Art Meets Astronomy During Dudley Observatory’s Community Library Program

Community Library Director Kim Zimmer in a Color Our World Summer Reading Program-themed apron to help kids swirl, blend, and salad spin paint drops into Nebula Spin Art.

Everyone made crayon drawings and got to watch colors disappear when looking at their artwork through red, blue, and green glasses, which Dr. Mindy Townsend explained allowed them to study like astronomers who use filters on telescopes to see different wavelengths of light in different ways.

Dr. Mindy Townsend was excited to prove that everyone in the Cobleskill Library’s Community Room was glowing in infrared light during an interactive demonstration. Groups huddled together in awe as they saw an infrared camera reveal how many fingers Townsend was holding through a blue trash bag and red and white hot spots and handprint remnants of volunteers. The experiments showed the way astronomers use infrared equipment to see stars through all the dust. And they got to use diffraction grating cards to see different rainbows produced by different light colors.

By Heather Skinner

COBLESKILL- When you walk into The Community Library, the thoughtfully crafted décor immerses and transports you into the Color Our World Summer Reading Program’s theme. Paper plates have been used to make flower and paint pallet designs, paper chains line the stairway, and art, banners, and streamers hang down from the ceiling. Paint cans have scarves coming out to match each paint can color, giant pencils and crayons can be found on pillars, paint splatter Washi Tape line bookshelves, and the 2025 Messtival event piece can be found hanging in the kids’ room.

The art theme was a perfect combination with their July 31st Nebula Spin Art program, presented by astronomer and educator Dr. Mindy Townsend from Dudley Observatory of Siena College and Library Director Kim Zimmer.

With the main art activity being based on nebulas, Townsend described them as basically a bunch of gas and dust out in space that can be the birthplace of stars or leftovers of dead stars.

Townsend made lots of science and art concepts easy to understand and relatable with explanations including microwaves using light to heat our food, radios translating radio waves/light waves into sounds we can hear, and UV light being the reason we have to wear sunscreen outside. Townsend illustrated if you’ve ever had a doctor point something at your forehead to take your temperature it was infrared light being measured, and if you’ve ever had an x-ray that is light going through your skin, hitting your bone, and bouncing back out. Kids saw a color wheel and image of a supernova and Townsend specified that 99% of what astronomers study is actually light from space.

During the class, photos of Carnovsky RGB Wallpapers were shown, and different images can be seen within each one when wearing special red, green or blue glasses. The website link where you can view that is https://www.carnovsky.com/RGB_wallpapers.htm . The special glasses aren’t required to see the different images through the website, and while Townsend doesn’t do the equipment ordering for their classes, it was recommended to look for similar colored glasses used during the library class on Amazon if you are wanting to try art projects inspired by the Nebula Spin Art class at home.

Dudley Observatory’s upcoming events can be found on their website (dudleyobservatory.org) and on the NASA-supported website Night Sky Network, where you can search information added from astronomers from all over the country by location and interests. Townsend said every month from April – November there are free astronomy lectures (regardless of weather) and star parties (weather permitting) at the Knox Octagon Barn in Delanson.

Also on Dudley’s website, you can navigate the Learn tab, to Kids and Family Programs, to click on Rising Stars Internship. Townsend praised the 10-months of monthly meetings with hands-on learning for astronomy enthusiasts in grades 6-10. The program has been offered for over a decade, and participants get awarded a telescope to keep that they learn how to operate. Townsend remembers a Rising Stars student who was very enthusiastic in the program, and their father updated that student is now going on to study astronomy in college. The internship’s next application period will be in Spring of 2026.

Townsend has been with Dudley Observatory since January of 2023 and called getting to teach these classes “energizing, “adding, “It’s really fun working with kids, basically all ages and adults who are having a good time.” Different libraries book their Nebula Spin Art class all summer long. It was about an hour drive on the rainy day for Towsend to come out to The Community Library on the 31st and Towsend said, “I’m happy to be here to let people experience this type of event. There’s a nice mix of ages; I think this had a good mix of people who are young enough to appreciate the fun art, but old enough to get what I was trying to tell them about the spectra and how light behaves. I hope they have me back!”

Zimmer reminded attendees that if you haven’t signed up for the Summer Reading Program yet, you still can. The Community Library is located at 110 Union Street, their Summer Reading Wrap-Up Party will be on August 23rd, and tracker sheets need to be handed in before that date. All Nebula Spin Art participants got raffle tickets to enter to win Summer Reading Program baskets of their choice on the way out. The Library has lots more exciting programs coming up, check their website Events Calendar for details!

Remember to Subscribe!