Three Rivers Foundation (3RF)

18 miles to the west of Crowell, a small town in West Texas, lies the 3RF campus out in the middle of nowhere. Out here there is no light pollution, as the nearest sources are individual ranches far on the horizon. It's flat all around, so the view of the night sky is unparalleled, and it is here that I was invited as part of my Astrotour 2010 to see the stars as I have never done before.

Three Rivers Foundation

You may think that this part of Texas would be difficult to get to and this is certainly the case for light pollution reasons - but once there it is incredible and well worth the drive. After all, it's only 3.5 hours from the DFW Metroplex and close to Oklahoma too - a short hop for most Americans!

I visited for one of the monthly public star parties, beginning with a view of the Sun through a specially filtered telescope, then I gave a talk about how important astronomy and science education is for the world. As the sky got darker, the myriad volunteers who had come for the show opened their telescopes up to the public and I was able to see all the planets and even Pluto. In fact, one of the big draws to the campus is their 30" reflector, which gave excellent views of galaxies and the more 'invisible' objects in the universe.

3RF doesn't just open their campus for public star parties, however. There is camping (both tent and RV) for anyone wishing to stay overnight, as well as a bunkhouse for those wishing to have a bit more comfort. Their classroom has wi-fi and projectors, which get used by children's groups such as the Scouts for their badges. It's not just astronomy either, as the whole site is full of wildlife and is home to Project Prairie Wild, which emphasises the environmental sciences and conservation.

In fact 3RF has a unique draw for schools, as they offer programs for teachers and students to explore science and astronomy in a very hands-on manner. The company is extremely enthusiastic about opening up nature and the night sky to all, and this really shows in the enthusiasm, warmth and knowledge of their presenters. It was an absolutely amazing evening and I encourage everyone to find a way to get out there to see the campus and the crowd.

If you are also interested in the arts, the Three Rivers Foundation offers an Arts side in Quanah, 20 miles north of Crowell, and have teamed up with 3RF Australia to bring the whole of the night sky to both countries. There are three telescopes in the Butterfly Garden of the Comanche Springs campus which can be accessed via the web so that Australian students can experience the northern hemisphere skies.

So many thanks to Patrice, Jeff, Fred, David, Vance and all the others that made my stay so great there!

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