The swath of destruction left by hurricane Katrina is awesome to contemplate. For days, weeks, the news was understandably about the lives lost, the sheer destruction on a broad scale. But as time goes on we start to see things on a more specific level. The amount of help pouring into the Gulf is amazing and wonderful. What I find interesting is that there is so much that it can be targeted. If you have a specific interest, you can help out people involved with it; for example, there are several groups trying to help the animals left homeless after the hurricane. If you’re reading this blog (and you are), you probably have an interest in space and astronomy, and that’s where you come in.
Aaron Price has started a fund for astronomy-minded folks to help devastated planetaria and astronomical societies in the Gulf region. Aaron is a good buddy of mine, an Astronomical Technical Assistant at AAVSO, and one of the triune brains behind Slacker Astronomy. As he says on the fund page,
New Orleans and Louisiana are areas with a rich astronomical heritage, including one of the first observatories built in the United States (Pierre Baron Observatory). Much astronomical equipment was lost in Hurricane Katrina, including two public planetariums. Let’s unite and rebuild the astronomical culture of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana!!
Aaron is a guy who cares a lot about others, and wants to help. If you do too, click on that link and give what you can.
