Summer Skygazing 2018
Seize the night by getting out under the stars. Here are some skygazing opportunities and related activities to enjoy in summer 2018.
Summer 2018
Naked eye planets follow the sun. From west to east you can see Venus, Jupiter and Saturn just after sunset. Mars is dominant late and through the night as it experiences what astronomers call a perihelic opposition (or perihelic apparition). It’s a cosmic double-header when the planet is both closest to the sun and closest to earth, yielding a stunning red visage in the sky. Unlike most months, now Mars will outshine giant Jupiter nearly two times.
In the image below, the planet size corresponds to its relative brightness, not its actual apparent diameter. In the night sky, the moon appears to be half a degree across in the night sky, whereas the planetary appear to be bright stars (only not twinkling).
July 21
Sky Watch at Warren Dunes State Park beach, North Lot at 10 PM EDT
See stars, planets, meteors, and satellites. Learn the constellations.
July 21
Firefly Frenzy, Potato Creek State Park at 9 PM
July 29-August 4
AstroCamp is a weeklong stargazing adventure for youths at YMCA Camp Eberhart in Three Rivers, MI
August 2-11
Measure sky darkness from your backyard and submit your results online, or join the effort to quantify the night sky above a proposed development zone in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
August 11
Warsaw Astronomical Society (W.A.S.) New Moon Group
This group meets the Saturday closest to the New Moon for observing activities utilizing the members' own equipment. The group meets December, January & February at the W.A.S.– Camp Crosley Observatory. The group meets March through November at Potawatomi Wildlife Park, Indiana’s First Dark-Sky Preserve, which is the Society's dark-sky observing site.
August 11
On the second Saturday of each month there is an excellent collection of telescopes set up at Kemil Beach parking lot in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Join members from the Chicago Astronomical Society, Michiana Astronomical Society, and Calumet Astronomical Society with their telescopes as they introduce the night skies to visitors at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The experts will train their massive telescopes on interesting features and discuss the incredible night sky.
August 12-13
Perseid Meteor Shower is around new moon; look on clear nights on both sides of the peak date.
August 16
Michiana Astronomical Society meets the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM. Meetings take place at the Centre Twp. Branch of the South Bend library located at 1150 E Kern Road South Bend, IN 46614.
September 1-10
Measure sky darkness from your backyard and submit your results online, or join the effort to quantify the night sky above a proposed development zone in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
Sept. 15
Cleveland Branch of the Elkhart Library and MAS members with solar scopes or telescopes with solar filters to be a part of an astronomy event on Saturday, Sept. 15 from 9:30 - 1:30 (daytime). It is an open-house-style event open to the public and will have several astronomy-related activities available, including the ETHOS Science2Go bus, library-planned games for kids, and general public information.
Sept. 15
Astronomy program at Potato Creek State Park.
Discover how easy it is to find this season's stars, constellations and planets with astronomer Linda Marks, and then make your own constellation finder
Sept. 20
Michiana Astronomical Society meets the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM. Meetings take place at the Centre Twp. Branch of the South Bend library located at 1150 E Kern Road South Bend, IN 46614.
Summer 2018
Seek and observe Indiana's new official state insect, the Say’s Firefly.
Summer 2018
Get satellite predictions, including for the International Space Station.
Summer 2018
Make solargraphs to track the seasonal passage of the sun using a pinhole camera made from an aluminum can and duct tape.
