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NOTICE: Our November business meeting will include voting
on changes to the By-Laws to help the club move into the digital age, and
reflect the changes in the relationship between the club and the Herrett
Center. Please plan to attend!
The proposed changes can be seen
here.
City Of Rocks
Star Party
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Why would anyone want to schedule a star party at a wonderful dark sky site
when there is a waxing gibbous moon? Because the park staff is anxious to
host a star party, and it is our last chance for the year...
This is a public star party, we will be inviting guests camping at the park and
local people from the surrounding area. No one has any idea what kind of turnout to
expect.
The moon sets at 2:10 AM, just as Orion rises in the east. Andromeda will be
transiting as the Northern Cross stands in the west. Mars, probably the only
planet we will see, is just above the horizon, almost the same distance from us
as the sun. (1.02au away) Expect a late night. Maybe even camp at the park
and take a nap once the crowd dies down, until the moon sets, then enjoy some
very dark skies.
There are two ways to get to the park. Both are rough right now. If you take
the Burley exit and go in through Oakley, you can expect about ten miles of
gravel roads. If you take the Declo exit there will be pavement all the way to
the RV parking area. Someday. Right now there is road construction, and a few
miles of rough road. Still it is easier on your vehicle. Once you are in the
park the road is gravel.
The map above shows both routes from I84. The map to the left shows the park
boundaries. The pink square on the top map shows the area shown on the left.
The yellow square on the left shows you the part of the park shown in the right
map. Once you get to the park, just look for camp number 64. This is on the
far side of the park if you come in through Almo.
This site is far from civilization. If you need it, be sure to bring it.
Burley is about 70 miles round trip. There is a restaurant just outside the
park, and the food was pretty good. Still at least David and Rick are planning
on cooking something on site. Potluck anyone?
We will be camping in site #64, at the very top of the right map. The GPS
position is: 42 05' 20" North, 113 43' 45"W (NAD27).
It looks like the observing site will be about 6000 feet. Expect a clear,
crisp skies and a cold night.
Credits: Example moon image from the USNO web site that provides the image in
the header. Click on it for a link to the site. Top map created with Street
Atlas 9. Detail maps provided by the City of Rocks State Park.
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Upcoming Events
Astronomy Talk - Tycho Brahe -- Friday, September 14th.
Herrett Center - 8:15 PM
Full Moon Star Party -- Saturday, September 22nd.
City Of Rocks - TBA. Depends on if we do solar viewing.
Meeting and Star Party -- Saturday, October 13th.
The Great Debate continues... Pluto - Planet or Not?
Herrett Center - 7:00 PM
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The Eclipse report is here.
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The Pomerelle Star Party report is here.
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Look for previous contents of this page
here.
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