Arlington
Astronomy Nights '24
at Robbins Farm
Park
Join us on the listed Saturday evenings for Astronomy Nights at Robbins Farm
Park!
Each night we'll have at least one telescope out to view objects in
the night sky. Like last year, the best planets for viewing aren't up
until close to the fall (the outer planets move slowly relative to our
years, so they're still close to where they were last year)
but we'll still have plenty to look at. Since last year every single
Astronomy Night was rained out, this year I'll plan some repeats with
themes, and hopefully we'll get at least some, if not all, of them in.
The events are totally informal and fun for all ages. Weather permitting,
the dates are as follows:
- June 15th (8:00pm): The Moon is a little over half full (a waxing, gibbous
phase) and will make a great sight in any telescope or binoculars. We'll look
at the lunar mare (mah-ray) that were once thought to be seas of water,
and we'll see craters that are lit edge-on by the Sun's light. The shadows
cast by the edges of the craters help us to see the depth and structure of
what otherwise might look flat.
- June 29rd (8:45pm): CANCELLED A moonless sky lets us take a look for some of the
fainter objects way outside our solar system. We'll find double stars, star
clusters, and depending on the conditions, maybe even a nebula or two. Light
pollution is a major factor here, but we'll do our best.
- July 27th (8:45pm): One month later after the previous session, the Moon is
in the same part of its orbit, and out of evening sky. We'll have the same goals
as the Astronomy Night on June 29th -- wonders of the deep sky!
- August 17th (7:30pm): A nearly full Moon rises as the sun sets and we'll take
the chance to look at the Lunar geography, being able to see almost the entire
"light side" of the Moon. We'll view the same features of the Lunar surface as on
June 15th, but this time with a little different lighting. If you saw the Moon then,
see how the view now compares!
- Sept 14th (7:15pm):
A month after the previous session, the Moon is again nearly full. This time, it is
followed through the sky by Saturn. Saturn will be keeping us company in the evening
for several months. While views are clearer when it is higher in the sky, it is never
a bad time to see Saturn in a telescope!
- Sept 17th (9:00pm) CANCELLED due to cloud cover:
The full moon rises this evening at sundown, but we'll gather a little later to see
a partial Lunar Eclipse. The Moon enters the penumbra (partial shadow) of the
Earth at 8:41pm and will hit the edge of the full shadow (umbra) at 10:12pm. It
just barely grazes the edge of the shadow, reaching maximum eclipse at 10:44 before
reversing the stages out the other side. We won't see the Moon go dark much at all,
but it will be bathed in the red light filtering through thousands of sunsets
around the planet Earth.
Each Astronomy Night will generally start when the stars come out and usually lasts
a couple hours. To add the schedule to your own calendar, import the
ICS
file. If it is overcast we'll have to cancel and hope for
clear weather next time, 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 of Robbins
Farm Park 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. Parents, please help your
children remember this rule. 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 jeff [at]
arlingtonastronomy [dot] org
