Day 2

On Monday we started out with fun skits created by campers that suggested why we would leave Earth to colonize another planet, setting the stage for the camp theme "Journey to the Stars".  Our next activity focused on learning about the atoms and molecules that permeate space, and how to identify them. We learned how to measure distances using just a ruler, your arm, your fist, and your pinky.  Astronomers use "parallax", or the apparent change in the position of an object when the observer moves, to measure distances to the nearest stars.   Before lunch we discussed healthy eating habits, both on campus and during a long interstellar voyage.  We learned about optics and used that information to build hand-held telescopes that can be taken home.  We explored the different sizes in the Solar System and then re-created our own during a walk from one end of campus to the other.  The day was capped off with a tour of the night sky inside the UW planetarium and outside with 8" telescopes and binoculars.

Camper skit

Camper skit

Learning about parallax

Measuring distances using parallax

Spectrum lab

Identifying elements using hand-built spectroscopes

Measuring the focal length of lenses

UW Planetarium

The awesome night sky