SMALL TOWN LOOKS TO THE STARS
Connecticut village launches International Year of Astronomy with weeklong celebration.

March 5, 2009 – Ridgefield CT: Ridgefield, Connecticut may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of astronomy, but the planets have aligned to put the village at the center of a global celebration marking the 400th anniversary of when Galileo first peered through a telescope.

Why Ridgefield? The credit goes to renowned astronomer and Ridgefield resident Heidi Hammel. It was her inspiration that her hometown join an international effort to get as many people as possible to gaze through a telescope over a 100-hour span April 2-5. The idea captured the imagination of a community that recently celebrated its own 300th birthday and soon the city found itself at the forefront of the “Global Star Party.”

The community is hoping thousands of people will be inspired to star gaze with friends and neighbors. In addition, the festivities include a lecture by Dr. Hammel and a documentary screening about the history of the telescope followed by actual stargazing on the Library lawn. The weekend culminates with a multimedia performance featuring “The Planets” by the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra.

Gustav Holst’s seven-suite tour de force captures our human connection to the solar system and will bring together one of the largest orchestras in the history of the Ridgefield Symphony, including quadruple winds, two harps and a massive brass section. They’ll be accompanied by a synchronized planetary video that includes space footage provided by Cornell University with additional astrological images created by Ridgefield media artist Eva Lee.

“Heidi Hammel’s whole vision is to bring the Ridgefield community together with events all around town for all ages, and it is thrilling to have the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra be part of it,” said RSO Music Director Gerald Steichen.

Ridgefield’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy continues even after the weekend events. The Ridgefield Library is one of only 40 towns across the country and the only one in Connecticut to host an exhibit featuring drawings and diagrams by Galileo and other early astronomers, "Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery." On display from April 11 to June 11, “Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery” also includes dramatic images taken by the Hubble Space telescope and other space missions, showing how our views and understanding of the universe have changed over the last four centuries.

“Visions of the Universe” is presented by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland; the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, through funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

“100 Hours of Astronomy” Calendar of Events:

Last Mission to Hubble with Dr. Heidi B. Hammel
Kick-off event on eve of “100 Hours”
Wednesday, April 1, 7 p.m., Ridgefield Library.

Sidewalk Astronomy on Main Street
Thursday, April 2, 6:30 – 9 p.m. (rain/cloud date April 3), Main Street, Ridgefield
Ridgefield High School astronomy students, led by JR Condosta, will work with local astronomy enthusiast Rich Fabbri to set up telescopes right on Main Street.

Film Screening: 400 Years of the Telescope: A Journey of Science, Technology and Thought
Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3, 7 – 8 p.m., Ridgefield Library
A must-see documentary about the history of the telescope and its profound impact on science and society.

Public Viewing with the 20-inch telescope at the WCSU Observatory
Thursday, April 2, 7:30 p.m. Western Connecticut State University Westside Campus, Danbury, CT.

Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra Concert
Saturday, 4 April, 8 p.m., Anne Richardson Auditorium, Ridgefield High School
The concert will feature a special multimedia presentation of “The Planets” by Gustav Holst and will be followed by an on-site Star Party hosted by volunteers for the Ridgefield Discovery Center. Call the RSO office at 438-3889 or visit www.ridgefieldsymphony.org for tickets.

For a full listing of IYA09 activities in and around Ridgefield visit www.starpark.org.

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SMALL TOWN LOOKS TO THE STARS Connecticut village launches International Year of Astronomy with weeklong celebration.

SMALL TOWN LOOKS TO THE STARS
Connecticut village launches International Year of Astronomy with weeklong celebration.