Von Braun Astronomical Society facts for kids
The Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) is a group of people who love space and stars. They teach others about astronomy in Huntsville, Alabama. VBAS includes both amateur and professional astronomers.
They have an observatory and a planetarium. These are located east of Huntsville, in Monte Sano State Park. VBAS also wants to inspire young people. They give out an award called the Ann Sanford Award. They even have a student on their board of directors!
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History of VBAS
The VBAS started a long time ago. It was founded by Wernher von Braun and other rocket scientists. They came to America from Germany after World War II. The group was first called the Rocket City Astronomical Association.
This place helped with the Apollo Moon landings! Wernher von Braun and his team used a special telescope. It was in the Swanson Observatory. They looked for safe places for astronauts to land on the Moon.
Cool Facilities at VBAS
The Planetarium
The VBAS planetarium has a large dome, about 33 feet wide. It uses a special projector called a Spitz A3P. This projector shows stars and planets on the dome. About 80 visitors can sit and watch.
Here's a cool fact: The dome was once part of a model for a Saturn V rocket fuel tank! It was given to VBAS in the 1960s.
Swanson Observatory
The Swanson Observatory has a powerful 21-inch telescope. It is a Cassegrain-Newtonian telescope. This building was the first one built at the VBAS site. In 2009, it was updated for electronic viewing. The dome's opening was also fixed using parts from a Skylab engineering model.
The Swanson Observatory is named after Conrad Swanson.
Angele Observatory
The Angele Observatory is named for Wilhelm Angele. He was also part of Wernher von Braun's rocket team. This observatory has a roof that rolls off. Inside, there is a 16-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. This telescope was one of two special ones ordered by NASA. They were used to explore possible landing spots on the Moon.
Stuhlinger Solar Telescope
VBAS also has the Stuhlinger Solar Telescope. It was finished around 1994. This telescope has a 12-inch main mirror. It also has a smaller mirror that helps project a large image of the Sun. You can see a 24-inch image of the Sun on a whiteboard! This telescope was a personal project of Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger. He was another member of the Von Braun team.
See also
- List of astronomical societies
