Like a lot of people, Scott MacNeill is working from home these days.
But as an astronomer for Brown University and the Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Charlestown, his set-up is a little different from most people: telescopes, cameras, Ethernet cables, laptops, and data collection equipment.
“It’s starting to look like a makeshift, crazy science lab around here,” MacNeill said. “When my neighbors look out into my yard and see my gear and my work station, they wonder what it is I do for work.”
Now MacNeill is going to use his improvised observatory to regularly stream images of the cosmos out to the public on the Frosty Drew YouTube channel. From his home in Providence, he’ll be joined remotely by two other astronomers in Connecticut.
They want to educate people but also inspire them and help take their minds off of the coronavirus.
“I wanted to give people a chance to connect to the cosmos the way they do at Frosty Drew and take solace in the cosmic perspective,” MacNeill said.
In addition to the live telescope feeds, the show will also include file footage previously captured, a discussion by the astronomers, and a question and answer opportunity for the audience.
Tonight’s show begins at 8. MacNeill said the series will continue each week until Frosty Drew can reopen to the public.
He said he’ll be inviting future guest speakers and hopes the shows will inspire other people to start stargazing on their own and maybe even purchase a telescope.
“And when you can go back out, and you’re no longer housebound or yard-bound,” MacNeill said, “you can take that telescope out to a place like Frosty Drew or other dark locations and really rock the cosmos with it.”
[Alex Nunes can be reached at anunes@thepublicsradio.org]
