What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend?

We had our largest crowd ever at the observatory on August 12th for the Perseid Meteor Shower. Our WAG (Wild A$$  Guess) is that there were 2,500 people. Everyone got to see meteors AND the planet Saturn. What is amazing was that most of our visitors refused to get frustrated with the long lines and crowded conditions. I went back today to pick up any trash and there was virtually none.  We have wonderful visitors!

So, what if you missed Wednesday night? Will you still be able to see meteors this weekend? The answer is a definite maybe. The thin crescent moon won't be an issue. The Perseid Meteor shower does have a long active window lasting from July 14th until August 24th. That being said, the number per hour that you are likely to see drops off significantly after the peak. Our next big shower will be the Geminids which peak on Sunday, December 13th. There will be a favorable moon that night as well. The image today is of one of those “shooting stars” taken by docent Jay Lawson.

We are close to getting out of our “planetary drought.” Our only planet visible in the evening all summer has been the waning Venus. It is waning because it is catching up with us in its orbit and it is the side facing the Sun that is mostly lit up. We are mostly and increasingly seeing its unlit back side. It is always a spectacular naked eye object being the third brightest thing in our sky. It is often thought of as boring in a telescope, however, because its cloud-covered surface makes it look like a white ball with no visible features. But, Saturn is just around the corner. We were able to see it during Wednesday’s Perseid Shower event. And the “oohs” and “aahs” were plentiful. It was visible to us at about 11 PM but it will be rising about 10 PM by the end of this month.

And, yes, it is Milky Way Season with a wide variety of clusters and nebulae for your viewing pleasure. The magnificent Andromeda Galaxy is also becoming visible again in the North East sky. Our East Scope inside the observatory is the best place to see those deep sky objects.

Our imaging observatory is fully operational now. We have three screens inside the observatory where you can see previous images, the current image being taken, and a view of the telescope itself. The quality of those images has been superb.

Join us from 9 PM until 11 either Friday or Saturday. Be sure to check communityobservatory.com for possible weather closures. It has been a bit nippy at night so you may want long sleeves or a sweater. As always, expect to pay the $2 parking fee to the college.


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