NEWBERRY — Leading up to the solar eclipse in August, Newberry is making the most of this rare experience by incorporating lessons on solar eclipses into various camps and activities this summer.

The Newberry Literacy Council recently held an enrichment camp where Jennifer Romatelli, Outreach Specialist at Roper Mountain Science Center, brought the Star Lab to teach the campers not only about the stars and space, but also the solar eclipse and just how exciting space and the solar system can be.

The Star Lab, which has been around for about 30 years, is designed to be a portable planetarium for students who couldn’t otherwise go to a planetarium and to be a tool for schools to use in their lessons.

“Schools use it whenever they need to and it’s been a really great outreach tool to take to schools in the region,” Romatelli said. “The Newberry Literacy Council requested for a lesson on solar eclipse. With the Star Lab, we are able to adjust the date and time and put up different projections to present the solar eclipse in the sky.”

Romatelli also said this will be the first solar eclipse since 1970, which is rare for anyone in our specific location.

The students may not fully understand how rare and exciting the solar eclipse is now, but by bringing models for the kids to see and touch, they can learn about what is happening in space and learn about what will happen during the solar eclipse in August.

During Romatelli’s presentation, she explained that there are objects moving in the sky by showing models on sticks, allowing students to hold it in their hands. They also learned how light on the moon changes and viewed 3-D models to teach them about the earth, moon and stars.

“Hopefully as they get older they will realize the special experience that they have now. We handed cards to students afterwards about how to safely watch the progress of the eclipse. The most important being that it is never safe to directly look at the sun,” Romatelli said.

The Star Lab can also set the date and time to whatever you want it to be and allows students to look at things they wouldn’t normally be able to any other time.

Romatelli said all you need is an open area with a clear view of the sky and that you’ll also want to see where it’s most likely to be clear along with keeping track of the weather forecast.

Heading into the Star Lab.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Camp1-1.jpgHeading into the Star Lab. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

Barbara Chapman speaking with a parent.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Camp2-1.jpgBarbara Chapman speaking with a parent. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

Jennifer Romatelli, Outreach Specialist at Roper Mountain Science Center, talks to campers about the Star Lab.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Camp3-1.jpgJennifer Romatelli, Outreach Specialist at Roper Mountain Science Center, talks to campers about the Star Lab. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

By Kelly Duncan

kduncan@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3123 ext. 1868 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.