San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomy
Several times a month, I take one of my telescopes out on the sidewalks of San Francisco to share the sky with passersby. During the day, I will set up my Coronado Personal Solar Telescope to show people the Sun. This scope shows prominences (gas eruptions rising from the perimeter), filaments (gas eruptions on the surface), sun spots (black, cooler areas) and plages (bright areas usually associated with sun spots). At night, I show people the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and other planets and, occasionally, brighter deep sky objects such as the Pleiades or the Orion Nebula.
Sign Up for Notifications
If you'd like to be notified when I go out on the street with one of my telescopes, please send an email to frybarger@virtualcolony.com with the subject of Sidewalk Astronomy and just mention in the body of the email that you'd like to be notified when I'm out on the street. My solar astronomy sessions are usually conducted at 9th & Irving and my evening sessions are usually in front of the Blockbuster store at 25th and Irving. On occasion, I will also conduct evening sessions at 9th & Irving or at Polk & Broadway on Russian Hill. Be advised that the notifications will be on short notice (and sometimes on very short notice) because of weather conditions and other factors beyond my control.
ISAN in San Francisco
On May 19, 2007, my wife and I participated in the first ever International Sidewalk Astronomy Night (ISAN) in San Francisco in front of the local Blockbuster store at 25th & Irving. This store is where I usually conduct my evening sidewalk astronomy sessions and where I started my career as a sidewalk astronomer in February of 2006. The ISAN involved more than 1100 astronomers around the world showing over 25,000 people the Moon, Saturn and Venus through a telescope! The video files below consist of two short clips showing our session.
Message to Teachers and Group Leaders
If you are a teacher, educator, church or group leader and would like to schedule an Astronomy event for your group, please feel free to contact me at frybarger@virtualcolony.com to discuss your needs. I enjoy sharing the stars and planets with people of all ages and I have experience working with large groups. We can schedule either a daytime event observing the Sun or an evening event observing the Moon, planets and selected deep sky objects. You also have the option of scheduling an event showing the wonders of pond water life through a microscope. I have a special projection microscope that is ideal for such an event. You can click on the Microscopy 101 link in the top left corner of this page to learn more about what can be seen through a microscope.
Message to Amateur Astronomers
If you are an amateur astronomer, I highly recommend that you try sidewalk astronomy. I have found it to be a truly rewarding experience. People are very appreciative of the effort and I've made many friends along the way and always have a great time. If you are an introvert (as I am), take along a friend or another amateur astronomer for moral support. In fact, several telescopes really make it an event that will attract the public. A great time to go out is between First Quarter and Full Moon when deep sky observing is not possible. People love to see the moon through a telescope and you will, too! When I started sidewalk astronomy, I never observed the Moon or even the planets for more than a minute or two during a session. I was only interested in deep sky observing. But now I love lunar and planetary (as well as solar) observing and have learned a great deal about these objects through my research which I conducted in order to better answer questions I was asked by the public.
Try it out some night - you've got nothing to lose and a great deal to gain!