The APL Astronomy Club’s Friends & Family Star Party will be held on Thursday, October 30th, at 7pm until 9pm or so, depending on how things are going, how many enthusiastic people are present, etc.

Star gazing (and telescope viewing) is always dependent and contingent upon the weather. Please check back to this post as the date draws nigh to verify whether or not the star party has been cancelled due to inclimate weather (rain and clouds being the biggest impactors). We will be putting weather updates here as they are necessary, though at this point the conditions for Thursday evening look favorable for us (finally!). There will be no rain date.

APLers and their friends and families are all invited to attend. Club members will have several telescopes out for your viewing pleasure, but feel free to bring your own optics if you have them – the more, the merrier!

PLEASE: NO FLASHLIGHTS! (red light or red celophane covered flashlights would be perfectly fine, though) Also, turn the screen brightness *down* on personal electronics.

Where: On the lawn by the Big Dish, outside the security fence, on the west side of the main campus. See map to right.

Clothing: dress as if the temperatures will be 10 degrees colder than what the weather prognosticators are calling for! (standing around looking through telescopes is not the most heat-generating activity you can do at night) Hats and hoods are most helpful in keeping warm.

Sunset: 6:09 pm EDT
End civil twilight: 7:30 pm EDT

Moonset: ~12:22am EDT Oct 31
Moon phase: First Quarter (~50% illuminated)