HAL Public Star Party Saturday 4 October - international Observe the Moon Night

[Joel Goodman]





Ernie Morse and I will be your hosts at HAL’s next to last public star party of the year this coming Saturday evening, October 4 at Alpha Ridge Park. Sunset is at 6:45. The waxing gibbous moon rises at 5:30 and will be highlighted all night as part of international Observe the Moon Night. Multiple tabletop activities will accompany views from the Illig scope in HALO with Chris Todd at the helm.  Come on out and invite your family and friends for a fun evening, clouds or shine. Bring your favorite Astro gear and share views with an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Joel Goodman

Thank you to Space.com for the following highlights this week:

October begins with the moon showing off some of its most famous features. Crater Copernicus takes center stage midweek, followed by Kepler's bright rays later in the week. Beyond the moon, the dwarf planet Ceres shines at its brightest of the year on Oct. 2, while Saturn and Neptune pair up with the nearly full moon on Sunday night. Whether you're gazing with binoculars or exploring lunar geology through a telescope, there's plenty to enjoy under this week's skies.

The dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt, reaches opposition, shining at magnitude 7.65. That makes it bright enough for binoculars or a small telescope. Look near the star Eta Ceti in the southeastern sky after dark.

[Ernie Morse]

Hi all,

Just a reminder for tonight's public star party at Alpha Ridge Park.  Looks like we'll have clear skies all night for International Observe The Moon Night.  Temperature is forecast to be in the low 70s at sunset (6:45 PM), dropping to 60 by 11:00 PM.  Dewpoint is in the high 50s, so hopefully dew won't be an issue.  Seeing is forecast to be above-average to good by Clear Sky Chart and Astrospheric, which will be nice for anyone interested in taking a break from lunar observation to view double stars or star clusters.  I'm planning on having my telescope set up to view several of those that are beautiful sights even in bright moonlight, mostly in the region of Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda and Aries.  Hope to see a great crowd out there under the moon and stars tonight!

Ernie