ALLEGANY - The sun is 93 million miles away, but the Dresser-Rand Challenger Learning Center in Allegany is offering its visitors a limited time opportunity to see the Solar System's center star locally, as they've likely never seen it before.
Entitled "Journey to the Sun," the pictorial exhibit includes pictures taken by Chautauqua Institution summer resident Ted Wolfe - in a backyard setting with a small high resolution telescope, a charge coupled device camera, and special hydrogen alpha filters.
"We're excited to offer the Journey to the Sun exhibit," said Challenger Learning Center director Tom Moser. "The images and the process that went into producing them is fascinating."
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Attachment Photo Caption: “Journey to the Sun” creator Ted Wolfe (center) describes one of his portraits currently on display at the Challenger Learning Center.
According to Wolfe's summary of the exhibit, some 1,500 exposures were taken at the same time and linked together to make a film of the sun.
Visiting hours are by appointment by calling the Challenger Learning Center at 716-379-8686.
Visitors to the Challenger Learning Center can also experience these new features:
A hovercraft, designed and donated by engineers at Dresser-Rand. Visitors are welcome to climb on board.
NASA SpacePlace now adorns one of the walls at the Learning Center. The extra large bulletin board allows students, parents and educators to explore the latest news from our Solar System.
The general public is invited to the Challenger Learning Center's second annual Celebration Dinner, featuring keynote speaker Scott Parazynski, an astronaut, physician, inventor, mountaineer, pilot and public speaker. Festivities will take place on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Premier Banquet Center, 2000 Constitution Ave., Olean. A cocktail hour will precede the dinner at 5:30 p.m.
To make your reservation, contact the Challenger Learning Center at 716-379-8686 or email DRCLC director Tom Moser at Tom@DRCLC.org. Cost is $40 per person. Patron tickets are available for $50 each and corporate tables for parties of eight people are available for $500. Checks can be made payable to Challenger Learning Center and mailed to 182 East Union Street, Allegany, NY 14706.
The Dresser-Rand Challenger Learning Center, a not-for-profit organization, is a space-themed learning program designed to stimulate interest in science, math and technology through a series of hands-on experiences and simulations that are tied to classroom learning and team building.
Visit the Dresser-Rand Challenger Learning Center online at DRCLC.org, Facebook.com/DRCLC and Twitter.com/DRCLC.