varies, greatly, but it all links together, Garner explained, noting he's taken classes on stellar physics, galaxies in the local universe, astronomical techniques and instrumentation, cosmology and dark matter.

In fact, he added, Case is one of the few universities in the nation that offers an entire class discussing nothing but dark matter, led by Professor Stacy McGaugh, a leading dark matter scientist.

"I've also supplemented those astronomy classes with independent study classes as well as those in other departments," Garner said. "Among those were two data science courses and a course on general relativity. The courses have changed slightly in my five years at Case, but that's the nature of astronomy....every discovery changes something, at least a little bit, and so the courses have to be constantly updated.

"Certainly, the discoveries with the James Webb Space Telescope have caused the cosmology and dark matter classes to be updated, though the overall program has stayed relatively constant," he added. "The benefit is that classes that used to be taught by just one professor have now had new life added into them with a new teacher."

Echoing Kader, Garner noted that the stars will always elicit wonder in human beings.

"We used the sky to tell stories and put those stories into the sky in return as our constellations," he said, "and it has (had) a great impact on our culture — just look at what happened during the Space Race of the 1960s. Aside from the lunar landing, we started thinking about tomorrow, dreaming of the cars, the homes, the workplaces of 'tomorrow.' We started protecting the future with environmental legislation after we saw Earth from space.

"And all of that amid the civil rights movement, campus unrest and the Vietnam War," Garner added. "We want to feel a part of something bigger, a part of the universe, and, indeed, the atoms that make up our bodies, and everything on Earth, were once forged in the nuclear furnaces that are stars. We are, quite literally, made of star-stuff, a part of this universe."

Disputing misconceptions that astronomy is arcane, obtuse or remote from reality, Garner believes the science is easy for the average person to embrace.

"It's not like chemistry or biology or other sciences where you need a laboratory, beakers and microscopes, you can simply look up and start identifying things, and if you do it night after night, you might notice the planets moving through the sky," he said. "And if you go the extra mile and get a nice telescope, you can view the planets, start to resolve individual stars inside of star clusters, and look millions of light years away at distant galaxies, each of them holding billions of star systems, some with their own individual worlds.

"If you know just 20 of the more easily visible constellations, not just their shapes and names, but the stories told about them, then the night sky will become as familiar to you as your backyard," Garner continued. "After that, (you'll) start to identify individual stars and the few nebulae (birthplaces of stars) that you can see. And there are plenty of night sky-observing books to help guide, and, of course, numerous apps and software with tons of information in them to help plan your observations."

Garner also suggests keeping aware of local libraries, universities, and museums where public astronomy programs are offered.

"I have given many public talks at libraries and schools throughout Northeast Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas as part of the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors program," he said, adding he's been invited to speak, preceding the eclipse, by the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. "I really enjoy teaching and sharing my love for astronomy with others, so all of this continues to be a good fit."