The Rural We: Bill Cloutier
He's a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and a founding member of the John J. McCarthy Observatory.
You might be as surprised as we were to find out that 1) there is a world-class astronomical observatory in our region, and 2) that there is such a thing as a group of NASA Solar System Ambassadors. Meet Bill Cloutier, a NASA ambassador and founding member of the John J. McCarthy Observatory in New Milford, Conn. He will be leading a Perseids Star Party on Thursday, Aug. 12 at the Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury. Weather permitting, the public is invited to the library lawn for an evening of guided star gazing.
I was a nuclear engineer, and always had an interest in astronomy. About 20 years ago, a local resident, Monty Robson, decided there needed to be a place where people could get excited about science. He established the observatory as a nonprofit to further science literacy through astronomy. I was one of the founding members, and it’s all volunteer driven. The observatory is located on the campus of New Milford High School.
As a volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador, I speak with groups about astronomy and what we’re doing at the observatory. We have telescopes that allow celestial exploration, as well as others for imaging, science use and public events. I am a regular presenter and an adult education classroom instructor for a night sky appreciation course, and a senior telescope operator. At home, the lunar landscape is a frequent target for my telescope.
In 2018, when Elon Musk launched his roadster into space as a test payload, amateur astronomers around the world competed to see who could take the most distant photo of the Elon Musk’s red Tesla. We were able to image it from a distance of almost two million miles as it streaked among the stars of the constellation Hydra. There’s really no science value to it, but it was a fun exercise and quite an accomplishment for the observatory’s relatively small telescope.
At the library in Roxbury we will be observing the Perseid meteor shower, which lights up the night sky every August. The McCarthy Observatory is also holding a free star party on August 14th for people to enjoy the sights of the mid-summer night sky through a variety of telescope
Interest in astronomy runs in the family. My daughter Kyle is now a systems engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
