Public Programs and Calendar of Events

St. Ambrose University is hosting monthly star parties at the Menke Observatory in the Summer of 2012:

May 19. A Moonless night, perfect for viewing deep-sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. But planets will also be prominent, with Venus visible to the west for an hour or so after twilight, Mars higher in the southwest, and Saturn visible most of the night to the south.

June 23. Mars and Saturn are the brightest planets tonight, easily visible to the southwest. Venus is lost in the Sun's glare now, but you might have a chance to see Mercury very low in the west just after sunset. And these three planets will be joined by a crescent Moon to the west. The Moon will set a couple hours after sunset, leaving the rest of the evening easily dark enough for deep-sky objects.

July 21. Mars and Saturn are the only planets tonight, with Mars getting lower in the western sky, though Saturn is still prominent to the southwest. The crescent Moon will be a little thinner than at last month's star party and will set earlier, so you have to be quick.

August 11. Mars and Saturn are both getting pretty low in the west, but now they're also pretty close together in the sky. No visible Moon means a good night for deep-sky objects. And if you stick around late tonight, the biggest draw is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Meteors will appear to come from the northeast; the later you stay, the more may be visible.

September 15. Mars and Saturn may only be visible very low in the west right after sunset, after which there will be no visible planets until almost midnight, when Jupiter rises in the east. It's another Moonless night, so most of the evening will be pure deep-sky.

Each star party is free, and visitors are welcome to bring their own telescopes or use the on-site scopes.  Call 563-333-6141 on the day of the event for a recorded message confirming whether the star party will take place or must be cancelled due to stormy weather.  If the weather is merely cloudy, the star party will still take place with a tour of the observatory and an opportunity for questions and answers with local astronomers.

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