Pack a blanket, maybe a pillow, and head to the outskirts of town. To be an astronomer, all it takes is curiosity and a clear night.
By Ezra Wolfe
Kansan staff writer
W
th all the televisions, stereos and computers,
one of the oldest methods of entertainment is
sometimes overlooked.
Simply wait for a clear night and drive about
half an hour outside of Lawrence.
Look up.
The night sky is full of
wonders that can
"The simplest thing to do is to go out and look at the sky," said Kim Arnold, planetarium director at the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson. "But people are so impatient, they want it to instantly happen."
mystify and awe us, and we tend to overlook it.
Arnold said it took a while for most people to appreciate looking at the stars, but there were occasions when the heavens
"We took a group out to look for satellites and they were all surprised at how easy it was to see the Russian space station that is carrying cosmonauts," he said.
The advent of air conditioning and TV has caused the interest in astronomy to drop off, said Arnold.
"People used to sleep outside by the river when it was really hot," said Arnold "Now, with air conditioning and TV, very few people do that. We lock ourselves
up inside buildings." that there is nothing on TV or that
But let's imagine that there is nothing on TV or that maybe the air conditioning has failed to exhale its frosty breath. What next?
"Recognizing constellations is simple," Arnold said. "You have to realize that they often don't look like what they are named. It's almost impossible to get the shape of a dog out of a few stars."
One that does look like its name is the big dipper, often called the shopping cart by kids today. Arnold said.
With a simple star chart in hand, scan the sky for the Big Dipper. Once it is found, follow the end two stars up to the North Star, or Polaris.
From there, Arnold said, start hopping from constellation to con stellation with the help of the chart.
A telescope is not necessary and could be a waste of money, Arnold said. The problem is that inexpensive telescopes often shake too much to be of any help. A good quality telescope is a large investment he said.
"There are an estimated 10 million telescopes in people attics that are never used." Arnold said.
People would enjoy their telescopes more if they knew more about the sky, Arnold
An excellent way to learn about the stars and planets is to attend the open house at the Clyde W. Tombaugh Observatory in Lindley Hall
The open house is held at 10 p.m. on the first and third Sunday of every month, said KU astronomy professor Stephen Shawl.
The KU observatory may not be the best way to look at the night sky, Shawl said. The lights from the city significantly obscure the stellar objects, Shawl suggested that anyone who wanted to et interested in astronomy find a naked dark spot outside of town.
get interested in astronomy find a reasonably dark spot outside of town. Shaw leaves it.
Shawl said there would be people available at the open house to explain everything that was being seen through the telescope.
"You're often seeing things you've never before." Shawl said. "It's mysterious for most people and for astronomers as well." Many people are not aware that when they are communicating with the stars, they are communicating with where they came from.
Atoms in people literally come from stars, 'Shawlsaid. "The atoms are created inside stars. Every element heavier than helium was formed inside of a star that eventually blew up and ejected those atoms out into space."
"That's where you come from," he said.
'Loaded in Lawrence' plugs live, local music
By Ezra Wolfe
Kansan staff writer
Live music reigns in Lawrence, and The Bottletn is trying to prove it.
The Bottleneck and Mercy Records are recording "Loaded in Lawrence" Live at The Bottleneck, a compact disc that is to be recorded at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.
Sixteen bands will be recorded. Each band will play for 45 minutes at each show, and four bands will perform every night. The recordings began yesterday night. Only one song from each band will appear on the recording.
"It's nonstop," said Kevin Gilbert, The Bottleneck's manager. "They're all local bands and they're gonna be on a CD."
Most of the bands play rock'n' roll.
"My guess is that they'll put on four great shows because they know they will be recorded." Gilbert said.
The four-day show is a celebration of The Bottleneck's fifth anniversary.
Besides the anniversary celebration, another
things the shows is to try to promote
The shows are $5 each, but admission to all of the shows can be purchased for $12. All shows are open to those 18 years old or older.
the Lawrence music scene nationally.
The bands that were chosen were not necessarily the best bands in Lawrence, but rather bands that were favorites of the committee, Byers said.
Almost 70 Lawrence bands were put on a list And The Bottleneck put together a committee to choose the bands. The Bottleneck then had an open mike night so that the committee members could hear all the bands.
"Lawrence already has a good music scene and we're trying to to keep it rolling," said Brian Beyers, owner of the Mercy Records Studio, 735 12 New Hampshire St.
The CD is to be recorded using 24-track digital technology, and Mercy Records Studio, which opened Nov. 16, will do the mixing and editing of the recorded songs.
Byers said the album would be distributed nationally through independent distributors. The performance schedule is:
Thursday, April 15: Nic Cosmos, Slackjaw,
Mahoots, White Thrash
Friday, April 16: SafetyIguaes, Love Squid,
Low Life, Viroschoviolets.
Saturday, April 17: L.A. Ramblers, Kill Creek, Lonesome Hounds, Dragomacrets
Stick, Baghdad Jones, Whichdoctor?* and Motherwell performed last night.
Lied schedule features opera, Bobby McFerrin
By Ezra Wolfe
Kansan staff writer
Vocalist Bobby McFerrin and performance artist Laurie Anderson are just two of the artists coming to the new Lied Center during the 93-94 season.
Kansas music lovers also will get a treat from three KU alumni thanks to the Lied Center Concert Series. The series will feature three nationally recognized opera singers, all of whom graduated from KU.
Oner events scheduled for the Concert Series, include the San Francisco Symphony, the New York City Opera National Company performing "Madame Butterfly," and the Disney Company per- vener with the Riley Trio Tris.
The Chamber Music Series will present the Guarneri String Quartet, the King's Singers, the Ying Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with David Shuffin.
The New Directions Series will present Sankai Jaku, masters of Butoh, a new Japanese art form that evolved in the 1960s; Amanda Miller and her Pretty Katzen, masters of witty Dance Company and the Kronos Quartet.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Nutracker and Rebecca of Salem The center should be completed in July.
Three special events also are scheduled for the 1993-94 season: "The Secret Garden," "The Nutcracker" and "Bebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." The latter two are scheduled in July.
Season tickets to any series and all special events may be purchased through the Lied Center box office which will open June 7. Information about all events is available from the Concert Series Office at (913) 864-3460.
APRIL 15,1993
Your guide to Entertainment in the Lawrence Area.
calendar
1601 W. 23rd St.
1601 W. 23rd St.
Fuzz Box with Suave Octopus. tonight
Three Walls and Soul Food Cafe, tomorrow Saturday
Milhous Nixons, Motherwell, Wednesday
737 New Hampshire St
Bottleneck
Nick Cosmos, Flack Jaw, The Mahtos, White Trash, tonight
Loaded in Lawrence, three nights, 18 and over
show. $5
Salty iguanas, Lovesquad, Lowlife, Psycho Violets, tomorrow
Superchunk, Rockets from the Crypt, Better Glory, Monday, $6
L. A. Ramblers, Kill Creek, Lonesome Hounddogs, Dracomagnet, Saturday
Mortal Reign, Extrovert, Trinity X, Wednesday,
$5
12th and Oread streets
Nougat, tonight
The Lonesome Hounddogs, tomorrow
Mr. Jones and the Previous, Wednesday
The Crossing
Dos Hombres
815 New Hampshire St.
Riverrock, tonight
Gusto's
925 Iowa St.
Idxplosion, tomorrow
Harmony Hall
10 E. Ninth St.
Dan Bliss, Kurt Stockhammer and Greg Allen,
blues, R & B and swing music
8 p.m., tomorrow, $6 at the door
Hockenbury Tavern
1016 Massachusetts St.
Caribie, tomorrow, Saturday
KU NOW Benefit, 10 p.m., Wednesday
Jayhawk Cafe
1340 Ohio St.
Killin' Time. tomorrow
Jazzhaus
926 1/2 Massachusetts St.
Lonnie Ray's Blues Jam, tonight
Milhous Nixons, tomorrow, Saturday
Continued on Page 8.