Tar Heel Tidbits For the young (and young at heart)
Stargazing Haven
In a quiet, mica-rich valley near Rosman, a small research facility is doing big things — and you are invited. The Learning Center at PARI (formerly Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute) hosts some of the world’s most exciting astronomical, meteorological and geological research opportunities, as well as unique hands-on educational experiences like no other. The 200-acre PARI campus is a wonder to behold. The institute straddles the divide between having incredible history while exploring a breath-taking future. The site was first used by NASA in the 1960s, during the early years of space exploration. U.S. defense agencies later used its radio telescopes to intercept signals from Russian satellites during the Cold War. The site has been repurposed once more, this time as an open-sourced astronomical research center.
“Our goal is to make astronomical research tools available to everyone.” —Field Study Manager Tim Delisle
The Learning Center at PARI Preregistration is available for multiple 2020 summer camp programs. The campus is closed to the public during summer camp season; check online for fall public hours. pari.edu or 828-862-5554 1 PARI Drive, Rosman, NC 28772
Opportunities to learn on-site include formal field study programs, summer camps and special events like the Stargazer’s Journey, where guests dine with astronomical educators, tour the onsite museum and learn about PARI’s history, equipment and mission. Finally, when the sky is dark and clear, the journey ends with a spectacular view of the moon and stars through high-quality, optical telescopes. The possibilities are endless, and it all begins here. —Gordon Byrd, Carolina Country contributing editor
Coming to NC: The Wall that Heals
In October, a traveling, three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will make a stop in Tarboro. The chevron-shaped exhibit, sponsored by the Edgecombe Veteran’s Military Museum, chronologically lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country during the Vietnam War. The wall is accompanied by a Mobile Education Center and will be open 24 hours a day during its stay.
Environmental Research Communications, May 2019
the base of A researcher at cypress tree. ld an ancient ba
The Wall that Heals Oct. 17–20 | Braswell Park, Tarboro edgecombevet.com or facebook.com/wallheals
DO YOU KNOW…
That one of the world’s oldest trees was found in NC?
Believe it! Researchers taking core samples from Black River bald cypress trees in Eastern North Carolina counted their rings (trees typically add one every year) and recently discovered one tree to be at least 2,624 years old. That’s older than Christianity, the Roman Empire and the English Language, as the Charlotte Observer points out. This makes bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) the oldest known wetland species of tree in the world.
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