The next educational meeting of the San Juan Stargazers will be on Thursday, Aug. 6, starting at 6 p.m. with our social hour. The program will begin at 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to attend.
We meet at the Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis St. Use the side door off the parking lot into the kitchen and then into the fellowship hall. Just come in and take a seat. (The main doors to the church are locked.)
The educational part of our meeting beginning at 7 p.m. will last about 1.5 to two hours. A member will present a lesson on a cellphone app that they use to study the night sky. We will get everyone on the app before they leave, so bring your phone and leave with a treasure.
We will be giving a brief lesson from a book we call Astronomy 101. Then we will have our James Webb lesson.
This month we will study the Pillars of Creation, which started with the Hubble Telescope. It is amazing to compare the differences between the photos taken by the two telescopes.
The Pillars is probably the most famous astronomy photo and is considered by Time Magazine to be among the 100 most famous photos of all time. You will enjoy learning interesting details about this fascinating site.
This is not an advanced astronomy presentation. Materials, many from the European Space Agency, were made to educate the public about discoveries. The James Webb team is big on education for everyone, so information is simple and easy to understand. Come to see how interesting and enjoyable it can be.
We end our meeting with time for discussion. It is said that when alien life is found it will change the world. These discussions help prepare us for such an experience, and it is an exciting way to end our program.
Star party planned
We will try again on Aug. 12 to have a star party near Hatcher Lake.
Drive north on Piedra Road 4.7 miles from 160. If you can see Hatcher Lake to your left, you have gone too far, but you are very close. Try to watch your odometer, because 4.7 miles is close to the road that goes left off Piedra. There is also a sign that says La Ventana. If you can get there during daylight (it is a beautiful place to be) you will see a parking lot on a small road to the left off Piedra with a wooden lavatory and a big fishing pier. The road makes a big loop through the trees just south of the Hatcher Dam.
For a star party we set up telescopes in the parking lot and then park on the road, which is on a hill, so we get no lights from cars on Piedra. It is a wonderful place. Coming at dusk is best. This is also peak time for the Perseid meteor shower, so we many be in for an extra wonderful experience.
Join the Stargazers
If you want to join the San Juan Stargazers, you can do it at this meeting or you can check out our website, sanjuanstargazers.org, where we have information about astronomy, our local club and the Astronomical League, which is a large group of people from all over the U.S. that you automatically belong to when you join the Stargazers. There are beautiful photos throughout the website.
We look forward to our meeting and, as said, everyone is invited to come because the James Webb Space Telescope was made for all people on Earth so we know what an exciting time we live in. You can come as a family — it will increase your discussion time around the dinner table.
Come and get excited about life, James Webb discoveries, and the entire amazing universe. We hope to see you there.
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