Summer Star Gazing at Friends Wilderness Center 8/9/2008

[Willis]

Looking for Family Fun!!!
A Personal Recommendation from ME:
http://www.shannondale.org/sca/images/EyeCatchingGraphics/people/astronomer_telescope_eye_blink_lg_clr.gif
Join a group of amateur "Carl Sagans" at FLOC to learn about constellations and planets with astronomer Kevin Boles, of Morgan County Observatory in Berkeley Springs, WV. You will use star charts and an 8" reflector telescope to discover Jupiter & its moons, the Hercules star cluster, the ring nebula, the double star Albireo, the Moon & view the Perseid meteor shower. If you like, bring a telescope or a good pair of binoculars and a reclining lawn chair. Overnight tenting is also available. Venue: Niles Cabin, Friends Wilderness Center, 7:30 PM for dessert; 8:30 for star-gazing. Cost: $5 for dessert/$3 for kids (RSVP required); $10 donation for stargazing, family rates available. Confirm with Sheila Bach at FWC at [email protected] or at 304-728-4820. After August 2, contact Lisa Payne by email at [email protected] or 703-431-3920.
No worries about light pollution, a great family outing AND an expert to ACTUALLY tell you at what you're looking!
The closest thing to wilderness you'll find in our area. Shoot, it's right down the road from the entire Blue Ridge Mountain.

[TheEditor]

Oh! Oh! This event speaks to the amateur astronomer in me. Thanks for the tip, Willis!

[Willis]

It'll be close to dusk but still light while driving to the event. Trust me when I say the scenery is spectacular. The roads are well maintained in a primitive state so it's easy going. There ought to be plenty of wildlife to see along the way and babbling brooks, moss, ferns and all that woodsy kinda stuff that is rapidly disappearing in parts of our County, too.
So join me and others in
http://www.shannondale.org/sca/images/EyeCatchingGraphics/people/stickman-reaching_stars_lg_clr.gifAnd don't forget Trail Day (http://www.shannondale.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10127) the next weekend in the same bucolic locale.

[Jenniffer]

Dan and the boys and I went last fall and had a wonderful time. The fellow who does the presentation is very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions (he also has a cool laser pointer that looks like it touches the stars which was teh awesome). The food was great, and the company was excellent. I highly recommend it.

[Willis]

But I hadn't been back to Rolling Ridge for - shoot - a quarter of a century and had forgotten how nifty a place it was -
Here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/94299223@N00/sets/72157606562007930/)
are a few pics - not up to our REAL photographers' standards, but a teaser to what awaits visitors.

[Jenniffer]

Here's my photoset (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjfbaltzell/sets/72157594151159861/) from 2 yrs ago when the boys and Dan and I went to our first Open House at Friends Wilderness Center. Loads of interesting things to explore right here at the end of Mission Road :)

[Willis]

And if you can't attend this Saturday night's guided tour of the heavens, remember next weekend's Trail Day at Rolling Ridge where you'll get to see many of the scenes in Jenn's photoset up close and in person. You don't have to break much of a sweat helping if you don't want to. But don't miss a trip to this beautiful place on
TRAIL DAY (http://www.shannondale.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10127)
Good Golly, why not attend both?

[Willis]

We sorely missed having a REAL photographer present. Most pics from my camera after dark were too shaky to see anything at all. But we sure did see a lot of Stars and a few meteors from the showers above. I'll post a more detailed desription in a topic for general interest later. I'm pooped. Here's one of our gazers gazing.
1719
A lot more info on the way in a bit.:D