Happy Spring! The daffodils are coming up and soon the island will be a sea of yellow. The big dig on Vestal Street is still a work in progress and the Vestal Street Observatory renovation is coming along nicely, with insulation having just been completed. We’re on target to finish just before the interns arrive for the summer. We’re busy moving into 32 Washington Street, our new “temporary home” for the Aquarium and the newly named “Sea Shop.” The Sea Shop will offer MMA logo gear and a wide variety of nature inspired gifts, books, and tools for exploring the island, the sky, and the ocean. Since we are right on the Town Pier, the Sea Shop will also carry a selection of marine supplies, should anyone need things like life vests, snorkels, tubes, and scallop gear.
In case you haven’t heard, there’s an eclipse coming our way on April 8th. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Nantucket Public Schools, The Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, and The Nantucket Community School to offer free programming on the day of the eclipse to all island children, families, and adults. Please visit our website to learn more about all of our offerings this week and next and join us to get ready for the big day; there won’t be another eclipse visible in North America until 2044. We have complimentary and safe eclipse viewing glasses and an eclipse guide available starting Friday at the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum. In fact, this whole week is focused on “Dark Skies,” and it’s our first “Look Up” night at Loines Observatory this year, please come join us at 8pm for a spectacular view of the night sky.
We’re also wrapping up our hiring process for the class of 2024 Summer Interns; at last count we had close to 680 applicants for thirty-five spots. It’s been a pleasure to meet students from all over the country excited to join us for ten life-changing weeks. Last fall, we worked with four students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to conduct a study on all MMA interns since 1914 – yes, that far back. We’ve hosted over 850 interns and fellows over the last 109 years – and wow they are amazing!
Since completing their internships with us:
85% of interns have conducted research
65% of interns have published papers
42% of interns have won prizes for professional achievements
38% of interns went on to receive a doctoral degree
148 books were contributed to by interns
39 patents are held by interns
5 TED talks have been given by interns.
We believe that curiosity can change the world – and we are proud to continue the legacy of learning nurtured by Maria Mitchell.
We hope the eclipse will inspire YOU to get curious!
Partial solar eclipse witnessed in Bahrain in 2019. Photo: Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh/Shutterstock
Bird On Eclipse Edition! by Ginger Andrews
For the partial eclipse of the Sun on Monday April 8, it may not look so dramatic to us, but chances are birds experience it more intensely. They see further into the ultraviolet end of the spectrum than we do, thanks to an extra set of cone cells in their eyes. We have only three types; birds have four. They can also see polarized light, and the earth’s magnetic field. So they may exhibit unusual activity, even if it is a cloudy day.
We don’t have a lot of information about the effects of unexpected (by avian standards) events such as eclipses on birds. During an eclipse, our natural tendency is to want to look at the Sun. (Don’t do it without protective glasses! It could permanently damage your vision.) But in order to learn more about how an eclipse can affect our avian friends, start now by making baseline observations of birds at home or in a favorite birding spot in the days before the eclipse for comparison purposes. A few days will give an idea of what a normal afternoon at the crucial time looks like.
On the eclipse day, watch or feed at the usual times. Start about ten or fifteen minutes before the eclipse will begin. Try to give at least ten minutes per observation, and make a schedule of times you plan to bird. You can take breaks, as long as they are consistent. Then, see what happens as darkness begins to fall. Do birds become agitated? More vocal? More aggressive? Less? Confused? Is there any change at all? Do they change as it becomes lighter again? How fast do things return to normal? Your observations can help us understand how wild birds see, sense, and respond to novel situations.
Programs and Events
International Dark Skies Week
April 2 - 8
It may seem harmless, but light pollution has far-reaching consequences that are harmful to all living things. Effective outdoor lighting reduces light pollution, leading to a better quality of life for all. The dark sky movement is working to bring better lighting to communities around the world so that all life can thrive.
Join us this International Dark Sky Week to learn more about the movement, and discover the night where you live. Learn more.
Vestal Street has seen a bevy of activity of late. In January, we began the renovation of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory’s (MMO) Seminar Room addition – as it has been referred to since it was built in 1987. When it was created, the point was for it to serve as meeting, lecture, and work space on three floors for the Astronomy Department – in particular the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduate (NSF REU) interns we have each summer, visiting astronomers, and the astronomy staff. Believe it or not, it was the first time the Observatory had a bathroom! And, it connected to what we refer to as the Astronomer’s Cottage (ca. 1830 and purchased for the MMA in 1922) so that staff could move between the house and the Observatory without going outside – convenient!
With a gift from board member and Mitchell family descendant, Richard Wolfe, we have been able to renovate this space, bringing it up to date and adding HVAC, an accessible bathroom and kitchenette, three office spaces, a seminar/meeting area, and space for intern workspaces. Lighting and interiors are being improved as this is written and we hope to have the space ready by June 1, 2024. A special thank you goes to John Wise, another Board member, who has been working with the MMA to make sure this renovation happens in a short timeframe.
The work here dovetails nicely with the conservation of the historic observatory to which the Seminar Room is connected. The historic MMO, built in 1908 with a 1922 addition, has seen exterior conservation work over the last several years with support from the Community Preservation Act and the M. S. Worthington Foundation.
This fall, we will move inside with more grant funding which will allow us to conserve the historic interiors and install a proper HVAC system to protect the historic fabric and historic astronomical equipment and papers. We will restore the floor in the Astronomical Study from 1922 – it’s hidden under wall-to-wall carpet and 1950s tile but it’s still there – and conserve the historic plaster and all of the original varnished woodwork.
Stay tuned on this project as well. Our Curator and the MMA’s Deputy Director posts updates on our blog, “Maria Mitchell’s Attic,” regularly.
Night Sky Almanac - April
by Nick Graber, MMA Astronomy Program Assistant
Our view of the night sky is constantly changing as the Earth makes its way around the Sun. Each month gives us a chance to observe some new things, so check out our highlights below for April 2024!
You may have already heard of this month’s exciting astronomical event, a total solar eclipse occurring on the 8th between 2:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon. Total solar eclipses aren’t common, and though you may have caught the last one in 2017, the next one that will be visible from North America won’t be until 2044! This month’s eclipse won’t quite reach totality – when the Moon entirely blocks out the Sun – in Nantucket, but we’ll be able to see the Sun reduced to a mere sliver. If you want the full experience, head north into Maine or west to Ohio, where the line of totality snakes from the northeast down through Texas and Mexico. To observe this spectacular “Great American Eclipse,” you’ll need a pair of eclipse glasses or an eclipse viewer with safety-rated solar film. If you make it to a location that experiences totality, it’ll be safe to take those glasses off during the moment of totality, but only then. In Nantucket or other places that will only experience a partial eclipse, the glasses need to stay on the entire time.
As the Earth makes its way around the Sun, different constellations will be visible in the night sky. April is the best time to view the constellations Leo, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. The first step to finding Leo is to look for the bright star Regulus, located loosely between the stars Procyon and Arcturus. Regulus is the heart of Leo, and the rest of the lion looks a bit like a clothes-hanger: the lion’s head curves upward towards Polaris, while the body stretches out sideways.
After you’ve found the lion, it’s time for bears! If you can find the Big and Little Dippers, you’ve already done most of the work, but the Dippers are actually asterisms, not constellations. These asterisms each belong to a proper constellation, though — Ursa Major and Minor, respectively. The big and little bears use the arc of the dipper handles as their tails and the bowl as part of their body. Ursa Minor doesn’t include any extra stars, so you’ll have to use some imagination to see the bear, but Ursa Major adds onto the Big Dipper. Opposite the tail, a narrow triangle of stars protrudes forward to be the head, while a couple arcs of stars swing down to be the bear’s front and back legs. If you were able to find Lynx last month, you’ll see it now lying at the feet of the bear.
Jupiter is getting harder to spot, setting close to sunset around 8:00 PM. However, just before dawn you’ll be able to see Saturn and Mars close together in the east, with Venus rising a little bit after them. Keep an eye out for our biweekly emails, which include timetables of rise and set times for our moon and planets!
Looking Skyward
In this addition of “Looking Skyward," WCAI's John Basile talks with Dr. Regina Jorgenson of the Maria Mitchell Association Observatory about a star system 3,000 light-years away from Earth that will become visible to the unaided eye.
Check out our own podcast, "The Nature of Nantucket," brought to you by 97.7 ACKFM. This program airs on 97.7 every Sunday at 7:20am. You can listen to full episodes on Apple or Spotify. While you're there, don't forget to check out our weekly "Star Report," written and presented by the MMA Astronomy Research Fellows.
Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.
The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science, through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.
