April 14, 2013 Club observing Astronomy Day with program Friday at LaVale Library Club member discovered supernova in 1979

For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:17 PM EDT

LAVALE The Cumberland Astronomy Club will observe Astronomy Day 2013 on Friday with a program beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the LaVale Library.

This years event is special for the Cumberland Astronomy Club because April 19 is the 34th anniversary of the discovery of Supernova 1979C by club member Gus Johnson of Swanton.

In 2010, scientists discovered that SN1979C had collapsed into a black hole. The program will feature a talk on black holes by astrophysicist D. J. Pisano from the West Virginia University department of physics.

Following the presentation, telescopes will be set up to observe the moon, the giant planet Jupiter and other sky sights, weather permitting. Visitors who bring a digital camera can take home a photograph of the moon as seen through a telescope.

According to Sky & Telescope magazine, Astronomy Day was started in 1973 by Doug Berger, former president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California, as a way of introducing astronomy to people in urban areas.

Hundreds of astronomy clubs, observatories, museums, colleges and planetariums worldwide now host family-oriented Astronomy Day events to show that amateur astronomy is both educational and fun.

For more information, contact Steve Luzader at 301-689-1976 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit the clubs website at http://tinyurl.com/a6dqm.

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Club observing Astronomy Day with program Friday at LaVale Library