Exploring our Universe with the Mason Space Exploration Center
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When asked how he became passionate about science, Ian Helm, the Outreach Coordinator for the Mason
Space Exploration Center, said, “My favorite planet is HD189733b. It’s blue and it rains glass there.”
Rains glass? For real? For real.
“That’s why I do this,” says Ian, “I want to expand the minds and curiosity of the populations of northern Virginia.”
Ian works at the Mason Space Exploration Center which was founded in 2023 on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax. The George Mason Observatory has five Observatory Pillars, which share what they are working to accomplish within the community. One pillar states that through education and outreach, “…learners of all ages and abilities can explore the marvels of space and develop a deeper appreciation for the cosmos.”
Mason Space Exploration Center Outreach Coordinator Ian Helm (right) provides a camper access to a Lunt 152 mm H-alpha telescope to glimpse a view of the sun
In its short existence, the Mason Space Exploration Center has become a premiere educational option for those interested in what happens on, around our planet and beyond. Offering open tour hours to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, people of all ages can come tour the Mason Observatory for free, and if it’s a clear night, fulfill that sense of wonder by exploring the twinkling night sky through their 32-inch Cassegrain telescope.
Programs, Camps, and Events at the Center
Have a younger, aspiring scientist? The center also offers a Space Saturdays program, which runs through April, where for a fee, children in grades fourth through sixth can spend the morning completing hands-on activities related to science and space. From 2 to 4 p.m., students in grades sixth through eighth can do the same. Students may design and make a scale model of the solar system spread across the George Mason campus or determine the heights of George Mason’s buildings using parallax.
If you live in Prince William and are looking for something extra for your young astronomer to do during the
summer, camp at the Mason Space Exploration Center is in its second year and space is filling fast. The
award-winning, space-focused program is a week-long, immersive science experience, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Students explore the vastness of our solar system and learn how to discover aliens in our universe.
Camps are located at both the Fairfax and SciTech Campuses (SciTech Campus is located in Manassas). Cost for camp is located on their website, and camps are open to rising fourth through ninth grade students. The newly formed Manassas camp also has an early bird registration discount, and both locations offer a 15% discount for all George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College faculty and staff.
And for the older scientists, mark Sept. 20 on your calendar — Space Day at George Mason. There will be activities for kids as well as representatives and speakers from the aerospace industry for high school and college students. Mason Space Day 2024 was a giant-sized success with over 2,000 people registered.
The Research Hall observatory features an impressive collection of telescopes, including a 32″ Ritchey-Chretien Telescope, a 12″ Cassegrain (Mancini), a 6″ Solar Telescope (Lunt), a 16″ Dobsonian (Strickland), and two Meade 12″ Schmidt-Cassegrains (SCTs).
George Mason Observatory’s Five Pillars
The observatory’s five pillars state that not only is education a focus, but so is stargazing, advancing research and discovery, community engagement, conserving Earth’s orbital environment, and conserving dark skies. Rob Parks, Director of the George Mason Observatory, states, “We are developing a program for
outreach and education for young people to understand topics like what light pollution is, what it does to our environment, and how it can be mitigated. Because even here, close to Washington D.C., we can mitigate it.”
The space center is in the process of developing more school programs — from astronomy lessons about the moon to light pollution — to help students unravel not only the mysteries of the night sky, but of our universe as well. And maybe students will even learn why planet HD189733b has glass that falls as rain.
Steffany Cartellone is a contributing writer for Prince William Living.
