Stargazing Encore This Friday

When: Friday, August 29th, 2008, 6:30pm - midnight.
Where: Sean Kelly's and Blue Mountain Observatory

Our last stargazing event was cut short by uncooperative clouds shortly after we watched the International Space Station streak across the sky. The Space Station won't be flying overhead this Friday, but hopefully the clouds will stay away too. Regardless of the weather, the first half of this event will proceed as normal, consisting of dinner and socializing at Sean Kelly's in downtown Missoula. We'll grab a table in the back area and possibly pull two together if it looks like enough people will be there. If you're not sure what any of the M.A.S.S. regulars look like, Jon will probably be wearing his Geocentric 'Teach the Controversy' T-Shirt ( ... Jon's is black, not yellow.)

At about 8:00pm, we'll pay our individual tabs and caravan to the Blue Mountain Observatory for their Open House. You'll get to peer through the big telescope several times as they swing it around the sky to point at globular clusters, a nebula or two, and maybe even a planet or other celestial points of interest. People will also be there to explain how to identify stars and constellations and answer questions in between your turns at the telescope. Plan on staying until at least Midnight. Children are welcome!

You should dress relatively warm, as it can get can get rather cold on top of the mountain at night this time of year. You will also ABSOLUTELY NEED to bring A SMALL FLASHLIGHT to find your way down the trail from the observatory back to the parking area. It's very dark at the observatory and flashlights here are discouraged, so expect a lot of walking around outside on rocky terrain in the dark. If your night vision is significantly worse than most people's, consider yourself duly warned.

If you'd like to RSVP (not required, but helpful), you can do so on Facebook.