Bonney Lake Stargazing

If you are bringing your own telescope please arrive before dark to set it up. We will be Star Gazing until midnight and will have several telescopes there for you to look through.

• Bring warm clothes, even in July and August it can get chilly.
• Bring the kids!
• If you bring a flashlight then make sure it is red. No white lights at the event.
• If you take a picture please make sure you have the flash turned off and take a long exposure.
• No pets or children on leashes please. They have a tendency to get tangled and overturn telescopes.
• Bring a comfy chair or blanket and binoculars if you have them to look up at the stars.
• Bring a thermos of your favorite hot drink to help stay warm.
• Our events are on school grounds so no alcohol allowed.

If you want to learn some basics on telescopes then we will talk about those starting at sunset.

Introduction to Stargazing

For those new to astronomy we are going to start the night off with a "Introduction to Stargazing" presentation that begins just after sunset. In this you will be introduced to the night sky, learn how to locate some prominent stars and constellations, and learn how to star hop. Next we will discuss meteors, and satellites. Hopefully we will catch a glimpse of the space station as it passes overhead. When it is visible, we will learn about features of the moon. Finally we will take a look at 3 objects in the night sky thorugh a telescope. All along we will learn how to fill out our observation log.

Every month we will build upon our constellation and lunar knowledge and highlight 3 new deep sky objects. When possible we will take a look at a planet. A sliver of a moon will be visible a little before sunset. Saturn will make itself visible around 10pm.

For those coming to the Welcome to Stargazing presentation please install the free app "Stellarium" onto your mobile device before hand. It is available in the app store for your device. This is the app we will use to help us find things in the night sky.