Late August, and our second star party of the month due to the lunar cycle. The evenings are getting longer, foreshadowing cooler days to come. Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark – perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.

Hercules is still high in the sky, while the summer triangle of Altair, Vega, and Deneb will be surrounding the zenith. If you stay late, you’ll see Pegasus and the Great Square rise in the east with Perseus’ cap just sneaking over the horizon. Many of the fabulous nebulae that track the great arc of the Milky Way will be visible in telescopes and particularly on live-stacked astrophotography screens that will be available for viewing, including the Elephant Trunk (IC1396A, featured image), North American, Pelican, and Veil nebulae.

Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park’s West Beach parking lot.

You must RSVP with your car’s make, model, and license plate number on Meetup at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.

If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette.

A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/

Note: It’s usually pretty warm in late August, but it can sometimes get a bit nippy later in the evening. Bring a light jacket or sweater, and leave it in the car until you need it..

For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.

Featured Image Credit: Michael Goldstein, an MHAA member since 2023, practices Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA), real time astro-imaging, which he frequently demonstrates at Star Parties.