Update 2/28:
We are a GO for our public observation at Pilot Mountain State Park, this Saturday, February 29th.
Observations will begin shortly after sunset. Sunset is at 6:17pm, astronomical twilight ends around 7:45pm,the Moon (32%) and Venus will be visible early, moonset is at 11:54pm.
The weather forecast looks to be very good, but cold. Clear skies, temperatures in the upper 30’s with a 11 mph wind at 5pm, falling into the upper 20’s by the end of the event, the winds are forecast to calm down after sunset. It could be a bit breezy before sunset.
Update 2/14:The public observation scheduled for this Saturday night at Pilot Mountain State Park is cancelled. The various forecast models for Saturday all depict increasing clouds from the west, over the course of the event time, with 100% cloud cover by around 9p. We believe the most likely scenario would be that we would get setup, see a hole or two in the clouds, and then get clouded-out by astronomical twilight. The absence of any major planets (sometimes visible through light clouds) reduces the number of available targets. We have reluctantly decided to push the event out to the rain date scheduled for this event on February 29th. Stay tuned for a final weather call on the 28th. Hopefully conditions will be better then.
The Forsyth Astronomical Society will be hosting a public observation on Saturday February 15th in the upper knob overlook parking area of Pilot Mountain State Park. This is one our premier public observation sites due to its darker skies. We will be able to show you more dark sky objects at this location than any public event site we use. Sunset is at 6:03 pm. Shortly after sunset our first available target will be Venus. As darkness ebbs on there will be a host of star clusters, nebulae and even galaxies will be available to enjoy. With the moon rising late in the evening this event should be ripe for deep sky objects, if the sky conditions allow. New objects will be rising as the night progresses. If you’ve made your rounds and have seen “all there is to see”. Go around again, there will be new targets to enjoy. We will continue with the observation until 10 pm.
Being we will be atop the mountain the temps can be as much as 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding area, possibly more if the wind is blowing, so please dress appropriately, especially the little ones. Projected forecasts as of this post aren’t looking especially well with partly cloudy conditions and lows in the mid 30’s . Let’s hope that improves. This event is a weather dependent event so stay tuned to this post or the club’s Facebook page for a final weather call the Friday before the event. You can also call Kaleideum North after 5 pm on Friday for the weather call via their automated voice message system. In the event of weather canceling the observation there is a rain date of February 29th. We hope to see you all there.
You must be logged in to post a comment.