Local Astronomers Hosting Programs

I've been writing quite a bit about nature at night, whether it's watching moths or listening to frogs at water's edge.

But there's another big world awaiting anyone interested in exploring nature at night.

It's all around us wherever we look up. It is space. It is astronomy.

Cleveland Carter is a member of a small informal network of local amateur astronomers who hopes to encourage more people to learn about the fascinating objects in space.

He and other local astronomers are hosting a series of regular programs in coming months at Circle B Bar Reserve's Nature Discovery Center near Lakeland and at Mackay Lakeside Gardens in Lake Alfred.

These are the latest in a series of programs that began in January in an attempt to acquaint the public with some of the really marvelous sights you can see in space with a good telescope and relatively clear viewing conditions.

Carter said he has two goals.

One is to share what he thinks is an extremely fascinating world with others.

'There's a lot of neat stuff out there,'' he said.

The other is to find people who might be interested in learning more about astronomy.

He said the presentations have drawn anywhere from a few people to nearly 100.

Some people come for the preliminary lectures on some aspect of astronomy.

Others simply want to be able to look through a telescope.

I attended one of the earlier events and was fortunate to get my first look at Neptune.

Carter said telescopes are helpful in viewing distant objects in space, but he said people can see quite a bit using only binoculars if they know where to look in the night sky.

That includes looking at the moon and the closer and larger planets, such as Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

Telescopes are useful in getting good views of galaxies.

In addition, Carter said many man-made satellites orbiting the Earth are visible, too, explaining sometimes he can spot two dozen on a single night.

He said there's something different to see every night.

Carter said one of the challenges is finding a good viewing location.

There are not many places in Polk County where you can go where it's really dark because of sprawling development patterns all over the county that bring urban light pollution with them.

Nevertheless, depending on sky conditions, there is still a lot visible here.

The next series of astronomy programs kicks off Saturday at 8 p.m. at Circle B Bar Reserve.

Two more presentations at Circle B will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 and Dec. 13.

The presentations at Mackay Gardens will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 and Nov. 15.

The typical format is an introductory lecture and then an opportunity to look at stars, planets or other objects through telescopes that will be set up outside.

Circle B Bar Reserve is at 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland.

Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Reserve is at 900 Mackay Blvd.

FALL'S NIGHT SKY EVENTS

There will be a few notable things to see in the sky this fall.

First will be a lunar eclipse Oct. 8, which will occur in conjunction with a full moon.

The Orionid meteor shower will peak occur Oct. 21-23. Viewing conditions should be good because there will be no moonlight to interfere.

There will be a partial solar eclipse Oct. 23.

The Leonid meteor shower will peak Nov. 17 and 18.

The Geminid meteor shower will peak Dec. 13 and 14.

The meteor showers are best viewed after midnight and usually are visible in the eastern sky. Best viewing will be in places with minimal urban light pollution.

[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read his blog on the environment at environment.blogs.theledger.com and his blog on county government at county.blogs.theledger.com. Follow on Twitter @LedgerTom. ]

Local Astronomers Hosting Programs

I've been writing quite a bit about nature at night, whether it's watching moths or listening to frogs at water's edge.But there's another big world awaiting anyone interested in exploring nature at night.It's all around us wherever we look up. It is space. It is astronomy.Cleveland Carter is a member of a small informal network of local amateur astronomers who hopes to encourage more people to learn about the fascinating objects in space.He and other local astronomers are hosting a series of regular programs in coming months at Circle B Bar Reserve's Nature Discovery Center near Lakeland and at Mackay Lakeside Gardens in Lake Alfred.These are the latest in a series of programs that began in January in an attempt to acquaint the public with some of the really marvelous sights you can see in space with a good telescope and relatively clear viewing conditions.Carter said he has two goals.One is to share what he thinks is an extremely fascinating world with others.'There's a lot of neat stuff out there,'' he said.The other is to find people who might be interested in learning more about astronomy. He said the presentations have drawn anywhere from a few people to nearly 100.Some people come for the preliminary lectures on some aspect of astronomy.Others simply want to be able to look through a telescope.I attended one of the earlier events and was fortunate to get my first look at Neptune.Carter said telescopes are helpful in viewing distant objects in space, but he said people can see quite a bit using only binoculars if they know where to look in the night sky.That includes looking at the moon and the closer and larger planets, such as Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.Telescopes are useful in getting good views of galaxies.In addition, Carter said many man-made satellites orbiting the Earth are visible, too, explaining sometimes he can spot two dozen on a single night.He said there's something different to see every night.Carter said one of the challenges is finding a good viewing location.There are not many places in Polk County where you can go where it's really dark because of sprawling development patterns all over the county that bring urban light pollution with them.Nevertheless, depending on sky conditions, there is still a lot visible here.The next series of astronomy programs kicks off Saturday at 8 p.m. at Circle B Bar Reserve.Two more presentations at Circle B will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 and Dec. 13.The presentations at Mackay Gardens will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 and Nov. 15.The typical format is an introductory lecture and then an opportunity to look at stars, planets or other objects through telescopes that will be set up outside.Circle B Bar Reserve is at 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland.Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Reserve is at 900 Mackay Blvd. FALL'S NIGHT SKY EVENTSThere will be a few notable things to see in the sky this fall.First will be a lunar eclipse Oct. 8, which will occur in conjunction with a full moon.The Orionid meteor shower will peak occur Oct. 21-23. Viewing conditions should be good because there will be no moonlight to interfere.There will be a partial solar eclipse Oct. 23.The Leonid meteor shower will peak Nov. 17 and 18.The Geminid meteor shower will peak Dec. 13 and 14.The meteor showers are best viewed after midnight and usually are visible in the eastern sky. Best viewing will be in places with minimal urban light pollution.[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read his blog on the environment at environment.blogs.theledger.com and his blog on county government at county.blogs.theledger.com. Follow on Twitter @LedgerTom. ]

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Local Astronomers Hosting Programs

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