PARI Staff Demonstrates SMILEY and SCOPE at Astronomy Days

For the tenth year PARI staff presented at the the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Astronomy Days from May 18-20 in Raleigh. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from Astronomy Days. The booth was located in the new Nature Research Center annex of the museum adjacent to the meteorite display which was donated by PARI President Don Cline. Staff members trained visitors on SCOPE and use Smiley to collect radio astronomy data. 

Cameras at PARI Capture Image of Meteor

Ever since Dr. Bill Cooke and his team from the NASA Space Flight Center installed an All Sky camera on the PARI site to support their research, it has captured some spectacular images. On Sunday morning, May 20th the camera recorded a meteor above PARI. At the same time, the PARI All Sky camera, which had been installed by Director of Public Outreach Joe Phillips recorded the image. Click PHOTO to see images from the cameras. 

PARI Hosting Climate and Space Science Camp May 20-25

For the third consecutive year PARI is hosting the NASA sponsored Climate and Space Science Camp with professors from Appalachian State University this week. The week-long program for high school aged homeschoolers is running from May 20-25. Click INFORMATION to read more about the program. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from previous Climate and Space Science Camps. Click PAST PHOTOS to see pictures from previous camps.

Another Milestone Reach on Renovation of PARI's Research Building

Another milestone was reached on May 17, 2012 when Brevard Electric Company supervised the installation of a 500 kva diesel generator for the Research Building Complex as part of the Electrical Repair and Renovation project. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the installation. The generator is supported by a 500 kva solid state UPS system. There have been three other phases (including: a replaced roof, renovated HVAC systems and 26M antenna painting) to this project. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from all the phases of this project. The project is supported by a $1.3 Million National Science Foundation grant. The funds for this project are coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Research Building currently houses the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive, the RF Laboratory, the Aeronomy Laboratory and the Research Building Data Center. Project Manager Thad McCall and Assistant Project Manager Ben Goldsmith report that the project is moving ahead of schedule. 

PARI Entrance Open Even Though Parts of Macedonia Church Road Closed

The bridge on Macedonia Church Road leading to the Silverstein community is currently under repair and signs on SR 215 alert that Macedonia Church Road is closed, except to local traffic. The access to PARI on Macedonia Road is still open and visitors should have no difficulty getting to PARI. Access into and out of PARI is considered local traffic.

Friday, May 18, 2012 - Spring Homeschool Day at PARI

PARI will hold it Spring Homeschool Day at PARI on Friday, May 18th. Click REGISTRATION to register to participate in the Day. Click PAST HOMESCHOOL DAYS to see pictures from previous events.

Nature Research Center Director Visits PARI

Dr. Meg Lowman, Director of the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences visited PARI on Monday, May 14, 2012. Don Cline led a tour of the PARI site for Meg and her husband, Michael. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of their visit. Dr. Lowman met with several staff and discussed collaborative opportunities between the Research Center and PARI.

Weekly Docent Led Tours of PARI Campus

Each year thousands of people come to PARI. We have welcomed visitors from around the world. Each Wednesday at 2:00 pm PARI's volunteer docents lead guided tours of our campus and include an overview video and a walking tour of the main program and research areas of the PARI campus. Visitors are encouraged to bring a camera to take pictures. The PARI campus is handicapped accessible. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of visitors from our Wednesday tours since 2007.

PARI Welcomes Visitors to Our Campus

In addition to monthly Evening at PARI program and our weekly guided tours, PARI welcomes guests and small groups daily. Daily visitors can take a self-guided tour. PARI works with groups to arrange especially tailored visits to the PARI campus. Click 2012 VISITORS to see recent pictures of our visitors. Click PAST VISITORS to see pictures from previous years. We also regularly host visiting groups of students and their teachers. Click STUDENT GROUP PHOTOS to pictures of these groups.

May 5th SPACE DAY - PARI's Annual Open House

Nearly 200 visitors came to PARI on Saturday, May 5th to attend our annual SPACE DAY open house. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the event. Visitors toured our exhibit gallery, attended StarLab shows, talked with scientists and other astronomers and viewed many exhibits around the campus. The threatening weather cooperated and provided wonderful views of the Sun through the Cleveland Astronomy Club's solar telescopes. Visitors heard a talk by Dr. Bob Hayward on the upcoming Transit of Venus and saw the exciting research begin done in our Astronomical Photographic Data Archive. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from previous SPACE DAYS.

PARI booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival

PARI presented “Astrosurf with Smiley” at the Second USA Science and Engineering Festival (http://www.usasciencefestival.org/)  at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.  The Festival was Friday and Saturday, April 27-28. Visitors to the PARI booth used Smiley live and classified stars using PARI’s citizen science program SCOPE (http://scope.pari.edu) while PARI’s staff Christi Whitworth, Stephen Hawk, and Michael Castelaz explained the science and PARI’s mission. 

PARI at Opening of the NCMNS Nature Research Center

PARI was well represented at the GALA and at the Grand Opening of the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in April. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the events. Dave and Darla Clavier were joined by PARI Board member Janet Parks at the GALA on Friday, April 13th. Don and Jo Cline, along with John Avant, attended the Grand Opening on April 20-21. Don has generously donated a portion of his meteorite collection to the museum. PARI has a kiosk at the new Nature Research Center, which will allow many more visitors to virtually experience PARI.

PARI Attends Astronomical Data Preservation Workshop

PARI was well represented at the April 18-19, 2012 Workshop on Astronomical Data Preservation in Greenbelt, MD. PARI President Don Cline, Research Director Dr. Michael Castelaz, APDA Director Thurburn Barker and Consultant Lee Rottler all attended the workshop, which was sponsored by the American Institute of Physics. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the workshop.

PARI Receives Gift of a 25" Newtonian Telescope

On Thursday, March 29th Friend of PARI Mike Webb, from Spartanburg, donated a 25" Obsession telescope to PARI. This telescope will be used by students and by the general public during our Evenings at PARI events. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the day.

SciGirls Learn about the Chemisty of Food

SciGirls met at PARI on Tuesday, April 24th to become Science Cooks and learn the Chemistry of Food. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the eveing. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from previous programs. Go to REGISTRATION to find out more about future programs and to register. The cost is $10 per girl.  Join the PARI team and find new connections to science for year-round enjoyment and exploration.  Find out more about the national programming for SciGirls at http://pbskids.org/scigirls/.

Winter 2012 Edition of PARI's Newsletter

The Winter 2012 edition of the VIEW is now available. This edition features a lead story about the remounting of the receivers on PARI's signature 26M antennas. Other stories in this issue include: Grassroots Museum Director Visits PARI, PARI Hosting Homeschool Event, TEDx Katuah Conference, Recent Star Party, Research Update and an article on "The History of Asteroids," by Dr. Bob Hayward.

May Evening at PARI - Program on the Transit of Venus

The May Evening at PARI program will feature a discussion of the upcoming Transit of Venus. Read about the program in the NEWS RELEASE. The April Evening at PARI featured a talk by PARI's Director of Research Dr. Michael Castelaz and Astronomy Educator Dr. Bob Hayward on NASA's GRAIL mission.  Click PHOTOS  to see pictures from the April program. Click PAST EVENING PHOTOS to see pictures from previous events. Click RESERVATION to find out how to register for the May and future Evenings at PARI.

PARI Staff at 219th Meeting of American Astronomical Society 

PARI President Don Cline, Research Director Michael Castelaz and Cline Scholar Herbert Mehnert attended the 219th meeting of the AAS in Austin Texas this week. They presented posters on several topics related to PARI research and attended meetings. In addition, they met with colleagues, including Dr. Donald Terndrup and Nigel Sharp from the NSF. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the meeting. Herbert was on PARI campus this past summer as the Don Cline Summer Intern. He is currently attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Feedboxes Mounted to 26 Meter Antennas

The long awaited remounting of the completely refurbished feedboxes with the two matching feeds was accomplished on Tuesday, December 13th. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the process. The core team led by Ben Goldsmith, Thad McCall and John Halsey with help from Donnie Curto and Brad McCall coordinated the engineering feat of lifting and installing the loaded (1,500+ lbs) feedboxes into the frames at the focal points of the massive radio antennas. The feedboxes have been fully redesigned and refurbished by the NSF-Sponsored team which was led by University of North Carolina Asheville's Dr. Brian Dennison and Dr. Chuck Bennett. The next step is now the commissioning of the two antennas into an interferometer, making this one of the finest instruments of its kind.

PARI Publishes Our 2011 Annual Report

The 2011 PARI Annual Report is now available online. The photo for the cover of this year's annual report was taken by Friend of PARI Richard Wright and features Jo's Cove in the foreground and our 26M West antenna in the back. Click 2011 ANNUAL REPORT to see a pdf of the report. Jo's Cove is park on the PARI campus that was dedicated to our Chair, Jo Cline, in recognition of her years of support. The inside cover of the report lists the many highlights from 2011, which was a very good year for PARI. Contact David Clavier if you are interested in receiving a printed copy of the annual report.

NC Grassroots Science Museum Collaborative Executive Director Visits PARI

NCSMC Executive Director Steve Saucier visited PARI on Thursday, December 15, 2011. He met with Don and Jo Cline, Dave Clavier, Christi Whitworth and John Avant. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from his visit. He toured the site and discussed ways that PARI can be more involved in Grassroots.  While at PARI Steve also saw the Space Shuttle exhibit in the exhibit gallery and spent time in the Astronomical Photographic Plate Archive (APDA). PARI is one of 32 member science museums in the Grassroots Collaborative.

PARI Receives Another Significant Astronomical Photographic Plate Collection

Scott Leonard and Gary Walker from the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Observatory (MMO) delivered a collection of more than 8,000 astronomical photographic plates to PARI on Thursday, November 17th. The collection, which also includes scanned images and logs, is valued at $600,000. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the delivery. PARI staff and volunteers helped unload and file the plates. The collection includes images taken since 1913. The fact that MMO chose to locate this collection here is further evidence of how PARI and APDA are gaining reputation in the field. The photo at the right is an image from one of the plates of M24 - a view of part of the summertime Milky Way and was taken 46 years ago.

PARI Staff Picks Up Another Plate Collection from USNO

Research Director Michael Castelaz and APDA Director Thurburn Barker went to Washington, DC on October 23-25 to receive an astronomical photographic plate collection from the US Naval Observatory. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of their trip. APDA received 32,341 plates with this collection. Dating back about 100 years, the plates make up one-half of the USNO's plate collection used to measure the distances to nearby stars. This is the thrid collection PARI has received from the USNO.

FRIENDS OF PARI ANNUAL MEETING AND SYMPOSIUM - Friday, September 9, 2011

The annual meeting of the Friends of PARI was held September 9th on the PARI campus. Members toured the site, saw demonstrations and heard a presentation from NASA Scientist Dr. William Cooke. The program included recognition of Distinguished Supporters, Distinguished Student Scholars and the Friends of PARI President's Award winner. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the event. Click PAST Friends of PARI MEETINGS to see pictures from previous Annual Meetings and Symposia.

PARI Records a Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake

On Tuesday, August 23rd at 1:51 pm PARI's seismometer recorded a Magnitude 5.8 earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was 38 miles northwest Richmond, VA. PARI's phones began ringing immediately after the earthquake with people asking about the event. Details of the earthquake are listed on the US Geological Survey (USGS) website at VIRGINIA EARTHQUAKE. Click SEISMOMETER READING to see the record of the event recorded on PARI's seismometer. Click LIVE READINGS to see the up to the minute live streaming data. WLOS, ABC 13 reporter Megan Schiering came to PARI and interviewed Michael Castelaz and Lamar Owen for a story about the event. Click EARTHQUAKE STORY to see a clip of the news report.

NASA "FIREBALL" Workshop Held at PARI

PARI hosted the NASA Meteor Video Observations and Analysis Workshop on Thursday and Friday, August 4th and 5th. Scientists and experts in the field from around the world attended. The workshop was conducted by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Meteoroid Environment Office and featured many speakers and presentations on observing, recording and analyzing meteoroids. NASA scientist, Dr. Bill Cooke, lead the two-day workshop. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the workshop. Several Attendees were interested in our Harvard Meteor - Lost City Meteorite documents and films. Click IMAGES AND ARTICLES to see that material.

PARI Hosted Second Space Science Lab

PARI celebrated our sixth year of conducting the Burroughs Wellcome Fund sponsored Space Science Lab program. Fourteen high school students came to PARI on August 8-12 for the second 2011 week-long Space Science Lab. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the Second Session. Fourteen SSL Scholars attended the first session from July 27-31. They studied astronomy and constructed their own optical telescopes. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from the First Session.

Jo's Cove Dedicated at PARI

PARI Dedicated a park, named Jo's Cove, in honor of Chairperson Jo Cline on Friday, May 6, 2011. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the park and of the event. The park was established on a small hill near the center of PARI's campus and features a walking path, a small stream and pond. The dedication plaque reads "In honor of Jo Cline, PARI's First Lady."

Naval Research Laboratory Installs a New Instrument at PARI

Drs. Chris Englert and Charles Brown from the Naval Research Laboratory installed a new instrument at PARI the last week in April that measures winds and temperatures in the upper atmosphere. They are comparing their measurements to those made by a similar instrument at PARI installed by Clemson Professor Dr. John Meriwether. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of the installation of the NRL instrument at the PARI North Roll-off Roof Building ont he Optical Ridge.

PARI featured in Everyone's Universe Book

PARI was listed in the recently published book, Everyone's Universe - A Guide to Accessible Astronomy Places. The book, by Noreen Grice, lists observatories that make viewing the sky accessible to everyone. Click PHOTOS to see the listing. PARI is proud to have been listed and to have recently hosted several groups including visitors with special needs.

Volunteers Make PARI Work to Accomplish our Mission

PARI is fortunate to have a number of dedicated volunteers who help with many important tasks at PARI. On Saturday, February 26th several volunteers came to PARI to help lay new cables in the Cline Adminsitration Building and to construct a Wildlife Photography Blind. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from that Volunteer Day. Another example of a very important volunteer project is the PARI GALAXY WALK, which was recently refurbished. Also, the Friends of PARI are responsible for one of our very important optical telescopes called PARI SKY. To find our more about volunteering at PARI contact Friends of PARI President John Boehme at jboehme@pari.edu or our Director of Education Christi Whitworth at cwhitworth@pari.edu.

Astronomers from Czech Republic Doing Research at PARI

Astronomers Rene Hudec and Lukas Hudec, visiting scientist from the Czech Republic, are returning to PARI next month to follow-up on their research on the spectra of stars and galaxies using photographic images in the PARI Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA). Dr. Hudec is using the results in combination with data to be taken by the European Space Agency GAIA Space Telescope to be launched in 2012. Dr. Hudec recently published an article in the Czech public journal, 3POL, using the data from his visits to PARI. This is their fourth visit to our campus. Click PHOTOS to see pictures from their previous visit.

Transylvania Times Thanks PARI for Service to the Community 

An editorial in the Transylvania Times newspaper thanked PARI for meeting our mission. They wrote, "Ten years ago that facility was taken over by the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, better known as PARI. Since that time PARI has had nothing but a beneficial effect on the community." Click EDITORIAL to read the complete text of the article. Congratulations to the entire PARI staff, including our great partners from Avant Communications, who have helped us spread the word of the good works of PARI. And we especially thank Don & Jo Cline for their many years of support.

Photos of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Located on the site of the former NASA Rosman Tracking Station in the Pisgah National Forest, PARI offers an unparalleled opportunity for people of all ages to experience the wonders of scientific research first hand. Click PHOTOS to see pictures of PARI taken at various times throughout the year.