Chatham man offers residents chance to see Saturn

If sky is clear, Shawn Heil is out offering people the chance to stargaze with him Shawn Heil provides local residents an impressive view of the ringed plant Saturn on Wednesday night with his new telescope set up on St. Clair Street in Chatham. Taking advantage of Heil's offer is Beth Lachine, left, and Matt Schroeder and his sons Levi, 13, and Jayce, 9. (Ellwood Shreve/The Chatham News) Shawn Heil has gone all-in on stargazing recently and he’s been sharing this passion with the community.

The Chatham man was spotted Wednesday night with his new 20-centimetre (eight-inch) Sky-Watcher Dobsonian telescope on St. Clair Street near McNaughton Avenue in Chatham with a sign offering a free look at Saturn. With Saturn in a perfect position to see from Earth this month, the 85-times magnification provides an impressive view of the ringed planet, including some nearby moons.

“I do this as often as I can,” Heil said of setting up his telescope, which he only acquired about two months ago. “If there’s clear skies, I’m out.” He has been out during the last month, letting people know through Facebook he is offering a look through his telescope. Wednesday saw about 20 people come by, he said.

A number of people who stopped by said they saw him on social media. However, Chatham resident Matt Schroeder said his wife told the family about a week ago she drove by and saw Heil out with his telescope. Schroeder, who was out Wednesday night picking up his sons, said, “I was just driving past and I saw this set up so I’m like, ‘I’ve got to go check it out.’” He was impressed with the view of Saturn.

“That’s crazy,” Schroeder said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. “To see the rings and the moons, it was very neat,” he said.

Chatham resident Greg Bondy was out Wednesday night getting some beautiful photos of the orange hue on the moon as it rose into the sky.(Ellwood Shreve/The Chatham News) Heil, who has only had his telescope for two months and has gone out providing stargazing opportunities for the last month, said, “I’m pretty green.

I’m just an amateur.” Heil also aimed his telescope at the moon, which had a beautiful orange hue for a short time as it rose from the horizon into the night sky. The telescope provided an incredibly close view of the moon with numerous craters that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Heil said Jupiter and Mars also can be seen early in the morning, “but I don’t usually get a lot of spectators.” Ellwood Shreve has worked as a reporter in the community since 1993, joining The Chatham News in 2002, covering a wide range of stories. He can be reached at eshreve@postmedia.com. eshreve@postmedia.com Chatham-Kent News