WSST Newsletter, Volume 64, #2

Conference 2023: Capitol-izing on Innovation: March 9-11, 2023

By Corinne Michor & Patrick Mootz

We are well on our way to developing a great conference for you in March. Be sure to save the date and work with your employer to take time off for this great networking and learning event.

From the President

WSST President, Kristin Michalski

When scrolling through my Facebook feed, I was asked by an educational organization, “What are you grateful for?” My response was “All the teacher mentors I’ve had in my 30-year career. They made me the teacher I am today.” I truly believe as a teacher and member of WSST, mentor ship has played a major role in my devel opment as an educator.

Do you have a great lesson, teaching strategy, or equity-based concept that should be shared with more teachers across the state? Please consider signing up for a 10-minute snapshot to present your idea OR consider presenting a 50 minute presentation on the topic. Some of

My first experience with mentorship occurred with my science methods class at UWM and my advisor and WSST member, Craig Berg. He first connected me to WSST by requiring a presentation at the conference’s Exploratorium. This was my very first conference. It took me a few years into my teaching to attend another conference, but I was encouraged continued on page 4

on page 4

The Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers

Our Mission: Promoting, supporting and improving science education in the state of Wisconsin.

Our Vision: The Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers will carry out its mission of promoting, supporting and improving science education in the state of Wisconsin by providing leadership, advocacy and pro grams to enhance the teaching and learning of science.

WSST Advertising Rates

Full page ads: $250 Half page ads: $150 Quarter page ads: $75 1” Bottom page banner: $40 Business card: $25

10% discount on two or more of identical ad in current volume

Advertising must be submitted to editor in camera-ready form or electronically, with check or money order (payable to WSST)

WSST Directory, 2022-2023

Kristin Michalski, President mickri@easttroy.k12.wi.us

Matt Lindsey, Past President mlindsey@mosineeschools.org 715-321-3291

Stephanie Baker, Secretary bakeste@wc.k12.wi.us

Kevin Niemi, Chief Financial Officer kjniemi@wisc.edu

Tammy Dymesich, Chief Operating Officer coo@wsst.org

Erik Duhn, District 1 (CESA 11 & 12) e00drik@gmail.com

Brad Wysocki, District 2 (CESA 9 & 10) bwysocki1978@gmail.com

Dennis Rohr, District 3 (CESA 7 & 8) drohr@seymour.k12.wi.us

Jonathan Baker, District 4 (CESA 3 & 4) bakejon@wc.k12.wi.us

Sara Krauskopf, District 5 (CESA 2 & 5) district5@wsst.org

Teri Dillenberg, District 6 (CESA 6) teridillenberg@hasd.org

Cody Smith, District 7 (CESA 1) cody.smith@nbexcellence.org

WSST Committees

Awards/Recognition

Miranda Dahlke (co-chair) Laura Ramthun (co-chair)

Tom Davies Nancy Smith Stephanie Bartels

Michelle Howe Tiffany Lissick Jennifer Bault

Document Review

Terry Schwaller (chair) Dave Bergerson Sue Whitsett

Elementary Education

Marcia Gardner (co-chair) Shelly Petzold (co-chair)

Tanzeem Ali Melissa Wimmler Teri Dillenberg Leah Alburt Kim Lemberger

Equity and Access

Kevin Anderson (co-chair) Sara Krauskopf (co-chair) Kelly Steiner Amy Zientek Dennis Rohr Zach Pratt Kristin Michalski Emilly Miller Lalitha Murali Karen DeShong

Finance

Kevin Niemi (chair) Matt Lindsey Terry Schwaller

Foundation

Brian Bartel (President)

Denise McCulley (1st Vice-President)

Carol Ochsner (2nd Vice-President)

Dale Basler (3rd Vice-President)

Tracy Swedlund (Treasurer) Ray Scolavino (Secretary)

Higher Education

Joel Donna (chair)

Mike Beeth Kevin Mason Lynn Diener Josephine Mitchel

Historian Karyl Rosenberg

WSST Newsletter Archive

Visit www.wsst.org/newsletter to download past issues of the WSST newsletter. Available from 2002, all newsletters are in Adobe PDF format.

Membership

Michelle Griffin-Wenzel (chair) Ray Scolavino Tracy Swedlund Deanna McClung

Nominations and Elections

Kathy Biernat (chair) Mary Ellen Kanthack Zach Pratt Matt Lindsey Dan Nelson

Professional Development

Chad Janowski (chair)

Kevin Anderson Karen Mesmer Sarah Adumat Shelley Petzold

Publications

Brian Bartel (co-chair) - Newsletter Editor

Julie Fitzpatrick (co-chair) - Website Sarah Adumat - Newsletter Copy Editor Tracy Swedlund Dan Nelson Dale Basler

Strategic Planning

Matt Lindsey Ray Scolavino Kevin Niemi Kristin Michalski

WESTA

Beth Allcox (chair) Dennis Rohr Margaret Guderyon Ben Sanderfoot

WSELA

Kevin Niemi (co-chair) Kevin Anderson (co-chair)

WSST Conference Chairs

Corinne Michor and Patrick Mootz, Madison 2023 Marcia Gardner and Tim Sprain, LaCrosse 2024

WSST Conference Director WSST Vendor Coordinator Ray Scolavino Rodney Dymesich

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

To submit a letter to the WSST Newsletter, send your thoughts via e-mail to newsletter@wsst.org Content may be edited for length, clarity and appropriateness.

the best innovative ideas come from our peers who are willing to share! Deadline to submit your proposal is December 15th, 2022. Here is the direct link

Conference continued from page 1 President continued from page 1 by another teacher and WSST member, Marian Schraufnagel, to do a presenta tion with her. This led me to have the confidence to do presentations on my own at future conferences. I first became a conference committee member when Dick Seng invited me to be a member of his team. One of our goals as an organization is to match mentors with mentees at conferences and beyond.

Do you have science equipment that is in good condition but no one in your depart ment uses it? This year at the conference we are going to have a science equipment adoption. This means that anyone can bring in science equipment, instructional material, and supplemental resources to donate, and anyone who attends the conference is welcome to take the equipment home (for free) and utilize it in their class room. Don’t let that equipment collect dust anymore, give it away to a new home. Conference attendees, please take what you need!

Finally, we have some amazing field trip opportunities that conference attendees can sign up for when they register for the conference. We are hosting field trips to the UW Geology Museum, UW Discovery Building, Purple Cow, Yahara Bay Distillery, Energy Institute, Capital Brewery, and the Zoo! More details will be shared with you on the Conference Website as we finalize them.

Members can begin to register for the Conference starting in December. Stay tuned to the WSST website, where we will post our latest updates. We look for ward to seeing you there.

Conference Co-Chairs: Corinne Michor (corinne.michor@gmail.com) and Patrick Mootz (patrickmootz@gmail.com)

The greatest benefit to a mentee is the source of knowledge that an experienced mentor has to offer. They can provide insight into a lesson or a problem. Using their shared experience, they can offer suggestions and guidance to work through development of a science unit or dealing with a challenging student. These teachers can share their mistakes and les sons learned from their own experience. As new teachers navigate through challenges, they can tap into the vast resources a veteran can provide and know they are not alone.

Another benefit to mentorship is pro viding someone to listen. New teachers can brainstorm ideas and mentors can offer advice and constructive criticism. This is done without judgment, and the mentee knows someone is listening and on their team. This supports growth by helping the mentee focus their efforts by helping them set goals and offer feed back and encouragement. It is about forming trust and helping one another toward goals

Networking is a powerful tool in a men toring relationship. Experienced mentors can offer connections to their networks

such as our statewide organizations, WSST or local groups such as WESTA (WI Earth Science Teachers Association) and MAPS (Milwaukee Area Physics Share). These networks are about sharing, rather than taking. Mentees gain new insights outside their or their mentor’s classroom. These connections lead to expanding best practices and content knowledge.

As I write about the advantages of men torship on the mentee, I’m struck by how both the mentee and the mentor relationship often result in the same benefits as mentioned above in a professional sym biosis. Mentees help mentors…

NSTA/WSST Joint Membership How

to by Sara Krauskopf, District 5

Are you a member of both NSTA (National Science Teaching Association) and WSST? Did you know that we have an agreement with NSTA for a reduced membership cost if you renew both at the same time?

From our website on the Join Us!

Gain perspective

• Learn new or forgotten research-based

• strategies

• Rediscover excitement in the class

Improve leadership skills

• room/WSST conference Make connections outside the class

• room

Membership page, look in the upper left part of the screen for options to get a combined membership through the NSTA website and save $5. If you are not yet a member of NSTA, it is worth investigat ing the benefits of joining their organization as well to receive access to some of their nation-wide resources, conferences and publications.

Reignite their passion for education

•

• Recognize strengths and weaknesses

The 2023 WSST Conference is in Madison, March 9-11. I challenge you to find someone who has yet to attend the conference and bring them to Madison. If you have not attended the conference and are looking for a mentor, WSST will part ner you with someone who can help you navigate the conference or life as a teacher. My Facebook comment on grati tude found its way into a national maga zine because those in education know that teaching doesn’t exist in a vacuum but that we need support from those around us.

Methanol Use in School Science Labs: Danger,

Will Robinson!

By Ken Roy

The news media announced that on October 12, 2022, a Dinwiddie High School (Dinwiddie County, Virginia) chemistry class had a methanol flame-jetting fire accident resulting from a science lab demonstration gone wrong. After the demonstration had been initially conduct ed, the science teacher decided to add additional methanol using an open onegallon methanol container source. According to the fire department repre sentative, “As the methanol was poured by the teacher, the methanol vapor at the bottle opening caused a phenomenon known as flame jetting. Flame jetting caused a large amount of the methanol to be rapidly emitted from the bottle and ignite.” The teacher was performing the demonstration at an open-top desk at the front of the second-floor classroom. As a result of this action, four students were injured, being directly positioned in the path of the fire that would’ve traveled from the mouth of the jug to the wall in a straight line.

Reports of the incident noted that the teacher was not following United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) federal safety recommendations regarding the use of methanol in school science lab demonstrations. These safety recommen dations resulted from three previous lab accidents that injured both students and teachers over an eight-week period in 2014, and all three resulted from demon strations of flames using methanol as the flammable liquid. Each case had flash-

backs to methanol containers in the area and caused flame jetting out to the stu dents viewing the demonstrations. In each case, students were not protected with any physical barriers.

CSB Federal Safety Recommendations

The CSB report, which was based on the incident investigations titled Key Lessons for Preventing Incidents from Flammable Chemicals in Educational Demonstrations, was released at a news conference on October 30, 2014, in Denver, Colorado. Key lessons summa rized from the investigation and final report included the following: Due to flash fire hazards and the • potential for serious injuries, do not use bulk containers of flammable chemicals in educational demonstrations when small quantities are suffi cient.

Employers should implement strict • safety controls when demonstrations necessitate handling hazardous chemicals, including written procedures, effective training, and the required use of appropriate personal protective equipment for all participants.

Conduct a comprehensive hazard • review prior to performing any educa tional demonstration.

Provide a safety barrier between the • demonstration and the audience.

The full report can be found and down loaded at www.wtkr.com/news/dinwiddiechemistry-class-did-not-follow-federalsafety-recommendations.

The CSB’s U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board also

released a Back to School Safety Alert titled Hazards of Lab Demonstrations. The alert helps raise levels of awareness relative to the hazards of flammables in lab demonstrations and summarized the finding of the investigation. The report can be found by visiting www.aiha.org/news/221027-csb-high lights-hazards-of-flammable-chemicalsfollowing-fire-at-high-school and downloading the PDF from the link in the fourth paragraph on this page.

Have We Gone Full Circle?

Though the report was released in 2014, here we are in 2022 hearing about the Dinwiddie High School chemistry class laboratory demonstration accident and students being injured due to methanol flame jetting. In an interview conducted by WTKR (www.wtkr.com/news/dinwid die-chemistry-class-did-not-follow-federal-safety-recommendations), Dinwiddie’s Superintendent of Schools Kari Weston said at a press conference that “students told investigators personal protective equipment was not used during the demonstration, which is also not in line with CSB guidance.” She also said that “all educators and students go through annual training, and the teachers are supposed to follow a self-assessment check list prior to demonstrations.” However, she added, “they do not need to get the demonstrations approved by an adminis trator.”

Legally under “duty or standard of care,” administrators/supervisors are responsible for the health and safety of their teachers and students. This is achieved via the supervision process,

which should include awareness of what science teachers are doing in their labs and if safety protocols are being fol lowed. A science teacher receiving appropriate annual safety training by their employer should also take appropriate safety actions when in the laboratory trenches. In this case, because the teacher made the poor decision to do the demonstration, part of the safety action should have minimally included providing per sonal protective equipment and barriers (e.g., use of indirectly vented chemical splash goggles and physical barriers, including using a fume hood). The teacher should have determined that he and his students were going to be exposed to potentially serious hazards and resulting health and safety risks in the use of methanol and active flames. Of course, the potential hazards and result ing risks far outweighed the educational value to begin with, and a safer alternative demonstration should have been selected.

In eight short years, we have gone full circle. Is there appropriate annual science teacher safety training to meet the teachers’ needs regarding use of engineering controls, safety protocols, and personal protective equipment? Why weren’t small containers used, as recommended by the CSB report? Were a hazard analysis, risk assessment, and appropriate safety actions taken before a demonstration involving the use of methanol and active flames was conducted? Why wasn’t an alternative demonstration adopted that requires a less dangerous type of alcohol,

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WSST NEWS

WSST Foundation to Fund

Thousands in Grants

by Brian Bartel, WSST Foundation

Do you have a project in mind that requires more money than is in your budget? Do you need help with costs for education, conference attendance or a field trip? WSST offers members five grant opportunities that can be applied for online now at www.wsst.org

The Founder’s Grant ($1000) can be used for expenses related to professional development. This could include course work or attendance at conferences etc. The Pella Grant ($1000) can be used to improve the classroom experience for stu dents. The Byerly Grant ($500) can be used for improving the classroom experi ence for students, and the Foundation STEM Grant ($1,000) can be used to improve STEM learning. Please see the WSST webpage for more information about the grants and the application process. The deadline is December 1st at midnight. Take the time to apply now!

Milton Pella Grant:

Minimum of five grants up to $1000 each. Defer costs of attending confer ences, pay for technology, start an after school program or implement that awesome curriculum idea you always wanted to pursue.

Byerly Grant:

The grant, in the amount of $500.00 is to be used to improve the science classroom

experience for students. Any WSST member is eligible for this grant, however the following order of preference is used to award the grant: teacher or school is north of Highway 8, Science World or Science Futures staff member, Science World or Science Futures teacher partici pant, or any WSST member with a wor thy project.

Founders Grant:

Maximum of $1,000. Grant proposal may include graduate work, PDP, or other pro fessional development.

Foundation Stem Grant

These grants, up to $1,000 each, are to be used to improve STEM (science, technol ogy, engineering or maths) learning for science students through the purchase of innovative technology hardware or other STEM equipment tied to a specific proj ect or curricular topic. Any WSST mem ber is eligible for this grant. Up to three grants will be awarded, ideally to an ele mentary project, a middle school project and a high school project. Proposals need to be tied to a specific project or curricular topic.

Cultivating Genius: Adapting Lessons to Bring Out the

Genius in All Students

By Kevin Anderson, WI DPI

I have a hard time connecting with some frameworks for equity-based teaching. Often, that’s because they don’t connect as well as I’d like to science teaching. The Cultivating Genius Framework from Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, on the other hand, provides a simple tool to reflect on lesson and unit design. Her framework includes the following 5 elements, and I note how they’d work within science:

Intellect: the disciplinary core ideas of • science (DCIs) and ways of thinking of science (i.e., CCCs)

Skills: the science and engineering • practices (SEPs)

Identity: connections to students’ • interests and cultures, current events, and local contexts (some ideas in Appendix A of the WI Science Standards).

Criticality: how is this science going • to help change our community and the broader world?

Joy: linking to the beauty and wonder • of science, as well as the collaborative nature of it So, what might this look like in practice to adapt existing materials? Let’s start from some high-quality and free materials, OpenSciEd, specifically the 7th grade unit on matter cycling and photosynthesis – “Where does our food come from and where does it go next?” In this unit students explore the growth of plants, cre-

ation of food, and decomposition of food materials.

Applying Dr. Muhammad’s framework: This unit already effectively brings in the 3 dimensions of the WSS/NGSS = intellect and skills. Students develop a strong conceptual understanding of these topics and do science.

Identity: The lesson starts out with maple syrup and students watch a video of tapping a maple tree. Instead, classes could go out and actually tap trees to connecting to their local environment and native understanding of ecosystems and science.

Criticality: Later in the unit, students grow plants hydroponically. They could connect this work to growing healthy food for the school cafeteria (and eating it!) and consider issues such as the impact of food deserts in communities and over-consumption of processed foods.

Joy: Students could take a walk in a local forest or other ecosystem to observe plant growth and decomposition. If the environment is close by a local forest, they might do multiple measurements over time in the spring when plants are growing like crazy. A teacher could also add a group project related to local plants, food, decomposers, etc. that bene fits a local food pantry.

There are so many possibilities for mak ing our lessons better connect to the iden tity, joy, and critical perspectives of our students! The challenge, of course, is time. Like I always do, I’ll emphasize that it’s better to engage students deeply in their world than it is to cover more

content. They will remember the ideas better and be able to better apply them to new situations. Their scientific literacy will also increase. If we want students to be careful consumers of the (mis)information overload around them, some cov erage must give way to more opportuni ties for locally connected, critical think ing.

Decades of WSST

Dues

By Karyl Rosenberg, WSST Historian

As we experience rising prices throughout the broader economy, the question of cost for membership in professional organizations may easily become an item of discussion. Looking back over the nearly sixty-five years of the existence of WSST, it is valuable to consider the trends in the dues assessed to belong to our organization. As you look at this list of annual dues over the years, consider what the standard salaries for teachers were and how much other things cost at the time.

1958 – 1967 $2.00

1968 – 1974 $3.00

1975 – 1978 $4.00

1979 – 1981 $5.00

1982 – 1989 $6.00

1990 – 1995 $10.00

1996 – 2000 $15.00

2001 – 2006 $20.00

Retired $10.00

Students $6.00

2007 – present $25.00

Retired $15.00

Students $10.00

Throughout our history, there were some interesting twists related to the econom ics of organization membership. In a 1965 newsletter, there were comments about the tax deductibility of professional association dues (which is now gone). Periodically during the 1960’s there were published lists of “arrears”, with mem bers-talk about shaming people who hadn’t paid. Happily, that disappeared!

Conferences were generally quite inex pensive with fees comparable to dues until we grew and would no longer fit in student unions or similar college facilities. As we needed more space, the cost of conferences increased. This was a phe nomenon of the 1980’s.

In the early 2000’s there were several years where deals were offered for multiple year memberships at several levels: regular, retired and student. How popular these were is hard to say. I have a strong hunch they were difficult for organizational record-keeping.

As you can see from the data, we are currently in the longest period of dues stability for the organization! Although I do not know the dues for other professional teacher organizations, it seems to me that WSST membership dues have increased gradually with careful consid eration from leadership over the years.

Methanol Use continued

from page 6

a fume hood, and personal protective equipment; following administrative safety procedures; and having administra tors/supervisors charged with the respon sibility of securing and maintaining a safer teaching/learning laboratory environment by using more effective oversight?

Many legal safety standards and better professional safety practices directly address these issues. For example, NSTA has had the following Safety Alert list at the beginning of its safety resources list: Do Not Use Methanol-Based Flame Tests on Open Laboratory Desks (www.nsta.org/safety-alert-do-not-usemethanol-based-flame-tests-open-labora tory-desks).

Another example is the NSTA Safety Blog post Safer Science Labs, published on August 3, 2019. It introduces the “Triple AAA” method of working toward safer lab activities by doing a potential laboratory hazard analysis and determin ing the resulting health and safety risk assessment and what safety actions need to be taken. It also introduces an alterna tive method by the American Chemical Society, the “RAMP” approach: Recognize hazards, Assess risks of hazards, Minimize risks of hazards, and Prepare for emergencies. Both of these methods must be completed before the teacher does a lab demonstration or stu dents do a lab activity. These methods can be found at www.nsta.org/blog/saferscience-labs

The Virginia State Approved OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health

Administration) Plan has a safety stan dard identical to the federal OSHA’s Lab Standard 29 CFR 1910.1450, which requires that a chemical hygiene officer be assigned and a chemical hygiene plan be developed with safety protocols. Even if a school district is not under the federal or a state OSHA plan, OSHA safety protocols are still considered to be better professional safety practices and should be followed.

In the end, Science labs, technology education and engineering labs, STEM/STEAM labs, and other labs are not like a math or language arts class room. The labs can be dangerous places with potential hazards and resulting risks that can seriously injure laboratory occu pants: students and teachers. School boards of education and administrators need to address these important safety issues by doing appropriate safety training of staff and students, following up with appropriate supervision and progres sive discipline as needed, and making sure all appropriate safety protocols for lab work are being followed. Yes, labs can be done in a safer way, but it takes focus and commitment on the part of all involved: students, teachers, supervisors, administrators, boards of education, and parents/guardians. The safety information is readily available and must be used to ensure a safer teaching/learning environ ment. Do it now before someone else in your school gets seriously hurt and the school finds itself in legal turmoil.

Originally posted on 10-31-2022 on the NSTA Blog. Find the full article with resources online.

NOTABLE TRADE TEXTS

Melissa’s Pick: NotableNotebooks:Scientists andtheirWriting

by Jessica Fries-Gaither

This inspirational book examines how famous scientists have used their science notebooks and teaches kids how to start their own science notebook.

Leah’s Pick: HoneyBee:TheBusyLifeof ApisMellifera by Candace Fleming

This beautifully illustrated book describes the life cycle of a worker honey bee.

Marcia’s Pick: AComputerCalledKatherine by Suzanne Slade

A true story about mathematician, Katherine Johnson, who helped NASA put a man on the moon.

Terri’s Pick: What’sSoBadAboutGasoline? by Anna Rockwell

A good introduction to fossil fuels and what they do.

SCIENCE NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Project Dragonfly Accepting Applications for

2023

Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2023 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences at global field sites in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Visit EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu

Earth Expeditions can build toward the Global Field Program (GFP), a master’s degree that combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities so that students can com plete the GFP master’s part-time from anywhere in the United States or abroad.

Applications are now being accepted until January 28. Courses begin in May 2023. Visit GFP.MiamiOH.edu

Project Dragonfly also offers the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) mas ter’s degree that combines web instruction from Miami University with face-toface experiential learning and field study through several AIP sites in the U.S. Applications for Miami’s 2023 cohorts are being now being accepted until February 28, with place-based experi ences provided at zoos and botanical gar dens in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, New York, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis. New for 2023: residents of the Detroit, Michigan, area can study at AIP’s newest site, Detroit Zoological Society, and earn Miami’s AIP master’s degree. Visit AIP.MiamiOH.edu

Graduate tuition for all programs is

greatly reduced because of support from Miami University.

Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Holiday

Bazaar

Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Holiday Bazaar is back! If you’re looking for unique, one-of-a-kind gifts that support local artisans and a good cause, the Holiday Bazaar is the event you won’t want to miss this holiday season. The event, held at the picturesque children’s environmental education center, is perfect for holiday shopping as over a dozen local, sustainable artists and vendors present their finest wares in a cozy atmosphere. Warm your heart with a local purchase when you shop in our inviting space for unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list.

This year’s event will be held on Sunday, December 4th from 9 am until 4 pm at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Drive, Monona. The event is FREE and open to the public with FREE parking. Confirmed vendors this year include: Christine’s Kitchen, Sandy Burns, Earth Delights, Stylistic Designs, The Happy Kitty, Joshua Ludke, Mulberry Woods, 3 Girls Dyeing, The Curious Crafter, Sand County Spirits Ceramics, Haley Studio, Ann Windell, Audra Ferreira, Flavor Temptations, and Unusual Threads.

Contact (608) 221-0404 or email to www.aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org for more information. Or visit the website at aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org/event/holiday-bazaar/

Binoculars: A Great First Telescope

By David Prosper

Do you want to peer deeper into the night sky? Are you feeling the urge to buy a telescope? There are so many options for budding astronomers that choosing one can be overwhelming. A first telescope should be easy to use and provide good quality views while being affordable. As it turns out, those requirements make the first tel escope of choice for many stargazers something unexpected: a good pair of binoculars!

Binoculars are an excellent first instru ment because they are generally easy to use and more versatile than most telescopes. Binoculars can be used for activi ties like stargazing and birdwatching, and work great in the field at a star party, along the hiking trail, and anywhere else where you can see the sky. Binoculars also travel well, since they easily fit into carry-on luggage – a difficult feat for most telescopes! A good pair of binocu lars, ranging in specifications from 7x35 to 10x50, will give you great views of the Moon, large open star clusters like the Pleiades (M45), and, from dark skies, larger bright galaxies like the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and large nebulae like the Orion Nebula (M42). While you likely won’t be able to see Saturn’s rings, as you practice your observing skills you may be able to spot Jupiter's moons, along with some globular clusters and fainter nebulae from dark sites, too. What do the numbers on those binocular

specs actually mean? The first number is the magnification, while the second number is the size in millimeters (mm) of the lenses. So, a 7x35 pair of binoculars means that they will magnify 7 times using lenses 35 mm in diameter. It can be tempting to get the biggest binoculars you can find, but try not to get anything much more powerful than a 10x50 pair at first. Larger binoculars with more power often have narrower fields of vision and are heavier; while technically more powerful, they are also more difficult to hold steadily in your hands and "jiggle" quite a bit unless you buy much more expensive binoculars with image stabilization, or mount them to a tripod.

A pair of good binoculars can show craters on the Moon around 6 miles (10 km) across and larger. How large is that? It would take you about two hours to hike across a similar-sized crater on Earth. The “Can You See the Flag On the Moon?” handout showcases the levels of detail that different instruments can typically observe on the Moon, available at bit.ly/flag moon. Moon image courtesy Jay Tanner

Would it surprise you that amazing views of some astronomical objects can be found not just from giant telescopes, but also from seemingly humble binocu lars? Binoculars are able to show a much larger field of view of the sky compared to most telescopes. For example, most telescopes are unable to keep the entirety of the Pleiades or Andromeda Galaxy entirely inside the view of most eye pieces. Binoculars are also a great investment for more advanced observing, as later on they are useful for hunting down objects to then observe in more detail with a telescope.

If you are able to do so, real-world advice and experience is still the best for something you will be spending a lot of time with! Going to an in-person star party hosted by a local club is a great way to get familiar with telescopes and binoculars of all kinds – just ask permission before taking a closer look! You can find clubs and star parties near you on the Night Sky Network's Clubs & Events page at bit.ly/nsnclubsandevents, and inspire your binocular stargazing sessions with NASA’s latest discoveries at nasa.gov.

The two most popular types of binocular designs are shown here: roof-prism binoculars (left) and porro-prism binoculars (right). Roof prisms tend to be more compact, lighter, and a bit more portable, while porro-prisms tend to be heavier but often offer wider views and greater magnifica tion. What should you choose? Many birders and frequent fliers often choose roof-prism models for their portability. Many observers who prefer to observe fainter deep-sky objects or who use a tripod with their observing choose larger porro-prism designs. There is no right answer, so if you can, try out both designs and see which works better for you.

WSST Newsletter

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Volume 64, No. 2

Published in Appleton, Wisconsin

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