SHREVEPORT—The Shreveport-Bossier Astronomical Society encourages students and adults to attend its “Telescopes on the Sidewalk” event Wednesday at LSUS to celebrate the Hubble Telescope’s 35th Anniversary.
From 6-7:30 p.m. outside of the Science Lecture Auditorium, a number of digital telescopes will be available to observe and photograph objects in the Orion Constellation region.
Participants will observe many deep sky objects, including various nebula and star clusters.
“Nebula are large gas clouds, usually hydrogen and some other elements, that represent star forming regions,” said Dr. Cran Lucas, The Shreveport-Bossier Astronomical Society president. Nebula can be the result of an aging star blowing up and spreading its material into space.
“Nebula and star clusters are usually referred to as deep sky objects since they generally cannot be seen with the naked eye but require binoculars or telescopes.”
Wednesday’s event is part of the Society’s participation in the Hubble Sky Challenge, which is sponsored by the Astronomical League.
“This is in celebration of the 35 years that the Hubble Telescope has been functioning in orbit,” said Lucas, an LSUS professor of biological sciences. "The Challenge involves observing a variety of objects each month in 2025 (either photographing or sketching), submitting the information to the AL, and getting a certificate from the AL.
“This can be done individually or as a club effort. The AL supports numerous observation programs."
The Astronomical League will award participants with certificates after completing the event.
For more information about the 2025 Hubble Telescope Challenge, visit The Astronomical League.
For updates on this event, follow the Shreveport-Bossier Astronomical Society Facebook page.
