Area residents are invited to a “star party”—a telescope viewing of the night sky—on Monday, December 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pine Hill Recreation Area near Waynesboro. The event is part of Buttonwood Nature Center’s Naturalist Discovery Series, created in partnership with Tri-State Astronomers (TSA). It is free and open to the public.
Telescopes will be set up in the park, and members of the Tri-State Astronomers club will be on hand to guide viewers and answer questions.
During the star party, participants may observe various nebula and star clusters of the winter night sky. Dan Kaminsky, TSA’s community outreach coordinator, helps organize the event.
“One of the goals of our group is to have as many people as possible look through a telescope,” Kaminsky said. “It’s also a good chance for someone thinking of buying a telescope to try one out and ask questions.”
For more information on the night skies, TSA suggests these websites: www.tristateastronomers.org and www.spaceweather.com.
Viewers may come and go anytime during the event. Those attending may bring their own telescope and binoculars, as well as lawn chairs or blankets. Flashlights are not permitted in the telescope viewing area.
This program is underwritten in part by Naturalist Discovery Series sponsors Pam and Bruce Rowland, and by Lucinda D. Potter, CPA, and SEK CPAs & Advisors, with additional support from Buttonwood’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation; Marge Kiersz; APX Enclosures; Don Gibe and Nancy Erlanson; and the family of the late Carolyn Terry Eddy, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin. Facility support is provided courtesy of Washington Township.
If the sky is mostly cloudy, the star party will be postponed. Check Buttonwood’s website and Facebook page if weather is cloudy. For more information call 717-762-0373 or visit www.buttonwoodnaturecenter.org.
