Telescope Facilitator Volunteer

Objective and Responsibilities

The Adler Planetarium is proud to host a team of fantastic telescope volunteers whose goal is to share the sky with our guests. The Adler Planetarium’s telescope facilitation program is very popular; indeed, guests come to Adler specifically seeking experiences involving telescopes. Come join our wonderful team and you, too, can learn how to bring the heavens alive with telescopes!

Telescope Facilitator Volunteers provide authentic, engaging solar and night sky telescope observing experiences for our onsite guests and offsite at ‘Scopes in the City telescope outreach programs in the community. Onsite observing includes both small telescope experiences and facilitation in the Doane Observatory. When the weather isn’t quite so cooperative, our volunteers facilitate fun indoor activities about meteorites, telescopes, and optics.

Qualifications

Our volunteers do not need a degree in astronomy, nor any prior experience with telescopes. No, really! We will help you become comfortable working with guests of all ages, facilitating activities, and handling our solar telescopes, our fleet of small (6” to 8”) portable telescopes, as well as the 24” telescope in our Doane Observatory.

We love outgoing people who enjoy working with others as part of a team and who are willing to dive into new experiences.

We need “guides on the side,” not “sages on the stage.” In other words, we facilitate and explore. We do not lecture.

Our volunteers must be able to lift and move awkwardly-shaped telescopes that weigh up to 40 pounds. Our volunteers also need the ability to reach and navigate around multiple people, sometimes in tight spaces; ascend and descend the stairs in the Doane Observatory; move and react quickly, as needed, and to assist guests with telescope viewing.

Training and Commitment Length

Training will consist of an Adler Volunteer Program onboarding session, a half-day in-person telescope training session, watching activity training videos, and participating in in-shift shadowing & periodic in-shift content and activity refreshers. Continued training and certification for the Doane Observatory will occur during standard volunteer shift hours.

Telescope Facilitator Volunteers are required to serve 6 hours, or two shifts, per month. Volunteers must also be able to commit to an entire scheduled shift.