Monday, Jul 29 2013 08:46 AM
For centuries, the night sky has captured wonder and awe from gazers. Although many things have changed over time, stargazing remains a favorite pasttime and science.
The Antelope Valley Astronomy Club is dedicated to bringing the beauty of the night sky to families in the Antelope Valley, as described on the club's website, avastronomyclub.org. The members are bringing that dedication to Brite Lake Aquatic Recreation Area on Aug. 3 for a public "Star Party" to be preceded by a members-only picnic.
Since the picnic is private, the club is asking the public to wait until after 7:30 p.m. to arrive, unless guests need to set up their own telescope, for which they can arrive at 7 p.m.
Once there, party-goers can mingle with the members until dawn.
At a Star Party, club members and visitors view celestial objects such as planets, galaxies, star clusters, nebulae and sometimes even comets through telescopes of various types, designs and sizes. To preserve night-adapted vision, only red lighting will be allowed and visitors are asked not to use white light flashlights. Even the moon will not get in the way of the celestial gazers; the first weekend in August is that of a new moon, making the sky the darkest possible for astronomical observing.
"This will be the third year we've had our club picnic, or 'Star-B-Que,' and a public outreach event at Brite Lake in Tehachapi," said the club's vice president Frank Moore. "My wife Rose and I had wanted to hold it here for years and finally got the rest of the board to agree after a picnic at one of our regular sites, Saddleback Butte State Park, was incinerated by 112 degree temperatures.
"That did it for them," Moore said, continuing. "They said, 'Let's move it to Tehachapi where it's cooler and the skies are darker.'"
Moore said he knew the parking lot at Brite Lake would work for the event since his daughter's Brownie troop held a star party there many years ago, for which the parking lot lights were turned off.
Since Brite Lake is operated by the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District, Moore said he works with them to ensure darkness for the party.
"The TVRPD has been wonderful in supporting this event by turning out nearby lights in the Brite Lake Recreational Area and the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District came on board by turning their lights out last year," Moore said. "I got a response from the TCCWD... and they will be doing the same for us again this year."
Brite Lake is located at 22902 Banducci Road, off of Highline Road. Because the main parking lot will be used as the telescope field, visitors should park along the dirt road or in the field immediately to the east of the parking lot.
For more information about the club or the upcoming "Star Party," call the Moores at 822-4580 or 972-4775.
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