SARA at the 9th Annual Astronomy Festival on the National Mall

The Astronomy Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC is an annual event sponsored by Hofstra University and organized by Dr. Donald Lubowich,  Coordinator of Astronomy Outreach.

This year the even was scheduled for Saturday June 23th from 6 to 11 pm, to feature solar, optical, and radio telescope observations of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn; hands-on activities, demonstrations, hand-outs, posters, banners, and videos; a planetarium show with a portable blow-up dome, speakers from scientific and educational organization, and a chance to mingle with astronomers.

Unfortuantely, weather has been a major factor this year, and the event had to be moved at the rain location, School Without Walls High School, 2130 G St. NW, on the George Washington University campus. However, although this was a last minute change, considering there was no observing telescope on the school hallways, the attendance was impressive. According to Dr. Donald Lubowich, Astronomy Festival George Washington University campus was attended by about 3,000 visitors.

The Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers was represented by Ciprian "Chip" Sufitchi, having on display a meteor detector system and other SARA projects.