Maria Mitchell Association Monthly e-Comet Newsletter

AUGUST 2023

Friends –

It's August – wow! How is this possible? We just wrapped up our 2023 Annual Stargazer Gala and are very grateful for your support. It was a most spectacular evening! A great big THANK YOU to all of you who joined us to dance, sing, and revel under the stars.

To our dedicated staff, board, and interns – your vibrant energy and enthusiasm were outstanding. You are the best and the most vital part of our organization.

To our class of 2023 interns – thank you for your hard work and commitment to the mission of the Maria Mitchell Association. We truly hope that it has been a memorable summer so far and that you leave this island with a deeper connection to nature, and a more vast sense of yourselves.  

This month, please join us for three notable events – the Celestial Stakeout – Perseids Meteor Shower event for which we will meet at Surfside Beach for a guided tour of the night sky on Sunday, August 13. On Monday, August 14, we will gather at the Nantucket Atheneum for a presentation by Dr. Andrea Ghez, 2020 Nobel Prize winner, as she discusses "From the Possibility to the Certainty of a Supermassive Black Hole". On August 17, Charity Grace Mofsen, incumbent Artist-In-Residence, will open her show. Charity Grace is also offering a "Beginner Astrophotography Course," for those who want to learn the ins and outs of photographing the Nantucket night sky.

There is still plenty of time to enjoy summer fun at the MMA Aquarium, the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum, the Historic Mitchell House, and the Loines Observatory. Perhaps your path will find you on a "Nantucket Bird Walk" or an "Owl Prowl" with MMA's Field Ornithologist, Ginger Andrews. Visit our website to discover more about our public and private programs.

August brings some of the busiest days of the year to our magical island where we can still find a solitary walk in the woods or the dunes, a quiet patch of beach, warm ocean waters, and my favorite; the phosphorescence – where you can see the soft illumination along the shore and water on a late evening dip at Steps Beach or Water Tower Beach.



I hope you find the time to enjoy a beach read, an ice cream cone, a swim, and a watercolor sunset!  

My best, 

Joanna Roche

Executive Director

jroche@mariamitchell.org

Our annual Stargazer Gala on Polpis Harbor was a huge success! We would like to thank our interns, staff, board members, sponsors and each person who joined us under the stars, for an incredible evening. We are grateful for all of the support in helping to promote the legacy of Maria Mitchell, America's first woman astronomer. And in preserving the MMA's mission of creating opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.

Photos of our 2023 Stargazer Gala by Charity Grace Mofsen and Tucker Finerty

MMA Summer Pop - Up

Happening Now Through August 5!

33 Washington Street

Sip-n-Shop

Happening Tonight!

Tuesday, August 1

4:00 - 7:00pm

Hosted by Choix Home

Daytime Shows

Now through Saturday, August 5

11:00am – 4:00pm

The Daytime Pop-Up will provide an exciting lineup of vendors offering an array of unique products, such as handmade crafts, clothing, one-of-a-kind jewelry, home decor, and so much more. Your purchases will help support the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium Project.

Come meet our vendors including Choix Home, chic table top and fashion accessories; J. Earl & Sons, unique barware; Kim Donaldson Jewelry;

Those Carl Girls, tote bags; Future Primitive, exquisite artisan clothing; and Whale Tail Weaving, Nantucket basket bracelets and accessories.

Meet Designer Tanya Taylor

To Benefit the MMA

Wednesday, August 2

The Federal Suite at The Faraway

29 Centre Street

4:00 - 6:00pm

Join us for a champagne reception and shop the designer's summer styles.

Spots available in our Teen Naturalist (Ages 13 - 16),

Wee Explorers (Ages 5 - 6), and Private Camp Programs.

Camp registration is open to MMA Members only.

Become a Member!

Charity Grace Mofsen Astrophotography

August 17 - September 10

33 Washington Street

Join us for Artist-In-Residence Charity Grace Mofsen Art Opening

Thursday, August 17

5:30 - 7:00pm

33 Washington Street

Charity Grace Mofsen captures the island of Nantucket in all its glory – in light and at night. She believes “there is always Light, if you have eyes to see it.” She finds joy sharing her love of Nantucket with the hope that others will also cherish the island’s natural beauty. Featured in “Nantucket Current’s,” “This Week in Photos,” her work speaks to [wo]man’s connection to the cosmos. Mofsen highlights the beauty of the island’s contrasts – the solitude of the off-season and the joy of summer, the colors of the light, and the wisdom of the night.

Free to the public. Viewing of Charity Grace's work is by appointment for the duration of her residency.

MMA Observatory NSF REU Interns

Join Us On Wednesday, August 9

At 6pm EST, as we welcome the MMA Observatory NSF REU Interns as our featured presenters for the August Science Speaker Series.

The MMA’s 2023 National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) interns will present their research on everything from exploding stars to supermassive black holes and galaxies in the early Universe.

The MMA’s Maria Mitchell Observatory operates the NSF-REU program each summer and has done so for decades. The program is funded by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation. Each summer, six top undergraduate students are selected out of a pool of approximately 300 applicants from around the United States. The NSF-REU interns come to Nantucket for ten to twelve weeks during the summer to participate in astrophysics research projects. While on Nantucket, the NSF-REU interns also participate in the outreach efforts of the Observatory, primarily by hosting public Open Nights at the Loines Observatory.

Read more here.

This talk is complimentary and held both in-person at the MMA Research Center at 2 Vestal Street, and via Zoom, please pre-register.

Dr. Valerie Hall

Join Us On Wednesday, August 16

At 6pm EST as we welcome Valerie Hall, Ph.D. as one of our featured presenters for the August Science Speaker Series.

Valerie Hall, Ph.D. will give an overview of the biology of the Nantucket Bay Scallop and its unique fishery. She will illustrate the bay scallop’s hermaphroditic reproductive cycle, and explain its life history and population dynamics. Dr. Hall will then elaborate on the ecological conditions required for a healthy bay scallop population, and juxtapose those with the perpetual environmental problems that threaten the sustainability of bay scallops and the impacts that these problems have caused for the fishery of bay scallops on Nantucket. Lastly, Dr. Hall will provide an overview of the student-driven summer research and mentoring program she developed, which provides high school students the opportunity to participate in authentic marine biological research—while working alongside college student mentors—with a focal point on the Nantucket Bay Scallop and its vulnerability.

Hall has lived on Nantucket for forty-six years. After a 35-year career teaching high school science, mostly on Nantucket, she earned her Ph.D. in Fisheries Oceanography at the University of Massachusetts’ School for Marine Science and Technology in 2014. She then began a research and mentoring program at the MMA which has just completed its seventh summer. During that time, Dr. Hall has worked with over eighty high school and college students alike. Students earn community service hours and have benefitted immensely from Dr. Hall’s program, many of them asking to return for subsequent seasons.

This talk is complimentary and held both in-person at the MMA Research Center at 2 Vestal Street, and via Zoom, please pre-register.

Photo by Trish Pastuszak

Bird On!

By Ginger Andrews

On Nantucket, August is a peak time for shorebirds. But our inland breeding birds are also worthy of attention. Birds of the year—HY as in “Hatch Year” to bird banders—are flopping around learning the ropes. Their curiosity is entertaining. Some, like the Red-bellied Woodpecker, are new here. Seen mainly in winter for several years, they are now breeding. 

As the bird life of a place changes, we need to keep reporting those changes. Over the years we have seen a lot of birds, once unknown here, become common. Some, like the Carolina Wren, have moved up from the south with climate change. Others are experiencing restoration to their former territory when some hazard has been removed. 

Many—perhaps most of us—use the Cornell website "eBird" to keep our lists. It is now one of the largest “community science” programs in the world, providing vital data to researchers and wildlife managers. So, with changes in our world, reporting becomes ever more important. When something pops up as “rare” and the eBird algorithm flags it, don’t assume that just because the machine knows more, by volume, that your identification lacks weight. Never be afraid to argue with an algorithm, or it will never learn. So, take the time to respond.  

4TH ANNUAL GREEN CRAB WEEK

August 7 - August 11

Green Crab Identification Workshop and Derby Information Session

Monday, August 7

1:00 - 4:00pm

MMA Aquarium, 28 Washington Street

Join us on Monday, August 7 at the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium to learn how to identify green crabs! We will compare them to local species and show you how to tell their sex. This is also a great opportunity to seek advice about the 2nd Annual Nantucket Green Crab Derby!

Cost Per Participant: Free. Open to the Public.

Nantucket Green Crab Survey: Bait & Line

Tuesday, August 8

4:00 - 5:00pm

Madaket Beach Parking Lot

Join the Maria Mitchell Association's Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, on a survey for invasive European green crabs! This survey will be a part of the MMA Nantucket Green Crab Community Science Survey that you can do yourself at any time! In this session, we will be using the bait and line method!

Cost Per Participant: Free.

Open to the Public. Pre-registration is required.

Nantucket Green Crab Fertilizer Workshop

with the Nantucket Land Council

Thursday, August 10

10:00am - 12:00pm

Sustainable Farm Stand, 168 Hummock Pond Rd.

In collaboration with the Nantucket Land Council, please join us for this free, fun, and exciting way to help control the population of the invasive Green Crab, all the while creating an environmentally friendly fertilizer for your garden.

For people to make their own Green Crab fertilizer, please bring completely waterproof boots comfortable for crushing dead crabs, as well as a seal-able bottle or jar to take home fertilizer. We will provide crabs, coolers, vinegar, and take-home fertilizer instructions.

Cost Per Participant: Free. Open to the Public.

Please pre-register on the Nantucket Land Council website.

3rd Annual Nantucket Green Crab Derby

Friday, August 11

12:00am - 4:00pm

MMA Aquarium, 28 Washington St.

Help the Maria Mitchell Association and the Nantucket Land Council fight the Green Crab invasion by participating in the 3rd annual Nantucket Green Crab Derby!

Participate in a team of up to 4 to help us maintain healthy marine habitats and for a chance to win prizes! Rules and prize details are detailed in the reservation process.

Prizes: There are four chances to win prizes for the derby!

All prizes will be announced on Wednesday August 16. Winners will be contacted via the phone number/email provided on the registration.

Cost Per Team: $10, groups of up to 4 persons can compete.

Read more here.

Cost Per Participant: Free.

Open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

Nantucket Green Crab Survey: Wading & Hand Net

Friday, August 11

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Hither Creek Access, 24 Massachusetts Ave

Join the Maria Mitchell Association's Aquarium Director, Jack Dubinsky, on a survey for invasive European green crabs! This survey will be a part of the MMA Nantucket Green Crab Community Science Survey that you can do yourself at any time! In this session, we will be using the wading with hand net method.

Cost Per Participant: Free.

Open to the Public. Pre-registration is required.

The Maria Mitchell Association and the Nantucket Atheneum Host

Dr. Andrea Ghez

Monday, August 14

7:00 - 8:30pm

Nantucket Atheneum, 1 India St.

"From the Possibility to the Certainty of a Supermassive Black Hole"

Through the capture and analysis of twenty years of high-resolution imaging, the UCLA Galactic Center Group has moved the case for a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy from a possibility to a certainty and provided the best evidence to date for the existence of these truly exotic objects. This was made possible with the first measurements of stellar orbits around a galactic nucleus. Further advances in state-of-the-art of high-resolution imaging technology on the world’s largest telescopes have greatly expanded the power of using stellar orbits to study black holes.

Recent observations have revealed an environment around the black hole that is quite unexpected (young stars where there should be none; a lack of old stars where there should be many; and a puzzling new class of objects). Continued measurements of the motions of stars have solved many of the puzzles posed by these perplexing populations of stars. This work is providing insight into how black holes grow and the role that they play in regulating the growth of their host galaxies. Measurements this past year of stellar orbits at the Galactic Center have provided new insight on how gravity works near a supermassive hole, a new and unexplored regime for this fundamental force of nature.

Andrea M. Ghez, Professor of Physics & Astronomy and the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine Chair in Astrophysics, is one of the world’s leading experts in observational astrophysics and heads UCLA’s Galactic Center Group. Best known for her ground-breaking work on the center of our Galaxy, which has led to the best evidence to date for the existence of supermassive black holes, she has received numerous honors and awards including the Nobel Prize in 2020. She became the fourth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, sharing one half of the prize with Reinhard Genzel (the other half of the prize being awarded to Roger Penrose).

The Nobel Prize was awarded to Ghez and Genzel for their Independent discovery of a supermassive compact object, now generally recognized to be a black hole, in the Milky Way's galactic center. She has also been awarded the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy from the Royal Swedish Academy of Science (she is the first woman to receive a Crafoord Prize in any field), the Bakerian Medal from the Royal Society of London, a MacArthur Fellowship, and election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

Presentation is free and open to the public.

OPEN NIGHTS:

Stargazing at Loines Observatory

Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

9pm - 10:30pm (Two Sessions)

FAMILY STARGAZING at Loines Observatory

Fridays

9pm - 10pm

Join our professional astronomers for an impressive tour of Nantucket’s night sky. Each Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the MMA will host two sessions of Open Night Stargazing at 9:00pm - 9:45pm and 9:45pm - 10:30pm.

On Fridays, there will be Family Stargazing from 9pm - 10pm.

MMA staff will guide you in viewing astronomical objects through our historic 8-inch Alvan Clark refractor and our modern 24-inch research telescope. Get a chance to view the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and even other galaxies! Learn about the cutting-edge research being conducted by Maria Mitchell Association's Observatory astronomers and interns and get all your astronomy questions answered!

This program begins promptly at the event start time so please arrive 10 minutes before the program start time. Please dress for the weather conditions at the event time. This program is geared toward teens and adults, but children are welcome to register with an adult guardian. At least one adult must sign up with children.

This program is weather contingent and will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather (rain or thunderstorm threat). Please check our website on the day of the event for updates on weather related cancellations; we will post by 5pm if the event will be cancelled.

Pre-registration is recommended as programs do fill up but walk-ins are welcome subject to availability.

Cost per adult participant: $22

Cost per youth participant: $12

Cost is complimentary for Members

Ticket cost includes a visit to the Hinchman Natural Science Museum, the MMA Aquarium, and the Historic Mitchell House.

Celestial Stakeout - Perseids Meteor Shower

Sunday, August 13

10pm - 11pm

Surfside Beach

Join MMA professional astronomers and staff for a very special, early-morning sky gazing event at Surfside Beach. On the morning of Sunday, August 13, we will peer into the skies to observe the Perseids Meteor Shower, which peaks in mid-August.

The Perseids is often a spectacular celestial show of bright and swift meteors. It is possible to view between 50-100 meteors per hour. Perseids are also known for their fireballs; larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.

This program is designed to be interesting for adults and children of all ages. Celestial Stakeout will meet at the MMA Parking Lot at 4 Vestal Street, Nantucket MA. All registered children must be accompanied by a registered adult to participate in this program. Pre-registration is required for this program as space is limited to 75 participants. Registration closes at 11pm on the night before the program. In the event of inclement weather, this program will be cancelled and participants notified.

This program is complimentary and free to the public.

REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO MONDAY, AUGUST 7 at 6pm.

Beginner Astrophotography Course Led by

Charity Grace Mofsen

Thursdays, August 10 - August 31

The MMA is offering an astrophotography program, led by island photographer – and the MMA’s August Artist-In-Residence, Charity Grace Mofsen – and MMA Telescope Engineer and Astronomer, Gary Walker. The astrophotography course will be held on Thursdays, beginning August 10 and continues through August 31, 2023.

This astrophotography program is geared towards beginner or budding astrophotographers interested in learning more about photographing celestial objects.

Learn more here.

Looking Skyward:

"Cosmic Clocks" Detect Gravitational Waves From Massive Black Holes

In this edition of "Looking Skyward", CAI's John Basile talks with Dr. Regina Jorgenson of the Maria Mitchell Association Observatory about a discovery, using a radio telescope, of gravitational waves that move through our galaxy.

Listen here!

Maria Mitchell's Attic

Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.



Read here!

Throughout the summer, the MMA will send a weekly email featuring our programs, events, and opportunities to explore the land, sky, and sea of Nantucket Island.

Stop by the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum and Aquarium Gift Shop and check out our one of a kind gifts. There is something for everyone, and great Nantucket apparel for the 2023 season!

Our Amazing Staff and Interns in Action!

Photo of some of the MMA's staff and interns supporting the

Nantucket Conservation Foundation's Race For Open Space last month.

The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.

Support the Maria Mitchell Association: