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| Haggart Observatory. |
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| Jasper looks through the big telescope. |
Summer is the time to celebrate clear skies with star gazing! We try to make it to every
Star Party we can. They are held monthly at Rooster Rock and Stub Stewart State Parks, and are free with a $5 per vehicle day use fee. Friendly people from
Rose City Astronomers let visitors look through their amazing telescopes. In July, we got to see the rings of Saturn and three of its moons, see the craters of the moon up close, and see some beautiful star clusters. This year, the Rose City Astronomers have been opening the
Haggart Observatory with its giant telescope to the public one night a month. We had a chance to check it out, and it was very cool. Long lines form well before it gets dark, so the thing to do is to come prepared with snacks and games, and be ready to wait your turn. In August, we got to see NGC 457, or the Owl Star Cluster. Afterwards, we found more folks from the Rose City Astronomers in a nearby lawn letting folks have more views of the heavens.
The August star party tonight will be a perfect time to watch the annual Perseid meteor showers, when they are at their peak. And it's thrilling to be among more than a thousand people, all gazing upwards, all saying "Oooooh!" together when they see a shooting star. But any place you can get a clear view of the night sky without too much light pollution in the next few days should work as well. Don't miss them! And if your family is interested in doing more star gazing, Rose City Astronomers offer memberships. For $36 a year they offer a book and telescope library and members-only star parties.
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| Astronomers setting up their telescopes at Stub Stewart. |
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