“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson -
Look up! The night sky is not only incredibly beautiful, but it is also the key to our understanding of how the the universe works. Early peoples watched the sky, tracing patterns and tracking the intricate cycles of celestial motion. From these observations the first calendars, clocks, religions, and sciences were born. There is no better way to study astronomy than under the stars!
In regular monthly meetings, we will learn to identify the constellations, the brightest stars, and the visible planets. Most of the time will be spent viewing the sky with our naked eyes, though we will occasionally use binoculars and telescopes to view things like globular clusters, nebula, planets and moons. In addition to stargazing and the basics of astronomy, we will delve into related subjects like physics, chemistry, geology, archaeoastronomy, history and star lore.
Naked Eye Astronomy is an on-going class that will meet on a monthly basis year-round. New students are welcome to join at any time, and participants only pay for the classes they attend. Stargazing is entirely dependent on the weather, and as such 2 make-up dates are reserved for each of the monthly sessions. Classes will meet at Maple Hill Farm (aka Local Food Hub Educational Farm) in Scottsville on the Friday evening closest to the new moon each month.
Sky Guide: Jennifer Borishansky
Naked Eye Astronomy Schedule for 2012 (make-up dates in parentheses)
March 14th ***Close conjunction (3 degrees) of Venus and Jupiter*** Wednesday, 7:20-8:50pm
March 26th ***Conjunction of Moon, Jupiter, and Venus*** Monday, 7:30-9:00pm
April 16th Stargazing (4/22, 4/23) 8:00-9:30pm
April 21/22 ***Lyrids Meteor Shower – overnight camping trip*** More details to follow.
May 14th Stargazing (5/20, 5/21) 8:30-10:00pm
June 4th ***Partial Lunar Eclipse*** Monday, 4:00-6:00am
June 15th Stargazing (6/26) 8:20-9:50pm
June 20th ***Summer Solstice*** Wednesday, 8:00-10:00pm
July 13th (7/14, 7/20) 8:20-9:50pm
August 13th ***Perseids Meteor Shower*** Monday, 4:00-7:00am
August 10th (8/11, 8/17) 7:50-9:20pm
September 14th (9/15) 7:10-8:40pm
September 22nd ***Autumn Equinox*** Saturday, 6:45-8:45pm
October 12th (10/13, 10/19) 6:15-7:45pm
November 9th (11/10) 4:50-6:20pm
November 18th ***Leonids Meteor Shower*** Sunday, 4:00-7:00am
December 7th (12/8) 4:50-6:20pm
December 14th ***Geminids Meteor Shower*** Friday, 4:30-7:30am
December 21st ***Winter Solstice*** Wednesday, 4:30-6:30pm
Cost
Participants purchase star passes worth a certain number of classes. That way if you miss a class you won’t be charged for it! You can purchase passes for either 1, 3, or 6 nights at a time. The rates per class are:
$12 per student / $6 for each additional sibling
$12 per adult without children, or adult with child aged 5 and under
$30 family pass (for families with 4 or more participating children)
Free: Kids 5 and under, and adults accompanying paying children
To register for Naked Eye Astronomy, complete the online registration form. Then see below to add payment options to your shopping cart and check out via PayPal. Please contact Jennifer if you have any questions about this class.
Star Pass Options
1 Session
Student: $12
Sibling: $6
Family Pass: $30
3 Sessions
Student: $36
Sibling: $18
Family Pass: $90
6 Sessions
Student: $72
Sibling: $36
Family Pass: $180
