December 2024 Star Party

Our last star party of calendar year 2024 features another opportunity to see 7 planets, and the appearance of Taurus early in the evening. Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark - perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.

Taurus brings us the Pleiades, one of the years most spectacular asterisms, and gorgeous viewed in all modalities from the naked eye to long focal length telescopes. Our wide-field featured image shows the nebulosity visible in telescope views, and obvious in EAA captures which live-stack astrophotograps and display them on the screen. If you arrive before sundown, you will again have the opportunity to view all of the planets except Mercury. If you hang around long enough, you will will be able to watch Orion rising.

Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park's West Beach parking lot.

You must RSVP with your car's make, model, and license plate number at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.

If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette.

A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/

Note: Winter viewing conditions can be very clear - but also cold. Since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while you may feel even colder than otherwise when outdoors. Dress warmly and consider bringing extra layers in case you need them as the night goes on.

For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.

Featured Image Credit: David Parmet, a recently-joined MHAA member and new to astrophotography. His new-found love for astrophotography combines his passions for photography and astronomy, both of which he's be pursuing since he was a boy.