Astronomy Club of Asheville

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STAR GAZE!

"The stars are God's dreams, thoughts remembered in the silence of the night." -Henry David Thoreau

      (Sagittarius, Venus, and a meteor.)

We use the term "star gaze" to mean our club's little monthly viewing sessions. We usually try to arrive at the monthly star gaze a little before sunset. It's good to have some daylight to set up the telescopes and not feel so rushed to begin observing. Usually 10 or 12 people show up with half a dozen telescopes in all. Often a couple dozen people will come-and-go throughout the night, not staying very long. If the sky is clear a few people stay all night and won't pack up until sunrise. Usually everyone just observes whatever they are interested in. We don't have a fixed schedule. One person may be going after nebulae while someone else may just be getting aquainted with their new scope.

Anyone who comes to a star gaze should turn off their car lights as soon as possible, and give warning before they turn on their lights to leave. Don't use a flashlight unless it has a deep red filter over it. Few things irritate astronomers more than loosing their night vision. It takes at least 15 minutes to get it back, longer if the person was observing very dim objects such as faint galaxies. Feel free to ask anyone what they are looking at and if you can take a look. Most astronomers love sharing their passion. But get permission before turning any knobs, such as that one you just KNOW is the focusing knob. It may not be! Finally, please do not smoke near the telescopes because the smoke coats the lenses and mirrors. If you DO smoke, please do it downwind and at a distance.

You don't need to bring any equipment to a star gaze. Just come to enjoy and to share the night sky. But dress as warmly as you can, especially your hands and feet. I've never heard anyone complain about being too hot at a star gaze.

Sometimes the unexpected happens. In August 2000, while watching the Perseid meteor shower, we saw and photographed faint auroras over the mountain ridge to our north. We happened to see them only because the aurora peak happened to coincide with the best observing period for the meteor shower: from 3:30 to 5:00 am. That was one of three times we've seen auroras in North Carolina.

Nature comes to the forefront at a star gaze. What a person looks like doesn't matter (it's too dark to see each other!). What matters is the shared enjoyment of the universe beyond our little blue marble. It takes you out of the workaday world and helps you realize there is more to the universe than this myopic view we have in the daytime.

Come And Enjoy!

LAT: 35d 25m 05s N   LONG: 82d 44m 53s W (Mt. Pisgah parking lot)

LAT: 35d 42m 12s N   LONG: 82d 22m 28s W (Craggy Pinnacle parking lot)

LAT: 35d 54m 01s N   LONG: 82d 47m 24s W (Mill Ridge observing pad)

Directions to Mill Ridge in "Word" format.

Directions to Mt. Pisgah in "Word" format.