Our next meeting, on Thursday, July 3, will be at the regular time of 6 p.m. for the social hour and at our regular location — the Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis St.
Please use the convenient parking lot and side door that leads into the kitchen and fellowship hall. We keep the front doors to the church sanctuary locked.
During our social hour we have coffee and many kinds of tea, plus people usually bring treats such as a dessert or a snack for those who didn’t make it home for dinner. If you haven’t brought something in a while, please grab cookies or some other treat to share with the group.
This is a great opportunity to visit with friends, and it is also a wonderful time to ask questions about astronomy. Usually there is much new information from the James Webb Space Telescope to talk about. Just this past week the Webb discovered information indicating that our galaxy may be located inside a black hole. I have not yet recovered from that information or asked all the questions that I have from such a mind-blowing possibility.
At 7 p.m. we will begin our educational program, which this month will be a presentation from the Great Courses. It will be on something we can see with a telescope.
During June and July this year we are focusing on our telescopes because on July 16 to 18 we will have a special educational guest, Steve McAllister from the Westcliffe observatory. He will be helping us improve our telescope skills.
If you have a telescope that you are wondering about, this is a great time to join our club to get the best answers. McAllister is an amazing expert who has given us special assistance for three years.
This summer we have night sky programs at Chimney Rock National Monument several Friday nights from May to September.
We have our next one on Friday, June 27, and again on July 18 and July 25 (see our website for details). The gate will be open from 7:30 to 8 p.m. People from Pagosa Springs are always welcome to attend our programs without a reservation. Just let us know that you are a local and we will have a place for you with a ticket purchased at the gift shop.
In August we have two special nights, on Aug. 11 and 12, to see the Perseid meteor showers. The gate will opens at 7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to enjoy Chimney Rock’s super dark skies. It is an especially relaxing time to experience our very precious national monument much like the ancient people did.
We try to have telescope viewing at our night sky programs when it gets dark enough and if the weather permits without rain or, more seriously, lightning. We must be aware that Colorado has one of the highest incidence of lightning strikes in our nation and telescopes usually have metal parts that add to the danger. The mountains near Chimney Rock are especially difficult because storms can start so quickly and blow over peaks. And then they can pass and be gone. We never cancel our programs because we can start out the night with pouring rain and end it with great viewing. It is the best opportunity to practice living in the present moment.
At this altitude, nights begin to cool rapidly after sunset, so bring appropriate layers of jackets, blankets and pillows for sitting on and covering up with to remain comfortable. Also suggested are fold-up carry-along chairs, a regular flashlight and a flashlight with a red lens (which we have for sale and which does not interfere with night vision).
If you would like to join the San Juan Stargazers, you will also receive Reflector Magazine, which is the publication of the National Astronomical League of which you automatically become a member. To join both groups and get an excellent astronomy magazine, annual membership is only $25 per individual or family. You can join the club at any of our meetings or on our website.
Check out our continuously changing website, sanjuanstargazers.org, with new information and spectacular photos. We can be your connection to our extraordinary universe.
