Astronomy Nights '11

Arlington Astronomy Nights '11
at Robbins Farm Park

This summer there will be a series of Astronomy Nights at Robbins Farm Park. Each night we'll have at least one telescope out to view objects in the night sky. We'll have a specific target object each time, but with a sky full of stars, we won't be limited to just that one. The events are totally informal and fun for all ages. Weather permitting, the dates are as follows:

May 28nd (8:30pm): Saturn is the brightest "star" in the Southern sky as dusk falls. Did you see Saturn at an astronomy night last year? See how the angle of its rings has changed over the year. Saturn will be getting lower in the sky as the summer passes, so come now for the best view! (Rain date May 29th)

June 18th (~9:15pm): Explore the wonders of the deep sky. Use the summer constellations to learn to locate star clusters, galaxies, and more! If the sky cooperates, we'll try for a galaxy or nebula. Bring a pair of binoculars to try to find some deep sky objects yourself. Come early this time or any time to watch the stars come out. Saturn will still be up this evening. (Rain date June 19th)
July 16th (~9:15pm): The Moon rises tonight right around sundown. Come watch the Moon rise over Boston then get an up close view as it climbs higher in the sky. The Moon will be close to full (as it always is when it rises near sunset), but not entirely. We'll look at the edge to see the edges of the craters pop out. Did you come to an astronomy night earlier in the season? Notice how much fainter the stars are with a bright moon entering the sky. (Rain date July 17th)
Friday, August 12th (9:00pm): The Perseid Meteor Shower begins this evening. Come to the park to watch the show. A full moon will blot out many meteors, but we were starting with a lot of light pollution to begin with. Bring a blanket or a beach chair so you can lie down and look up to see the whole sky. (Rain date August 13th)
September 24th ( ~8:00pm): (Postponed! Check back for a rain date) Jupiter returns to the evening sky, rising in the east. See some of Jupiter's moons, Io, Europa, and Ganymede. See if you can make out the different stripes across the surface. Kids have the best chance of seeing colors in them! (Rain date September 25th)

Each Astronomy Night will start when the stars come out. To add the schedule to your own calendar, import the ICS file. If it is overcast we'll try for the rain date, but as long as there are some stars visible we'll give it a shot. For reminders and weather decisions, consider joining my announcement mailing list. Weather decisions for questionable nights will also be posted on this site. We set up the telescopes on the observation area that overlooks Boston.

Please note: it will be dark in the park! Bring a flashlight, but please keep it aimed at the ground while you're in the park. It takes your eyes a while to adjust to the dark, and you'll see more in the sky once your night vision is working. Keeping your flashlight pointed at the ground helps everybody keep their eyes adjusted to the dark. Red light doesn't hurt night vision as much so a red flashlight or red cellophane over a flashlight helps a lot! Consider using bug spray too.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at jalex [at] landmanatee [dot] com.