Astronomers take viewers 500 million miles to Jupiter

By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
    CARIBOU, Maine — Maine School of Science and Mathematics astronomy teacher Larry Berz and students from his astronomy class made another trip to Caribou’s Paradis Shop N’ Save on March 6, where they attempted to once again, provide community members a glimpse deep into outer space, far beyond their original journey to the moon, and over 500 million miles to our galaxy’s largest planet Jupiter.    The small group of LMSS representatives hauled their impressively large telescope, appropriately named “Goliath,” to the parking lot of the grocery store, where they would set up for another mind-blowing adventure to the edge of the galaxy, with some necessary assistance from the high-powered “Goliath, ” as well as Berz and his astronomy students Tyler Simmons and Anas Beshir, who both came out to aid in the astronomy adventure.
The three astronomy enthusiasts made the trip from neighboring Limestone in hopes of introducing the wonders of outer space to those who may not own telescope with such a high magnification, or to simply continue “living the dream,” as Berz puts it, with those who are familiar with astronomy viewing and may have even ventured out to the prior viewing Berz and his LMSS students provided in February when this time the astronomy team offered Caribou and surrounding communities an opportunity to take an ocular journey over half a billion miles to Jupiter, and the gas giant’s four moons that were clearly visible, appearing like four brightly shining stars, situated in a perfectly straight line, while rotating around the massive planet.
On Thursday, skies were once again clear enough for viewers to catch another rare glimpse at the distant Jupiter and the planet’s surrounding moons, a tricky task for the untrained and unfamiliar eye, but with the experienced help of Berz and his students, viewers were able to sit back and relax, while enjoying an astronomical sight that most will go an entire lifetime without witnessing. However, Berz and his astronomy students main goal is simply to change the unsettling truth that few individuals will ever gain the opportunity to witness such an astronomical sight, especially with such adept astronomers helping to guide the viewing process.