Saturday, October 24th Star Party will be held

Won't you join us tonight at the Nielsen Observatory, Saturday, October 24th for for a Public Star Party, with some nice telescopic views of Jupiter and her moons, as well as the Pleiades (the seven Sisters) and the fall Milky Way. We may even see a few late Orionid Meteors. Predictions indicate that we may see late Orionids up to and including the 25th. We will also be participating in the International Year of Astronomy's Galileo Nights and we will have our Official World Wide Star Count Tonight. All you need to bring is your peepers...

Be aware that at this time of year anything can happen weatherwise so don't be fooled by the warmth of the day. Temperatures can fall dramatically after the sun sets. To be on the safe side, bring a sweater, jacket, gloves, cap and coat. Then you can add or subtract layers to fit your personal needs.

The Nielson Observatory address is 13630 Diagonal Road LaGrange, Ohio. It is located at the Lorain County Metroparks Carlisle Reservation, specifically at the Equestrian Center Entrance. When arriving, be sure to go slow, because the entrance to the Equestrian Center is not lit and is very easy to miss in the dark. Rely on headlights to illuminate the sign. Watch the street numbers for 13630 or enter the address into your GPS.

Upon entering the drive, pass through the gate and proceed down a long winding road through the woods. The road will eventually split, with one fork continuing into the woods and the other branching off to the right. Keep left and go deeper into the woods. (The right fork goes to a service building.) You will soon come to a steep curve, cross a bridge and emerge in a clearing. After driving up a low hill, there will be a parking lot and restrooms to the right. Park in the lot and walk to the observatory across the road along a narrow path. The Observatory is south of the parking lot, or left of the road you just drove in on.

The Nielsen Observatory is manned by the membership of The Black River Astronomical Society, who have been bringing Amateur Astronomy to Lorain County residents since 1949.To learn more about Black River, visit our website at www.BlackRiverAstro.org